Eerie

It was early morning in Montmartre, the sun had always gone up and there was almost no one on the streets. It had rained the day before and the air felt fresh against my skin, it was a nice change after the previous warm days. Water ran down the cobbled streets and I had to skip around it not to get my feet wet. It made me happy. Sacré Cœur saluted me from in between the houses, a glimpse of the white basilica. I arrived to the feet of the steps that lead to it. Grey, green, white, blue. Those should be the colors of my flag, should I ever have one. I started climbing the steps, slowly, lightly, more a caress than a real step. A couple of men ran up and down the stairway, I smiled, noded, and said 'Bonjour'. They noded as response. In the meantime Sacré Cœur called me from the top "Viens" it whispered, as if I needed any kind of encouraging. 

I arrived on top and see Paris at my feet. It is just waking up, but it didn't matter because it is when it's more beautiful, at early morning and at night. I walked around Sacré Cœur making the pigeons take flight before me, my eyes up to where the white stone and the blue sky meet. I walked the cobbled streets alone, feeling the eeriness of the place. All the shops and restaurants were closed, the street artists were just setting up their stalls. I smiled at them, and at everyone I saw. An occasional 'Bonjour', a nod of the head. I still walked slowly, wishing I could walk around barefoot to feel Montmartre on the sole of my feet, wanting to touch the walls to read them with the tips of my fingers. I went up and down the hills, up and down stairways. 

On a hidden alley I caught glimpse of a young girl, she had long blond curly hair and was dressed in something I can't describe in another way than being the color of the wind. She was dancing on the street, twirling mindlessly, sparkling somehow. I smiled at her and she stopped startled. 

'Est-ce que tu peux me voir?' Her voice was soft and she spoke in a singsong. 

I nodded, of course I could see her, why shouldn't I. She signaled me to get closer and I crouched to be at the level of her eyes, they were of the color of the sky. 

'Shh! Je suis la magie de Paris.' She whispered into my ear before placing a hand above my heart. 

As soon as she touched me I knew she was saying the truth, an incomparable feel of warmth filled me up. 

'Merci' was all I could say before she disappeared again. 

In the early morning in Montmartre I had found the magic of Paris and thanks to that I would always have a piece of it in my heart.