Twisted By: James Hughes Putting on a hoodie and grabbing her purse and the briefcase, Alina (one of her names) went into the hall and to the exit stairs. She waited listening before proceeding down. Were they going to take the stairs or the elevator? Hearing no sound in the stairway, she went down one level and listened, still no sound. She proceeded all the way to the basement. Exiting the stairway, she found a door that led to a trash loading zone in the rear. Exiting slowly, she looked for the car in front. It was still there. A short walk parallel to the street led to an alley back to the main street. If she could get to the all-night drug store on the corner, she would call a taxi. The taxi ride would take her to a destination fraught with complications, but it seemed the only alternative. About the Author While professional authors write for a living and to gain recognition, the author, James Hughes, writes for his personal enjoyment. It is a form of mental gymnastics that fills a need to express himself in the guise of a story. When the kernel of an idea surfaces in his mind he ponders the idea for some time, writing it first in his mind. If it gets traction cerebrally, then he begins to think of story structure and how it should begin. The imagined ending that prompted the story initially now requires him to proceed in order to achieve the desired ending. The beginning of the story initiates the path he will follow, always with an eye on reaching the destination. A chance online meeting prompted this story.