Short Shorts: Akari, p2

AKARI, PART II
They hold hands inside the pocket of Akari's longcoat for warmth. Splitting the foggy clouds of their own exhales, they stroll, not-quite-briskly, down the sidewalk. They look at the sky, at each other, and listen to their boots crunch.
Cosette's right foot hits a hidden patch of ice, and she stumbles, her glasses skittering off. Genu-flecting, she pats about in vain on the concrete. Akari sees them in the gutter.
When he bends to grab them, a glint in the storm drain catches his eye. A little gold orb. He picks that up, too.
In a chthonic abyss, something horrible awakens.