Pouring a jug of coffee into two white mugs, I placed them on top of a brown tray, together with two plates of freshly-buttered toast and two bowls of soft-boiled eggs. With both hands, I carried it towards table number two, which was placed at the right corner of the store window. "Here are your breakfast, Mayor Yearns," I served his meal on his table. "That'll be 6 dollars altogether."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzxu6mk8VGO
Taking out his wallet from his side pocket, Mayor Yearns handed me a green bill and a blue bill and thanked me. I smiled as I was about to head back to the counter, only for his daughter, Lisa, to tug the sleeves of my T-shirt. "Hey Bugsy, are we still meeting up at the arcade tonight?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVZfQ1RiMKN
I nodded. "Of course we are, Lisa. Why do you ask?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIozgLi7Hgi
Mayor Yearns cleared his throat. "Well Bugsy, I've read today's newspaper and umm...it doesn't look good at all."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH0gmWlJXDA
"Oh," my eyebrows furrowed. "Did we lost many men at the battlefield?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyzDjQZnCPU
He shook his head. "Nope, a serial killer had escaped from prison in La Belle."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvOq0FK7Fvb
I let out a loud gasp. "Really? What's his name?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRTByHnpDP
"His name is James Larthow, also known as the Ripper. His method of killing included mutilating his victims into bits and disposing them in the garbage bin."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUchur9k915
He showed me a mugshot of a young man, with fair skin, blue eyes and chestnut hair, who was grinning ear-to-ear. "I'm still allowing both of you to hang out at the arcade, but in one condition."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfAMsSP5Z4a
"What is it, daddy?" Lisa asked.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfVPXYWxu2
"Both of you must be home by 10 p.m, sharp," he instructed. "The same goes for the whole town."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC6OQL8MfRj
"I beg to differ, Mayor Yearns," I spoke. "But La Belle prison is in the other side of the country and with the war going on right now, it's unlikely for the Ripper to escaped to Slaborough."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡldYumd9nD1
"But still, Bugsy, it's better to be safe than sorry. I can't let this killer take an innocent life in this town."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEp35X5svr
Looking at the watch on his wrist, he gulped down his coffee and laid his handkerchief on the table as he got up from his seat. "Now if you excuse me, ladies, I have a town meeting to attend to. Good day," he tipped his hat to me as he left the coffeehouse. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8pnnZE2S4K
Lisa sighed as I lifted the empty dishes from where she was sitting and walked towards the counter. Putting on a pair of rubber gloves, I scrubbed the dishes with a squishy, yellow sponge when I heard the door chime. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhFO8IWJcV
"Welcome to Little Owl Coffeehouse," I greeted. "What can I do for you?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHqFbTvV6NI
"Hey Bugsy," chirped a familiar voice behind me. "You look good today."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRK2vWW1pg
My lips twisted and my left fist clenched as I turned around and faced the dark-skinned boy with black, frizzy hair. "Archie Velasco," I forced a smile at my class rival. "It's nice seeing you here."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlupvKtycPi
"You too, Bugsy," he rested his elbow on the counter, eyeing at the menu on the chalkboard. "Could I have a glass of lemonade? It's pretty hot out there."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJEoRCYPPgh
"One glass of lemonade coming right up," I said as I grabbed a lemon from the bowl and sliced it in half, squeezing it with a squeezer and poured it inside the glass. Adding some sugar syrup and water inside, I dumped a few cubes of ice inside and stirred it with a spoon. Not forgetting a straw, I slid the drink on the counter and gestured to Archie for payment.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdWDeEqXwA9
"That'll be four dollars," I spoke. He handed me four one-dollar bills and thanked me, sipping his drink. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡACVNJe2ran
"By the way, Bugsy, do you have any plans tonight?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJweovOSndt
I bobbed my head. "Ferdinand, Naomi, Lisa and I are going to the arcade tonight. Why did you ask?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡM9hRzSoC9R
Archie shrugged. "Well, I was gonna ask you to join me and my friends for a movie."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmRX5lFp9QO
Lisa and I burst into laughter. "Really? Don't you have enough friends to join you?" asked Lisa, who was poking his cheeks.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwU1hoxGfDL
"I do, Lisa. It's just that it'll be nice to have more people joining us. You know what they say, the more the merrier."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc60bf7NjgQ
"Oh, are you watching The Truman Show?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ21wmgz5A42
"Of course. My favourite actor is there. Jim Carrey, love his work."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzvdaCOjrx
"That's cool. Well, I watched it the other day with my dad and it was heart-wrenching in the end."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgc79BpNPiW
Archie sighed. "Well Lisa, thanks for reminding me to bring a box of tissue to the cinema."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaZIJ0EItT6
"Oh shoot," she covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPUqTkrcmrO
He let out a small laugh and continued to chat with the girl with dreadlocks, leaving me to wipe the tables and chairs and wash the dishes in the sink, waiting for time to fly a little faster.
