Crowded Street

When I stepped out of the tube station, it was raining heavily outside. I opened my umbrella and started walking, but something was wrong. The atmosphere was somehow very unpleasant.

Strange...

No-one I walked past had an umbrella over their head. Everybody was silent and had grim looks, too; they walked on, all facing the same direction.

Then, suddenly, a taxi stopped by, and the driver put out his hand and beckoned me to come over. I gestured to him that I didn't need a taxi, but the man said, "Come on, get in!"

He was so insistent that I had to. Besides, I wanted to get away from this unpleasant atmosphere.

Later, the driver, pale-faced, said to me, "When I saw you trying to avoid bumping into people on an empty street, I thought I should help you..."