Dropping off promptly, he was glad not to have overslept and missed his stop. The bus rumbled away, leaving a warm trail of air on top of the already humid afternoon, and the boy stepped gingerly off the ledge of the pavement. Like the scores of people who alighted at the stop daily, convenience was key.

A move was made as he spotted a gap in traffic and very quickly, he found himself on the grassy divider with traffic moving up or down on either side. Scanning again for a moment when the road would be his for the crossing, something else caught his eye. That unmistakable figure, the sole rider on a bike, white uniform and a helmet. And sunglasses, he was wearing sunglasses! That was the authority figure people were afraid of, being synonymous with bookings, speed offence and of course demerit points. The boy frowned at the prospect of having to face the oncoming threat...

The rider merely accelerated, the sound of the bike diminishing as it blended in with the general noise of traffic. He could have sworn that the passing rider gave him a smile and could only guess the expression from underneath those shades.

Just for a moment, the boy felt like the king of the world. Shrugging it off, he dashed again, eager to get out of hot sun.