Wearing a graphic tee that says 'Colour Pop' with blue denim shorts, I walked inside the air-conditioned arcade and watched so many kids and teens sitting in front of the bright, flashy screen popping out from the arcade games, pressing the buttons and swinging the joysticks.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV190PyXAe9
I headed towards the counter and slipped two dollars in front of the token man, asking for game tokens. As the token man gave me four game tokens, I thanked him and searched for my friends all over, only to feel a huge squeeze from behind.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5ctBZEfhIi
"Hi Bugsy," Naomi squealed in my ear. I gave a huge whoop as I turned to see my friend, and held my chest for a few moments. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUna4VJjOkf
"Goddammit," I exclaimed, panting. "Don't ever do that to me ever again."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmHfxObZyw6
Naomi giggled and wrapped her arms around my shoulder. "Sorry about that, Bugsy," she placed her hand on her bubblegum pink beret. "I forgot that you hate surprises."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡudO2nMb87C
I sighed as I gave Naomi a friendly hug. "You know, you look pretty in pink."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJAh78v8tzO
"Like the movie with the redhead girl?" she pointed out.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXwMDJ92nAE
I lifted my shoulder. "No pun intended, pal but yeah, just like that movie with Molly Ringwald."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3kLb43JMoN
Grabbing my hand, she dragged me towards the 'Street Fighters II' arcade, where I watched Ferdinand and Lisa competing against each other.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDat9WKUSqh
"You're going down, farm boy," Lisa gritted her teeth, pressing the game buttons in an aggressive manner. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6eBcpR3Crj
The blue-collared shirt boy let out a small chuckle. "We'll see about that, princess."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYxLE5QonXG
Lisa gave a smug as she shifted her focus towards the game screen and moved her fingers on the buttons numerous times. She panted and panted until her hands began to feel numb. She released her breath and slammed the button vigorously, and the arcade machine declared the winner of the game.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtTeGXn2CC
She raised both arms in the air and screamed in joy as Naomi gave her a hug. Ferdinand's jaws dropped as he watched the screen fade to black. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPxN2if8kLW
"I don't believe it," he stuttered. "I almost had you, Lisa."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFhr5BVAYCd
"Well top bad, farm boy," she stuck her tongue out. Ferdinand exhaled when he saw me approaching, making his lips curved into a smile. "Oh hey Bugsy. Boy, I'm glad to see you here."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkIxh2GdpBH
"Me too," I gleamed as we embraced others in a long hug. "So how's it going with your mom?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiVeV9s7l9A
"We're doing fine," he replied. "Corn season will be here soon, and we'll be working in no time."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkAKx4eNORs
I nodded as I took out two of my tokens from my jean pocket and inserted them into the coin slot. The screen turned bright as I entered the game with Naomi playing against me. As the game began, both of us frantically pushed the buttons with both hands while Lisa and Ferdinand cheered for us.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL68RnLnfT9
I leaned forward as I felt a rush of adrenaline released throughout my whole body, my right foot pacing up and down. In a flash, Naomi literally jumped in the air as the machine announced her as the winner. "I won!" she screamed with excitement. "I won! I won! I won!"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ04XrXtb3Lr
"Dammit," I cursed, as I dropped on my knees and pulled my hair. "I'm so bad at video games."
