The throaty and boyish sound of Def Leppard begging for sugar drifts from the next place along with high-pitched, forced laughter. I don’t have to turn my head to know what I’ll see—a short skirt riding high and groping hands. The night is nothing if not predictable. It may be why I love it now.

I keep moving, letting the familiarity fill and empty me at the same time.

I stop at a light pole on a corner and scan it. I may not be a vampire hunter, but I know how to hunt lost pets, and that’s something at least. No sign of Suzy, though, so I guess I’m not good at that either.

All the other pets must be home and loved tonight since there are no other posters, but my gaze catches on something else. I pause in front of a thick green piece of cardstock with a picture of a dove erupting from a magician’s hat. Gold letters loop across the top: LOSE YOURSELF. The date, time, and “J Street” are in fine print at the bottom. No address.

Someone’s taken great care in attaching it to the pole without leaving any visible tape. I grab the edge and pull. Maybe the address is on the back, meant only for the most ambitious to find. I flip it over. Nothing. No tape, either. I run a hand over the cold metal it was stuck to, coming up empty.

I shiver in the late evening breeze, or maybe from the thrill of a tiny piece of magic in my hands. I could use a little bit of illusion right now. Tonight I need some extra help pushing the bad memories away. Plus, I’m on the right street, even if there’s no address.

I keep walking, rolling and unrolling the green flyer, making the dove disappear and reappear. I still pause to glance down a dark alley or two, but for the first time in a long time, I have a different purpose.

There. A small flash of gold catches my attention, and I kneel in the middle of the sidewalk, running my finger along the gold-painted magician’s hat no bigger than my fist. The tip of a bird’s wing peeks out the top. A gold arrow beside it points forward. I grin, walking quickly, knowing what I’m looking for now.

I find the next one painted on the side of a trash can. The bird’s wing is farther out of the hat this time. The arrow points across the street. I wait for the cars to clear before darting to the other side.