Not Here

Dragging an unconscious body with Olivia was bad. Doing it by myself was even worse. I have no idea why the madman passed out after Olivia shot him with pink hearts. Perhaps it was an allergic reaction of some sort. Then again I'm not a doctor. What do I know? I drag the body to the sidewalk because I'm a good little helper. Because I'm obedient. Because right now Norm is the boss, and whatever Norm says goes. I stop before I get to the flower shop though. I don't want this to be Bella' s problem. Once I figure the proper distance from Norm's to leave the body, I keel over. It takes me a while to catch my breath. In that time I hear Wilber wobble over to me. "Everything alright?" He asks. "It is now." I say, catching my breath. "That a drunkard?" Wilber asks, pointing to the passed out madman with his crutch. "Sort of. " "Well, please remove him, whatever he is. It's bad for business." "How?" "Wake him up." "But he won't wake up." I say. Wilber smiles. "I'm sure you'll figure it out. You're smart enough." He then wobbles past me. "But if he wakes up-" "You mean when he wakes up." Wilber interrupts. "When he wakes up what do you want me to do with him?" Wilber shrugs. "I don't know.  Use your best judgement. Just don't leave him here."

The Unconscious Body

The mad prisoner was sprawled out on the floor with his eyes closed. He was unconscious, but he was alive. Norm made sure of it. He took the madman's pulse with his little paws. "C'mon buddy, wake up." He says, slapping the man's face. Norm turns sharply to Olivia. "What did you do?" "I don't know. That doesn't usually happen." Olivia responds, shakily. "Doesn't usually happen? You mean it happens sometimes?" Norm snaps. "We had no choice. The man is unstable." I say, jumping in. Norm inches towards me. He lowers his voice."I don't care if you guys were right or wrong. Having someone pass out is bad for business." "That may be, but what's done is done." Norm shakes his head. "No. You're gonna get this body out of here." "And do what with it?" "I don't know. Drop it off at the flower shop. I don't care what you do, just get rid of it." I sigh loudly. "What about the customers?" "What about the customers?" He repeats. "They're not stupid. They saw the whole spectacle." Norm smiles. "I'll simply explain it was elaborate performance art." "You really think that'll work?" "Yes. Now go. Get that thing out of here."

Crazed Customer

The air in the fountain shop became dense as soon as the prisoner entered. It is doubtful if the patrons knew who he was, but they all recognized that he was not someone to be messed with. Nobody said a word. Nobody moved a muscle. Everyone was still. Except for Norm that is. Norm doesn't exactly pick up on social ques. He warmly welcomed the prisoner into the store, and he instructed Olivia to greet him when she froze at his sight. "Welcome to Norm's Fantasmagorical Fountain Shop." She says, stiffly. "Upsell." Norm whispers. Olivia rolls her eyes. "Care for a Triple Berry Banana Smoothie? It'll be sure to make your day a delight." "I think you know what I want." He says.  "How about an Island Mocha Milkshake?" Olivia replies with a false calm. "No. The pink stuff." Norm snaps his fingers.  "Ok, now we're getting somewhere. We've got a few different flavors of pink ice cream. There's Firecraker, Pink Marshmallow, and my personal favorite, Kirby's Dream Land." "No. None of those." He shouts. "Alright. Don't worry.  We'll figure this out." Norm says. "She knows exactly what I want." He screams and slams his fists on the counter. Olivia quickly raises her right hand. She fires a pink heart into his chest. A moment later he faints. Olivia looks at Norm sheepishly. "I'm sorry. I don't think I had a choice."

Unlock the Lock

It's amazing to me how one could be in a crowded room with terrible acoustics, but that person could somehow zero in on one particular noise. That's how it was when I locked the door to the fountain shop. I have no idea if raccoons have particularly sharp hearing, but Norm's head darted up as soon as he heard the lock. "What are you doing?" He shouts from across the room. "There's a madman." I reply. "A madman?" He scoffs. "Yes, a madman." I say, trying my best to cover the door window with my body. Norm leaps over the counter and walks over to me. "What's this madman look like? Did he have a gun or a knife?" "No. Nothing of the sort." "Then how do you know he's mad?" "Well, he had a long beard and crazy eyes." "Is he homeless?" Norm asks. "I believe so." "But he's got money?" "I don't think so." "How do you know that? He could have some money. At least enough for a cone." Norm insists. "What makes you think that?" I ask. Norm pulls me away from the door. He then hops up and unlocks the door. "Just let me deal with this, alright? As long as Wilber is away I'm the boss. And I say let him in."

Showman

"Come one, come all. Come to the greatest fountain shop of them all." My strategy for drawing in crowds to the fountain shop? P.T. Barnum style theatrics. I toss my paper hat into the air. I entice any and all who walk by. "We got malts, shakes, sundaes, floats, splits. You name it. We got it." I'd like to think my showmanship helped business, but in all honesty, I think the people who were there were already thinking of going. But I do feel pride when I glance in the at long line of people waiting for a frozen treat. Even though Norm told me to do my thing outside, I can't in good conscience leave them.  So, I decide then and there to help inside. As I'm opening the door a familiar voice stops me. "Excuse me." It says. I turn around to see the prisoner. I knew this would happen, yet I am somehow caught off guard at the sight of him. "Do not be afraid." He continues, as if he can read my mind. "What do you want?" I ask. "Your lady friend shot me with something." "It's nothing personal. We felt we had to." The prisoner shakes his head. "You don't understand. I liked it. I want more of it." I slowly back away from him. "I have to get back to work." I say. The prisoner grabs my wrist. "You can't leave." He shouts, manically. I forcefully remove my wrist from his grasp. "I have to work." "But what about me? You can't leave me hanging." "I"m sorry.  We clearly made a mistake shooting you with the pink heart in the first place. It isn't a drug." "But it is. It's the best drug." "I have to get to work." I say again, and with that I rush into the fountain shop. I lock the door behind me.

Preparing for Busy Time

"Where's the boss?" Norm asks me and Olivia. "He went next door to yell at the florist." I reply, casually.  Norm squints. "He did." Olivia says. "Well, you have any idea when he'll be done with his tirade?" "Fuck if I know." I say. Norm scratches his head. "This is a problem. We're approaching the early evening hours. That's our busiest time." "I'm sure Freddy can help you." I say. Norm glares at me.  "We'd be glad to help." Olivia replies.  Norm nods. "Great. I have some extra aprons and hats in the back." "So, you want us to scoop ice cream then?" I ask. Norm chuckles. "Oh no, you guys aren't ready for that yet." "Then what do you want us to do?" I ask. Norm scratches his head. "Let's see..." He points to Olivia. "Register." Then he looks at me and smiles wide. "And you will draw the crowds."

Why the Flower?

Wilber burst into the flower shop. His anger level was at a ten. His face was red. He could explode at any moment. But when he finally saw Bella he wasn't nearly as articulate as he hoped he would be. "Why'd you do it?" "Excuse me?" Bella says, cocking her head slightly. "Why'd you do it?" He repeats. "I'm sorry. Do what?" "The flower. Why'd you do it?" "Oh. You own the fountain shop. Did you like it?" She asks."It was lovely. But why'd you do that? You expecting free ice cream?" "No. Nothing of the sort. I just did it to be nice." "No one does things just to be nice." Wilber snaps. "I do." She replies. Wilber takes a deep breath. "You were being nice?" " I was. I can see that was a mistake." She says. "Are you new to the area?"Wilber asks, changing the subject. "I am, but I know you are too. Hence the flower." Wilber shakes his head. He glances down at his feet. "I'm a jackass." She places a hand on his shoulder. "You are,but I can forget." "Can I get a tour of your store?" He asks.  Bella smiles back at him. "I'd love to ."

Black Tulip

Bella gave us a single tulip with a long, dainty stem. It's color was a dark purple. So dark that it appeared black. It seemed an odd choice, but we thanked her nonetheless. We went back to the fountain shop. There we placed our strange tulip in a vase at a booth. We started to like it. Unfortunately, not everyone shared our feeling about it. "What the hell' s that?" Wilber shouts from behind the counter. "It's a flower." I reply. "I know that. What's it doing here?" "It's a gift. It's to brighten up the place." Olivia explains. "What? You think this place is too dark? Too depressing for you?" "No. What do you have against flowers?" Olivia asks. "This is a place where people go to eat. I can't have flowers. The pedals fall off and get in the food. It's a health code violation." "You've got to be Kidding me.  You're concerned about health codes? You work with a racoon." I point out.  Wilber takes a deep breath. "I'll make him wear gloves and a hat." "And pants." I mutter. "Who gave you the flower?" Wilber shouts, changing the subject. "The woman next door." I say. "That's it!" Wilber throws down his hat. He grabs his crutch and wobbles to the door. "Where are you going?" Olivia asks. Wilber half turns to us. "I'm going to give that woman a piece of my mind."

Regina

Bella Flowers was like a jungle. There were brightly colored, exotic plants and flowers as far as the eye could see. Some of which were thought to have went extinct long ago. I don't know how she did it, but it was spectacular. Bella Flowers was really living up to its name. She ended the tour with a massive venus fly trap. It reminded me of the one from Little Shop of Horrors. Knowing how that movie ends, I stepped back a bit. "You needent be afraid. " Bella says to me. "Isn't that carnivorous?" I ask. "It is, but it only eats small rodents." She says, petting its pedals. "How are sure it won't turn on you?" I ask. "Because I trained it well. It would never turn on me. Care to pet it?"  "We're good just watching you pet it." Olivia jumps in. "Suit yourself."  "What's it's name?" I ask. "Regina." "That's a pretty name." Olivia says. "I had to give her a pretty name. She's a pretty creature." Bella gazes at Regina admiringly. "It's so good to have company. Regina and I were getting lonely."  "Yeah, well we're right next door  so we can visit whenever." I say with a slight discomfort. "You live next door?" "Sort of. Our friends just opened up a fountain shop, but we're there all the time." I clarify.  "Then I must help you. You need flowers for a proper business." "No, that's ok. You don't have to get us anything." Olivia says. "Nonsense. You were my first customers. You kept me company. It's the very least I could do. Come this way, I know just what you need."

Bella Flowers

Bella Flowers opened up right next door to Norm's Fantasmagorical Fountain Shop. I have no idea when exactly it got there. It could be when I was playing card games with Freddy. It could have been earlier. It seemed the city and all it's inhabitants were remembering who they were at an alarmingly fast rate. Olivia and I went to Bella Flowers to check it out. It was interesting. Unlike any flower shop I had been to. Imagine being in a cluttered antique shop, but replace the antiques with plants. It was filled wall to wall with plants and flowers. It was amazing, but I had to watch were I was stepping at every turn. It was that packed with plants. Olivia and I walked  single filed. "Hello?" A timid voice calls out from the back of the room. "Is someone in here?" "Yeah, we wanted to check out your store." Olivia says. "I'm sorry. I'm not open yet."  "But the sign on your door says otherwise." I reply. "I'm afraid that's a mistake. I must have it facing the wrong way. Please, it's not ready to be shown to the public." "If it's not ready to be shown to the public I can only imagine what it will look like later." Olivia says. "Are you insulting my store?" The voice shouts, but still sounding a bit timid. "No. Quite the opposite. I think they're beautiful." Olivia says looking at one of the many brightly colored flowers. "What did you say?" "I said they're beautiful." Olivia repeats. Then, the woman seemingly appears out of now where. As if she was hiding in the folds of a gigantic plant. She is tall and thin. She has crazy, black, curly hair. She wears granny glasses and has the biggest smile. "You think they're beautiful?" She asks. "I do." Olivia says. "Good because I named the store after me. It's Bella. It means beautiful. Come on, I'll show you around."

Freddy's Card Game

Playing cards with Freddy was much like playing with a five year old. We weren't playing a pre existing game. At least nothing I ever heard of, and the rules constantly changed. It seemed every card I wanted to play I couldn't because Freddy would remember a new rule. At first it was kinda fun. However, it didn't take too long for the charm to wear off. What started off as sort of cute thing quickly became annoying. Then annoyance gave way to boredom. Eventually Freddy was as bored as I was. He lost interest in his own game and started making little card houses. He never made it more than one floor, but he was tenacious. He kept trying.  Olivia came by at that point to rescue me. "How's the card game?" She asks. "It was a tie." Freddy says as his card house falls again. "Really?" "Yeah, we're both of equal skill." Freddy says. "What can I say?" I reply with a shrug and a smile. "Well, if you guys aren't too busy-" "We're not." Freddy interrupts. "If you guys aren't too busy." Olivia says, picking up as if nothing happened. "You wanna check out the flower shop next door? It just opened up." "I'd love to." I spring out of the booth. "You wanna see it,Freddy?" Olivia asks. "No, I'm not interested." "Now's our chance." I whisper to Olivia.

Right Choice?

The plan was to leave the mad prisoner where he was and sporadically check on him. I'd like to give him the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to hope for the best, but it's hard. We saw him beating a few police officers. Even if he had a reason for that level of violence he still doesn't seem l like the most trustworthy person. Maybe that's the problem though. I don't know anything about him. I don't even know his name. I just write him off as a nut. Maybe I'm the mad one? Now I'm doubting myself. I've gotten in my own head. We made a decision. We must stick to it. We head back to Norm's Fantasmagorical Fountain Shop . It's quiet at the moment, but neither Norm nor Wilber mind. They know it will pick up again. I take a seat at a booth. A minute later Freddy walks in. I can see he has a deck of cards in his right hand. No one asks where he was. No one wonders. Not even me.

Dead Weight

The mad prisoner was dead weight ...literally. Olivia and I had to half carry half drag him down the vacant  streets. "Does this ever happen?" I ask Olivia. "Not usually." She replies, trying to catch her breath. "Why is this happening?" "I don't know." "Can we at least take a break? I think I'm going to pull out my back." "Yeah,sure."  We carefully place the prisoner on the pavement. I stretch out my arms and legs before finally turning to Olivia. "What's the plan?" I ask. "What do you mean?" "I mean are we gonna bring him back to society? Are we gonna try to rehabilitate him?" "Yes to all the above." I half smile to myself. "What's so funny?" She demands. "Are you gonna pink heart him every time he gets out of line?" "If I have to. " She says. I shake my head. "What's your plan? Let him stay here? Wait for him to do something crazy again?" "He might not." I insist. "But he might." Olivia snaps. There is a brief, cold silence. Olivia looks down at the unconscious prisoner. "What am I talking about? You're right, this is all speculative. I still don't feel safe leaving him though." "How about we leave him here for now, but we keep tabs on him?" I suggest. Olivia nods in agreement. "Ok. Let's drag him somewhere safe for now."

Bad Apple

We were off in search of the mad prisoner. We weren't sure what we'd do when we found him. I suppose we didn't think that far ahead, but we knew we had to deal with him one way another. Fortunately, or unfortunately depending how you look at it it didn't take long to locate him. He was in the same exact spot that we left him. This time, however, he was sleeping in a damp, cardboard box.  Olivia kicked his exposed legs. The mad prisoner utters a string of profanity. "Get up, you piece of shit." Olivia shouts. He grumbles and slowly sits up. He hits the ceiling of his cardboard box. As a result old rain water falls on his head. It matts his hair into his eyes. He brushes his hair away. "Oh. Hello." He says, looking up at us. "Don't hello me. We know what you did." Olivia says. "What? Sleeping?" "You beat up a cop." I jump in. The prisoner smiles big. "Oh yeah.  I did that." "You admit it?" I ask. "Of course. That was a long time ago though." "What are you talking about? We just saw it." Olivia insists. "That doesn't mean anything. I was here all night." Olivia takes a deep breath. "Even if you were that doesn't matter." "Yes it does. Haven't you two ever heard of statue of limitations?" "I don't think it applies to this. You weren't done with your term." I say. "Fuck that." He shouts. Neither Olivia nor I say anything. "Look, if it makes you two feel better they had it coming." "How did they have it coming?" I ask. "They were corrupt. All of them. I was single handedly making this city a better place." He insists. Olivia looks deep into his eyes. "I don't believe you." She says, without breaking the stare. "I don't care." "You should." "What are gonna do? Make a citizen's arrest?" He snorts. "That's exactly what I'm gonna do." Olivia fires a pink heart into his chest. A moment later he falls down into his box bed.

Signs of Struggle?

We burst out of the front door ready to take on the new threat. We would have a chance to display courage, and perhaps make a good name for ourselves. We didn't see the mad prisoner or police officers when we exited the station. We circled the police station. Nobody was there. That in itself isn't strange, but there was no evidence either. No footprints. No torn clothing. Nothing. No signs of struggle. My theory was that even though there was no tape in the player of the control room we were still somehow receiving old footage. Olivia went along with it, but she said we needed to find him regardless. She said he's a madman and who knows what he's capable of.

Various Scenarios

The assault of the police officer was happening right outside the station. Initially my mind thought of wildly imaginative ways to escape. The first scenario involved us crawling through the air ducts like spys. It would be ridiculously claustrophobic and the slightest noise would give us away, so I came up with scenario 2. In this scenario we would wear extra police uniforms. I figured it may take some time to find the uniforms, and they may may not fit properly. But the other officers wouldn't know the difference. They would assume we were in the precinct all along. Thankfully, Olivia talked me out of that scenario. She opted, instead, for a better, more direct scenario. In this one we'd run directly into the problem. Face it head on. If anybody asked us who we were and why we were there we'd simply tell them the truth. I had my doubts as whether or not the truth would set us free. However, I was fresh out of any ideas, so I prepared myself for the fire.

Going Live

"Find anything interesting?" Olivia asks, as she walks back into the control room. "Nothing but static. You were right. I should have listened."  Olivia pats me on the back. "One day you'll learn." I turn my chair around. "So, what did you get?" Olivia empties her pockets. A dozen candy bars plop onto the concrete floor. "Damn." I say in admiration. "I didn't mean to get that many." "Hey, I'm not complaining."  I grab a candy bar, unwrap it, and take a huge bite. I don't know if it is because I haven't eaten all day or if its that good, but in this moment I am in heaven. I close my eyes, savoring every bite. "Oh my God." Olivia shouts. I open my eyes. Olivia has a shocked and horrified look on her face. "It isn't that weird." I say, defensively. "No, turn around." Olivia urges. I turn my chair around. There on one of the portable T.V. screens, I see the mad prisoner who we let go previously. He is punching and kicking a police officer. The footage is grainy and black and white, but I know without a doubt that that is him. "At lest we know what got him here." Olivia says. "No we don't." I reply. "What do you mean?" She asks. "There's no tape in there." "You mean we're live?" "Yeah." "You mean this is happening now?" I bite my lip and nod slowly. "We have to get out of here."

Vending Machine

A chocolaty, chewy, caramel, candy bar is just what the doctor ordered.  Unlike the control room, Olivia had no problem at all funding the vending machine. The never ending twisty, turney corners were somehow replaced with one short, straight hallway. There in the middle of the hallway Olivia saw the the vending machine under tinted yellow florescent lights. She studied her choices carefully.  After she was done contemplating she placed her coins in the slot and pressed A5. Her choice candy bar dropped down. She went to pick it up, but then another one from that row dropped. "This is my lucky day." She thought. Olivia picked up the two candy bars. Another candy bar followed by another candy bar dropped down. Before she knew it, all of A5 dropped down. Olivia had no idea what was going on, but she wasn't about to complain. She scoops up the candy bars and stuffs them in her pockets. As she is about to walk away the lights shut off. They remain off for a full minuet. When they kick back on they flicker light a strobe light. Olivia, however does not think anything of it. "This is an old building." She tells herself. "These things happen."

Finding Us

Viewing home movies is a strange, and often times uncomfortable experience. You recoil at your former self. You think "is that me? Do I sound like that?" However, after watching the surveillance tape for a while I longed for home movies. The footage was of poor quality. It was all black and white. The shots were static. They felt like they stretched out till the end of time. Finally, we showed up on the frame wandering around and wrecking havok. Olivia ejected the tape. She pulled the tape out of its plastic container and smashed it with her fist. We had destroyed the evidence. We could now leave, but curiosity was getting the better of me. I picked up a random tape. "What are you doing?" She asks. "Want to watch another one?" "Fuck no." She says, quickly. "Aren't you curious what's on it?" "No. I know exactly what's on it...nothing." "I'm not so sure about that. I mean why would they keep all these tapes if there was nothing to see?" I ask. Olivia shrugs. "They're probably just lazy." There is a brief pause. Olivia sighs. "You wanna watch it? Knock yourself out. I'm gonna go find a vending machine."

Control Room

The control room was not the high tech, digital wonderland that I pictured in my mind. It was all analog. There were four small, portable T.V.s that were set up as monitors. On the floor were piles and piles of VHS tapes. I couldn't tell if the town didn't have a budget for a better control room or they were that cheap. At any rate, I was ready to work. I cracked my knuckles and studied the monitors carefully. It appeared there was a camera by the front parking lot, one in the back parking lot, one by the main enterence, and one in the office area. Olivia swooped in and pressed a red button on VCR. A second later a tape pops out. "Let's roll." Olivia says. "You sure that's the tape with us on it?" I ask. "I don't see what else it would be." "You wanna watch it just to make sure?" I ask. Olivia shrugs. "Sure. What the hell. Why not?"

Labyrinth

It was interesting finding our way around the police station. None of the rooms were labelled and all the hallways looked exactly the same. We kept walking past the same water fountain every few minutes. The Place was an insane labyrinth. I wanted to give up and just smash the surveillance camera. Olivia stopped me before I had a chance. She told me while that seems tempting we didn't know how cameras there were. Therefor we had to continue our search. It was getting more and more frustrating.  We continued walking past the same water fountain. Then, all sudden I noticed a door that wasn't there before. I pushed it open. I could not believe my eyes. Through sheer dumb luck we stumbled upon the control room.

Guess Work

Cleaning the offices of the police station involved alot, and I mean alot of guessing. Even if we were conscious of every single paper and folder we pulled out we would still have to have the mind of a supercomputer to remember any of it. The room was a disaster. You couldn't see the floor. We did the best we could following our own logic of organizing, but even that was thrown away. It was grueling work. We just wanted to be done with it after a while. So we stuffed papers in random places. Basically wherever we could find space. Nothing was where it should be. I tried to look at it as a fun April fools prank if the cops ever came back. Unfortunately, it wasn't till after we were finished that we realized that perhaps this wasn't where we should be focusing our energy. Olivia pointed to a small surveillance camera in the corner of the room. "Maybe there's no tape." I say hopefully. "I doubt it." She replies. And like that we dash off to erase the tape. Wherever it may be.

Returning the Car

Things were going back to normal. The city was regaining its life. Before we knew it there would be stores open on every corner,and people would be merrily walking about the streets. However, this would mean that the police station would also reopen. Obviously neither Olivia nor I wanted to be caught with a stolen cop car so we drove it back to the station. We parked it in the same exact spot. We also adjusted the mirrors and seats to how they were before. It was the perfect crime. No one would ever know what we did. Still, there was one thing plaugeing my mind. We left a terrible mess. "We can leave the mess. They won't know it's us." Olivia says. "But our fingerprints are all over the place." "They're not gonna bother to check for fingerprints." "They might. They'll probably be pissed if they discover that." I say. "If it looks like that. The station might go back to normal on its own." "Maybe,but do you want to risk that?" I ask. Olivia sighs. "No,I don't. "

After Hours

We went back to Norm's Fantasmagorical Fountain Shop.  There wasn't anyone in line and the sign was off. It was obvious they were closed for the day. I could see Norm cleaning the tables through the window.  I knocked on the door. A second later Wilber greeted us with a smile. "Come on in." He says with a twinkle in his eye. We walk into the now vacant shop. "Norm, you can stop now." "Not yet. I still have work to do." Norm replies, scrubbing away. "We're a good team." Wilber says. He usher us to sit down at a newly cleaned booth. "Business was really booming, huh?" I say. Wilber nods. "And it'll be even better tomorrow." Olivia smiles. Wilber points to the window. "Someone's coming by tomorrow and patching it up." "Who?" I ask. Wilber shrugs. "Don't know. Don't think he was in my division. But fixing widows is what he did before the war so he said he'd help me out." "Look at you making connections."  I say. Wilber shakes his head. "No, this is how it is supposed to be." "That may be, but how did you do it?"Olivia asks. "I told you. I remembered who I was, and because of that everyone else is starting to remember who they are." "So, it's leading by example?" Olivia suggests. "I guess you could say that." "Does that mean the whole city will transform back to the way it was?" I ask. "It may take some time, but yes." I lean back in my seat. "Wow, I'm curious to see how it all looks in the end." Wilber breaths deeply. "Me too." "I'm not." Olivia says quietly. "Why not?" I ask. "This is exciting." "Because." She says, turning to the window. "We took something that wasn't ours."