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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzVKviKk0cA
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?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb7kRbvPCsK
I nodded. "Of course we are, Lisa. Why do you ask?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9s729kykfc
Mayor Yearns cleared his throat. "Well Bugsy, I've read today's newspaper and umm...it doesn't look good at all."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLXeoLYx1S7
"Oh," my eyebrows furrowed. "Did we lost many men at the battlefield?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlL7bbBOjSJ
He shook his head. "Nope, a serial killer had escaped from prison in La Belle."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57v3BWxoCq
I let out a loud gasp. "Really? What's his name?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmqMdAhDKL8
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDypenohyDr
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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjyGwzUpBAq
"What is it, daddy?" Lisa asked.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoHH4AeR6iG
"Both of you must be home by 10 p.m, sharp," he instructed. "The same goes for the whole town."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMAmUsU5Stt
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViETcuJSph
"But still, Bugsy, it's better to be safe than sorry. I can't let this killer take an innocent life in this town."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2sEIEKogFF
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. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1SX0KmbeDD
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. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1w5Z9fyq9o
"Welcome to Little Owl Coffeehouse," I greeted. "What can I do for you?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdJvSA0UDE8
"Hey Bugsy," chirped a familiar voice behind me. "You look good today."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVGoqpcQ0J
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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO6Te9XEexr
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDD8s3Tk6uX
"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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ57WDq1Qghw
"That'll be four dollars," I spoke. He handed me four one-dollar bills and thanked me, sipping his drink. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtYqSSSW0yP
"By the way, Bugsy, do you have any plans tonight?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡL61jNeyQwJ
I bobbed my head. "Ferdinand, Naomi, Lisa and I are going to the arcade tonight. Why did you ask?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZquFf0jWl
Archie shrugged. "Well, I was gonna ask you to join me and my friends for a movie."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF87Bl8H59d
Lisa and I burst into laughter. "Really? Don't you have enough friends to join you?" asked Lisa, who was poking his cheeks.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDrEYIJZxaT
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhqhMd9lrfb
"Oh, are you watching The Truman Show?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKkdZFjnRM1
"Of course. My favourite actor is there. Jim Carrey, love his work."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY59If3smeM
"That's cool. Well, I watched it the other day with my dad and it was heart-wrenching in the end."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbJAuZNCooq
Archie sighed. "Well Lisa, thanks for reminding me to bring a box of tissue to the cinema."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡefVpQFkJ3e
"Oh shoot," she covered her mouth. "I shouldn't have said that."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiPSwsQTi1S
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡheJuZWLNCq
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxoCm6336C4
"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. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJguEXUfSEN
"Goddammit," I exclaimed, panting. "Don't ever do that to me ever again."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAw0qRbmIH6
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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtsXWccNB3P
I sighed as I gave Naomi a friendly hug. "You know, you look pretty in pink."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzI6Q7hLIIj
"Like the movie with the redhead girl?" she pointed out.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOoLfCrlJUQ
I lifted my shoulder. "No pun intended, pal but yeah, just like that movie with Molly Ringwald."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpPuQDv9gB1
Grabbing my hand, she dragged me towards the 'Street Fighters II' arcade, where I watched Ferdinand and Lisa competing against each other.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9hi4cvFwVo
"You're going down, farm boy," Lisa gritted her teeth, pressing the game buttons in an aggressive manner. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP5QDpsBoiO
The blue-collared shirt boy let out a small chuckle. "We'll see about that, princess."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOINqOotBaQ
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡy9ErG9SqgW
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. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡV8BC18jTo0
"I don't believe it," he stuttered. "I almost had you, Lisa."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡr60uocHoqn
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHWREbksQmo
"Me too," I gleamed as we embraced others in a long hug. "So how's it going with your mom?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ5ftQKMn0M
"We're doing fine," he replied. "Corn season will be here soon, and we'll be working in no time."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUviPVpyx2w
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQTl8eH7O0
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!"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡc9CCnKdfaz
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2JHJmBxrIZ
He helped me up as I dusted my jeans with my hands, before glancing at him. "So, how's your day?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqUae0YkdJi
I shrugged. "It was fine, I guess. Mayor Yearns told me about this serial killer."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXMUbvuNSh4
"Oh, the Ripper," he raised his fingers. "Yeah, I heard about it from my mom. She attended the town meeting this morning."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDEQAmtbZYX
"What did Mayor Yearns say?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6jPWnmUOvt
"My mom told me that I should stay over at a friend's house if it's past curfew."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGKFyqKSfJ5
"That's exactly what my parents told me," Naomi joined in. "My mom almost fainted when she heard the news."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaagfbNikf1
"Same goes for me, although I'm skeptical about Mayor Yearn's actions."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfX26qzokAl
Lisa raised her eyebrows. "What are you saying?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡn54OMo9NGA
"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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIhejKCEPGZ
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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcRi4n5uYxf
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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIJKoKR1d3P
Lisa smacks her hand on her forehead. "We have fifteen minutes to reach home."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh7rwup5bPw
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7fFMrC1N7w
"Come on, Bugsy," Ferdinand pulled my hands. "We have to hurry back to the coffeehouse."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxsvOrzntJd
"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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeT852hXvwp
Aunt Inara ran towards me and gave me a hand, as she sat me down. "Are you guys alright?" she asked, her eyebrows raised. 757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgJH9dsHMEi
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."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDlGKn9BQWD
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?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAyA1lh3Xxp
"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?"757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZA9UGGAepW
"Sure," Aunt Inara accepted his permission. "Phone call's free after ten."757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5mkPTCTlzN
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXg2XUA73JH
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.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0qUPlSx24y
My arms were relaxed and my mind wandered in the clouds when I noticed a tall, dark shadow from the window below me.757Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo8FklC6VBI