Lisa and Naomi high-five each other as Ferdinand kneel and placed his hands on my shoulder. "You did your best, Bugsy. You can do better next time."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡujPjOshGUB
He helped me up as I dusted my jeans with my hands, before glancing at him. "So, how's your day?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPmAffRCzl
I shrugged. "It was fine, I guess. Mayor Yearns told me about this serial killer."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAScYh9SMR
"Oh, the Ripper," he raised his fingers. "Yeah, I heard about it from my mom. She attended the town meeting this morning."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpJEFDMuXq2
"What did Mayor Yearns say?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTfXjleB0lU
"My mom told me that I should stay over at a friend's house if it's past curfew."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRKYGSTo6QA
"That's exactly what my parents told me," Naomi joined in. "My mom almost fainted when she heard the news."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3s5e4m1ulr
"Same goes for me, although I'm skeptical about Mayor Yearn's actions."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWEyHDFd1Em
Lisa raised her eyebrows. "What are you saying?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡznEc0cBRl4
"Geographically, La Belle's prison is 1,849 kilometres. And if he were to run all the way here, that'll take him about 446 hours," I explained. "And with the war going on right now, it's impossible for him to go anywhere right now."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrq2diP6yRc
Naomi, Ferdinand and Lisa glimpsed at each other before Lisa let out a loud sigh. "I get where you're coming from, Bugsy," she crossed her arms. "But you know dad. He always told me that I can never be too safe and well, he seem to have a point."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqcCzJ0nXh0
Naomi looked at the round clock on the wall and placed her hand over her mouth. "Oh my gosh," she exclaimed. "It's quarter to ten."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUKX1fREgFb
Lisa smacks her hand on her forehead. "We have fifteen minutes to reach home."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNjh0DK3d5p
All four of us rushed out of the arcade and said a quick goodbye to each other, before parting ways. Ferdinand and I held hands as we ran on the pavement, as I glanced at Naomi and Lisa over my shoulder, who were bolting through the crowd.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWPDr6HUYSJ
"Come on, Bugsy," Ferdinand pulled my hands. "We have to hurry back to the coffeehouse."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeV1rfZvTSp
"Sorry," I uttered, catching my breath as I ran. Feeling like a thousand needles stabbing through my left legs, I gulped for air as we almost reached the Little Owl Coffeehouse. Hearing me hiss in pain, Ferdinand burst the front door opened and pushed me inside, before walking in and closing the door behind me.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6hTRWBzSDq
Aunt Inara ran towards me and gave me a hand, as she sat me down. "Are you guys alright?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. 604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyB4V9jDWO
Ferdinand held his chest and sat beside me. "We're fine, auntie," I finally caught my breath. "We're just trying to beat the curfew."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAew8Lg1DgI
She let out a small laugh. "Well, you guys arrived just on time. Why don't you kids watch something on TV, while I'll close the store with Chaeyeong?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqztulEDfWh
"Yes, ma'am," said Ferdinand, as he was about to head upstairs with me. "Oh Aunt Inara," he stopped mid-track. "Could I call my mom and tell her that I'm here in your place?"604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIR6EcfnQdH
"Sure," Aunt Inara accepted his permission. "Phone call's free after ten."604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ1ju3PPRMB
Ferdinand thanked my aunt and went upstairs to the living room, picking up the handset and dialled the numbers on the keypad. "I'll get us some refreshments," I pointed the kitchen with my thumb. He gave me a thumbs up and started talking to his mother on the phone as soon as I walked into the kitchen, grabbing a jug full of water.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡld5XyFe67w
As I poured a jug of water into two glasses, I looked out of the window and stared at the now-empty streets, filled with flickering streetlights and the distant howling from the prairies. The waning moon was illuminating its light at the alleyway. I watched the night skies decorated with the ethereal Milky Way and held my head with both hands as I counted the stars and galaxies above me.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo3b03evIYx
My arms were relaxed and my mind wandered in the clouds when I noticed a tall, dark shadow from the window below me.604Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRjhvHCgCBJ
