It's amazing what the shower can hide.

She steps in, chucking her blood soaked clothes into the hamper. It had crusted over on the way home, with everyone's eyes turning away. Even the homeless man on the street corner, Clevis, the most relentless man she knew, always staring her down for change to get a bottle of beer, had averted her gaze.

She turns the water on warm. Her bruises cry out as she makes circles with her wash cloth. The blood flakes off, and she sits on the floor of the tub to cry. Nobody can hear her crying behind the stream of the water. That's the way she likes it. The landlord pays the water bill, and he can pay for half an hour of sobs, until her skin becomes that of a raisin, and she can forget the sins that man committed on her. She feels violated. She feels abused. She wonders if she can drown if she plugs the tub. It doesn't work. Two weeks pass, and she finds herself back in the shower, water dripping down her face. If you ask, she will say it is from the faucet. Nobody bothers to ask. She saw his face at the coffee shop today. Turns out he also likes chocolate crullers. He caught her eye, and for a moment the recognition didn't flicker, with her sunglasses covering her face. But then it did, and he stuck his finger through the hole of his doughnut, in and out until he's satisfied with her squirming.

She gave her doughnut to Clevis. And now here she sits, sobbing in a tub because the memories come flooding back, not caring how hard she has worked to repress them. Her stomach rumbles, because she never got to eat her doughnut, let alone anything, but she can't bring herself to get off the floor of her shower. It's a good thing she's not paying the water bill. Another two weeks pass. She thinks she is finally able to stand in the shower. Her legs wobble, and at the scent of her strawberry shampoo, she almost caves. The smell reminds her of her tears. Her tears remind her of the incident.

Why had she walked home alone that day? Bolstering herself against the wall, she takes a breath. She doesn't think, and exhales through her mouth as the water pours down, and everything tastes like soap.

She spits to the ground and slides down into it. She's not ready to stop crying. Two months pass this time. She was caked in sweat from her run around the neighborhood. The therapist said it would be good for her to take up a hobby, clear her mind. So far it's worked wonders. Today she took the route past the coffee shop. The chocolate crullers had cried out to her, and her mind flickered back to that day.

Lacing her shoes tighter, she took off. She stands there, stomach growling, thinking about that doughnut. That man had stolen her innocence. Was she really going to let him take her favorite food too? In, out, in, out, had gone the finger. The shower rains down cold, until she can blame her shivers on the water. She wraps the towel around her body and stands in front of the mirror. "I am not powerless," she tells her reflection. She wishes she could hear it echo back. Six weeks disappear, and so does her midsection. There used to be a small bulge, but now as she turns to the side, it almost seems a bit concave, as if someone has scooped out her insides and ran off with them. She turns frontward and studies her thighs. They don't rub like they used to. They're long and lean, like those runway models she used to make fun of. She always swore they didn't eat, and ran off fumes all day. Had she fallen in with their crowd? No, she's thin now, but still not pretty. She can see the scar he left her. She escapes behind the curtain, and lets the water heat up. Tracing the scar, her lip trembles, and tears fall. It's time to let the shower pour. So do her eyes. Half a year has passed since she met him. Half a year of wondering why she didn't take Janet up on her offer to get a ride home. Half a year of sitting in her tub, pretending the shower covers her tears. There's a knock on the door. She ignores it, stepping into the shower. The past few weeks have been fine. If by fine you mean doing nothing but work and runs and sleep. There's no crying though, and she considers this an accomplishment. There's a tattoo on her scar now. It makes her feel beautiful, and she runs her hand along it as she steps into the shower. This time she doesn't cry. The shower lasts all of a few minutes, to cleanse her of her morning run. She throws her hair into a sloppy bun. Today she can face the world. She draws a smiley face in the mirror steam. It's been eight months now. The adrenaline of the tattoo has worn off. It's a part of her, like all the thoughts she keeps locked away.

They're supposed to be locked away. He was at the drug store today. Which wouldn't be a problem, because her therapist has taught her how to handle these kinds of situations. Except he was buying condoms, and when the cashier told him to have a good night, he got that devilish tone to his voice that makes her skin crawl. "Oh, I will." She dropped her iced coffee. Having abandoned her favorite cafe, she had stopped to get her fix, the kind that comes in glass bottles. It had soaked into her leg hair. She's in the shower, removing every trace of coffee. If only she could remove every trace of him. Nine months in, she sits on the edge of the tub. Every day she gets in here, and every day she remembers. These flashbacks plague her. Today she turns the radio on. A country song pours out. It'll be the perfect distraction to her night. She had met a handsome man, and he was the type to kiss on the first date. He had asked his place or hers, and she had feigned ill from the shrimp they'd had for dinner. She gasps and changes the station. Maybe rock n' roll will cure her wandering mind. Her puke washes down the drain. It's Halloween, and she is scrubbing all the green off her skin. Her washcloth is officially trashed, and she wishes she hadn't been the Jolly Green Giant this year.

More like the Sad Green Midget. Her frame is frail from malnourishment. It's more habit than anything really, this not eating habit, as she is buried in work and running to forget that she is working on running away from this man. She had played wallflower at Janet's party, afraid of running into that man again. With everyone in costume, he could have been anyone. She scrubs harder. All of her frustration is making her skin raw. She needs to learn to live without fear.

Given the date, the irony is not lost on her. It's been a year. She woke up and came into the bathroom, laid down in the tub. The water isn't even on. Just the radio, filling her head with noise so it doesn't supply its own. A paper slides underneath her bathroom door.

"Thought you might need something to help you through the day. If you need a shoulder, you know where to find me. -Clevis. PS. You should lock your front door."

Opening the door, she finds a bag sitting on the floor. It's from the cafe. Inside is one broken chocolate cruller, extra napkins.

She pokes her head around the corner. He's nowhere to be seen.

He gave up his daily beer to buy her a doughnut. Broken in half, because you can't stick your fingers through a broken doughnut.

She falls back onto the tiled floor, bites down into the pastry.

This time they're happy tears.


Is it August “It’s all wrong” Sheila yelled at John “Did you even look at it before you picked it up?” John had just got done shoveling the 6 inches of snow off the driveway when his wife came home. Coming back from the engravers, John decided to surprise his wife and put the present on the counter top. “What are you talking about?” He said as he picked up the candy dish

There it was right before his eyes engraved on the bottom Ausust 15 2002 Engravers should know how to spell August he thought, maybe it should be a prerequisite. This clearly wasn’t August on the bottom of the dish, maybe if your eyes were bad that s could look like g, but again this was an engraver, engraving words not a second grader doing a school project “I’ll have them redo it tomorrow” John said as he put the candy dish back in the cardboard box. Sheila just shook her head and started to make dinner. “The Engraver Place” was 15 minutes from home.

“Can I help you” the middle aged man came out to the counter. After explaining he was already in their store not more than a few hours ago, John got the candy dish out from the box. “I was just in here and picked up this candy dish” John reached into his small paper bag “I just need August 15 1985 engraved right here” John pointed to the exact place on the bottom of the candy dish. “As you can see, this says Ausust, that’s not what I wanted!” “I’ll be darned, how’d that happen” The middle aged man said “Will have to talk to the engraver… sorry” The man took down the information he needed, looked it up on the computer and said “we’ll have it for you tomorrow” John, leaving the store, thought to himself and saying out loud to himself “That probably was the engraver”. “Nobody wants to take responsibility anymore” as he chuckled. It was December 21 maybe a little late for buying presents and the days were flying by. The candy dish was going to be a Christmas present for friends they had known for 20 years. It was a running tradition that every year they would get something different to celebrate the time they met friends in a marriage counselor group. They had gotten to know each other so well during that time they decided not to go to counseling anymore and just meet with each other instead. Debbie and James had become their closest friends. The first time they met was August 15, 2002. Days were still getting shorter this time of year and John always got nostalgic remembering Christmas from a few years ago when his mother had just died.  He always felt guilty thinking that his mom died a few hours sooner than she should have, and the  hospice nurse had made an “in home” visit  just before her passing. Although there were 5 siblings with him watching his mom it was somehow determined that it was up to John to administer the pain medication. “When you see your mom start to frown” she would say “that means she is in pain, when that happens just put a little morphine on her lips.” John spent the next 3 hours watching his mom in the living room on the hospital bed. Morphine close by if  needed. His mom would open her eyes and look around occasionally, as she was drifting off into her eternal rest. She looked peaceful, with her eyes closed, almost as if she was dreaming at times. Still breathing shallow breaths but peaceful. Then came that look on her face that the hospice nurse said she would have. It was a definite frown. Because of religious reasons his mom had said she didn’t want any pain medication at the end of her life.  “Hospice nurses have pain medication though, so why would we have a hospice nurse if we didn’t do what she said?” John questioned himself. John put the little drop of morphine on her lips and to his surprise he saw his mom open her eyes and look at him. She shook her head and he could swear he saw her lips move saying “you shouldn’t have done that”. Within 10 minutes she breathed her last breath. He always thought he had killed her in some way by giving her that morphine. That was 3 weeks before Christmas, a Christmas he would not forget. His mom had been gone 5 years now, hoping his mom was looking down on him and forging him by now.

Things were a lot less dramatic this Christmas. Sheila and he were getting along well and they had made new friends since they moved to their new neighborhood. They had both quit drinking and had joined a church with a great pastor. It was 2 days later he got a call from the engraver that the candy dish was ready and he could pick it up. The roads were a little slick from the 6 inch snow storm making the usual 15 minute trip more like 30. The middle aged man saw John coming and appeared from the back room shortly after John arrived. The dish came in a brown paper wrapping. No need to pay for the re-engraving so John took the dish from the man, as he said “here you go” “Thanks” he said as he began to walk out. Thinking back on the last visit though, he decided to have a close look at his dish. After unwrapping he saw Augsust 15 2002. Unbelievable! Turning back to the man he said” It’s still wrong, look!” John pointed to the Augsust. They had put the g in alright, but they forgot to take out the s. “That not what I wanted!” he said. Christmas was now only 3 days away. “Will have it back to you tomorrow “, the man said “Even if we have to work on it all night” December 23 was another blistery, windy day but the sun came out. It was one of those days that looked warm.  You would get a shock when you stepped outside into the 20 below wind chill. Having a remote start on his car, would make John’s car warmer before he got in, but the walk to the SUV was still treacherously icy. “Be back in a few minutes” he called to Sheila as he left.  And final instructions from Sheila. “Make sure they get it right this time” The bright sunlight reflecting off of the snow made driving hazardous and on the way to the engravers he saw 2 accidents. Not wanting to be another accident he slowed down to thirty-five, then to twenty-five. A car in front of him slid into the ditch just missing him. He saw a salt truck but then he recalled he heard someone say that salt trucks didn’t do much good when the weather was this cold. Up ahead was a traffic light, this is where his ability to judge stopping distances came in handy. The light was green, then yellow. Too slippery to stop, “Oh what the hell I’ll keep going, no one will give me a ticket in this weather” he said to himself. The light was definitely red as he went cruising through it. A quarter mile down the road he heard the familiar woop woop then he saw it a police car behind him flashing the red and blue lights After a $200 ticket for running a red light because the cop was sitting at the light and he had cars on either side of him and he “just had to give him a ticket because what would the other people think, if he didn’t pull him over”. Shaken up, John arrived at “The Engraver Place and once again was greeted by the same graying middle aged man. He recognized John and disappeared to the back room on his arrival. While John gazed around. In metal tags hanging from the wall he could see engraved such thing as

50 th Anniversary, Congratulations, Baby Boy and various names. “Not one mistake among them” he thought “Here you go, I think we got it right this time” the middle-aged man said as he handed John the candy dish John looked down and there it was on the candy dish, it read August 15 2002 He turned to the man and exclaimed “Thank you, it’s just what I wanted!”


Whrrrrrrr. The machine moaned as it compiled my cash to spit it out. It made a click as it stopped, then the little door slid open. I reached in to grab my money. Thumbing through it, I counted, just to make sure it was correct. My dad always taught me to do this, as he claimed he had been ripped off before. Five hundred I thought. Perfect, it was just enough to cover the rest of rent for the month. I had dropped off another five hundred dollars last week, and three hundred fifty the week before, but I had to stay on top of things every paycheck to make sure I could cover rent in the full amount. I got paid weekly, so I tried to pay in increments throughout the month. Between bills, school clothes, food and general needs of a child, rent was killing me. It whrrr'd again as it printed my receipt. My stomach groaned with anticipation and anxiety as I grabbed the ticket. Thirty-seven dollars and sixty-four cents. Heyyy! I thought. Thirty-seven dollars and sixty-four cents! It took a minute before it clicked with me. I wasn't in the red this week! I was certain I was going to overdraft my account with this withdrawal, but I had to finish paying rent this week. I had gotten into the terrible habit of only checking my account balance when I got paid, or when I pulled out rent money, and even then it was only sometimes. But, hey, I wasn't going to get overdraft fees this week, so that was great enough news for me! More than satisfied, I took the cash and crammed it into my pocket, tossed the receipt in the trash next to the ATM, and walked over to stand in line to get the money order for my landlord. I dropped the envelope with our rent money in the drop box of our complex, and drove off to go pick up Liz from school. It was only about two miles away, but it was across a highway, so the school, and I think maybe the police, wouldn't let a nine year old walk home alone. So, every day after work, I had to rush over to her school to pick her up and take her home. It was the only reason that I took the job that I have, so that I could work early enough to get off early enough to pick her up. Today, though, was a half day at school, and everyone got out at noon, so I had to take some sick time to leave early today. I didn't accrue vacation time at this job, and God knows my boss would get pissy if I tried to call out or ask for time off, so it was pretending to be sick to go home for me today. Couldn't just leave her there, and as a single father, I didn't have anyone else who could pick her up. I pulled up to the curb of the school, and all of the kids came bustling out. I looked around for Liz, and like I always do, I had a brief feeling of dread when I didn't see her right away. And, as always, there she came running out, in her pig tails and overalls, then grabbed at the back passenger door to get in. I heard a metal thunk and realized that I forgot to unlock the door, so I clicked the button and she got in. “Sorry about that, kiddo!” I half-laughed. “I gotta stop doing that, huh?” “Yeah,” she agreed, but didn't say anything else. She was usually pretty talkative, so this caught my attention. “How was school?” I asked. “Good,” she said with a bit of a down inflection. I glanced in the rear view for a second. “It doesn't sound too good.” She didn't say anything. “Did something happen?” “No,” she said, staring at the seat in front of her. “Are you sure?” I asked, a little worried. “No, Sammy just ripped a whole in my bubble popper.” She spoke like she was choking back tears. “Your bubble popper?” I asked sadly, “You mean the kitty one?” I glanced back again. The bubble popper was a fidget toy that just had you push little bubble shapes inside out, back and forth. “Yeah,” she said with a strong frown. “Awe, that was your favorite one!” I said. “Yeah,” she said as some tears started running down her scrunched-up face. My lower lip reflected her sobs. “Awe, Sweetie, it's okay. We can get you a new one, if you want?” I offered. They were like five bucks, and they kept her hands busy. Plus, she was a good kid and I hate it when she's sad. It makes me sad. “No, it's okay. I like the kitty one,” she stifled her sobs. But she still sobbed. Awe, how do I make it better? I thought. I thought maybe we could play a card game or watch some Youtube when we got home. Normally I limit her time on Youtube and save it for after homework, but I could make an exception this time. She had a bad day. “You wanna maybe watch some Aphmau when we get home?” Aphmau, (pronounced AF-MOU, like mouse), was a nearly incoherent Minecraft show that some group of adults somewhere made for kids. It had a “storyline” usually, but it never made any sense, and the voices were insufferable. But, hey, she thought it was funny, and there wasn't really anything inappropriate in it, and she loved it. So, I limit that one especially, because I can only take so much, but I did allow it. “Okay...” she answered, not very loudly. Wow, that didn't even do it. We were almost home when I had an idea. It was an idea that I usually brushed off, but I reconsidered it today. A couple of frozen yogurts would only cost us maybe fifteen dollars, max. There was one a few blocks away and Liz begged to go there often, but I usually turned it down because we just couldn't swing it. Sure, I didn't get paid again for another two days, but Hell, I was expecting to be broke today anyway. “You know what?” I said. “We have something else we gotta do before we go home, okay?” “Okay...” she didn't care. We pulled into the froyo parking lot and I parked. I looked back and she was staring out the window, longingly at the shop. “Hungry?” I asked. She lit up, but then hesitantly asked, “Where are we going?” I forced a chuckle. “Well, where do you think we're going?” I motioned my head toward the froyo shop. She bounced in her seat. “Really?!” she asked happily. Thank goodness. “ Yeah! ” I said with emphasis. “C'mon! We better get in there before the froyo melts!” I joked. She bolted out of her seat belt and through the car door as if it were one single movement. I came around and took her hand, and together we walked across the parking lot to get to the store. Well, I walked, she skipped. When we got into the store, she ran ahead of me, over to the levers that dispensed the goods. Next to the first one were the cups. “Go ahead!” I told her as she waited patiently near them. She turned and grabbed the biggest one and giggled. “Ah-ah,” I said with high eyebrows and a smile. She knew what she was doing. “Just kidding, Daddy!” she laughed and grabbed a smaller one. Not the smallest, but much better. In a joking around voice, I nodded, “Uh-huh! Sure!” I grabbed a smaller cup than hers. We made the rounds and I got two flavors; Vanilla and Strawberry Bundt Cake. Liz got a little bit from every single one. “We gotta get our money's worth, right Daddy?” she said. She was laughing, but it did give me a twinge of sadness to hear her say it. Regardless, I joked back, “That's right, Sweetie.” We walked the counter with the toppings and I let her get whatever she wanted. She got sprinkles, mini-peanut-butter cups, boba bubbles (I didn't even know what those were), and candy corn. Wait, candy corn? Why would you put candy corn on a frozen dessert? “Candy corn?” I asked. She seemed like I was questioning all of her life decisions when she answered, “ Yeah! ” She nodded her head with great exaggeration and raised eyebrows. “I love candy corn!” “Yeah, but Honey, it's gonna be rock hard by the time we sit down!” I countered. “You want me to put them back?” she asked. That kid was whitty when she wanted to be, and I gotta admit, she got me there. “I guess not,” I conceded. She smiled and continued on. “But I will be judging you,” I said in jest. “That's okay,” she said confidently. She really was her own person. I was so proud of that. We made it to the pay counter and put our cups on the scale. They charged by weight here. “Oh!” I said while it was still calculating. I started reaching into my wallet, searching. “I think...” I trailed off for a moment until I found it, “...I have a coupon!” It was for five dollars off. I checked the expiration. Still good! I handed it to the clerk. “Alrighty!” she said in a sing-song voice. “I'll make sure to get that added on for you!” She gave so much more life to her customer service than I could ever muster. “Looks like that comes out too...” she peaked over to the scale, “...ten dollars and eleven scents.” “Perfect!” I said as I pulled out my card and inserted it into the chip reader. “Sounds good to me.” It was perfect and not only that, but it was extra satisfying to know that I would have been correct in my estimate, too! It's those minor victories that get me through the day. We took our froyo with copious toppings over to a table and sat down by a window. “How is it?” I asked, knowing that she started scooping it in the moment I paid. I asked before I even saw her, and before she could answer, I saw that it was already all over her face. I smiled. “Good,” she answered, much more genuine this time. She took another bite. I laughed a bit, “I think you missed your mouth!” She giggled, and without a drop of remorse, she smeared a bit more around her lips on purpose. We both laughed. “Ew, you little stinker!” “I am a little stinker!” she announced proudly. I shook my head, smiling, and reached into my pocket. I took out my phone and pulled up Youtube. “Where did we leave off?” I showed her the screen. “Um,” she looked and pointed. “That one.” “This one?” I clicked on it. “No, that's the last one we watched. We need the next one,” she said. “Oh, which one is the next one?” I asked. I backed out of it and she pointed again, her mouth full. “Oh, okay.” I clicked. And we sat there for a little less than an hour and watched as Aphmau did some kind of episode about an under water mermaid school or something, and shared some more giggles. I wondered in the back of my head what kind of bill or streaming service didn't get paid for which left me with money still in the bank, but I pushed that thought out for now. I can figure it out tomorrow.


"C'mon it's not that hard. All you do is go in and present yourself to the director and that's it."  Ben explained to his friend, Charlie. Ben had been acting since time began and Charlie, who was always shy and quiet, wanted to try it but always too scared to try. "I dunno Ben, I mean what if I goof up, or throw up or pee myself?"  Charlie replied looking at the floor as if he were ashamed of himself.  Ben smiled and put his arm around Charlie's small shoulders. "Directors have seen it all, they're used to it.  On the plus side, you aren't going in already with a list of demands like Miss Girly Queen of the Universe Pageant contestant.  They like seeing fresh faces."  Charlie looked at Ben, like a puppy looks after it's been scolded. "But...but what if I don't get in the show?" Ben hadn't thought about that but he had an answer.  "Charles,  we've been friends for how long now.  You always keep putting things down without trying them. You have to start learning to say 'oh well' rather than 'what if'.  Besides, I'll be there cheering for you every step of the way."  There was silence as Charlie thought things over before announcing his decision. "Ok, Ben I'll do it but can you help me prepare?  I mean I don't know what to expect, do I need to bring anything."  Charlie started working himself up. "Charles, just relax.  Yes, I'll help you. First off, dress comfortably. You'll see people there in sweats, t-shirts, something that is comfortable to them.  Reason for that is sometimes you might have to do some movement and don't want to be restricted."  Ben grinned.  "Charlie boy, I am so proud of you for doing this!!" The days went by and Ben and Charlie worked together to get Charlie prepared for his audition.   Charlie was confident now and feeling the whole thing.  "Ben, I...I can't..." "Charlie, don't you dare tell me you can't do this!"  Ben cautioned. Charlie laughed.  "No no, nothing like that, I...I want to say thank you.  Thank you for working with me on this and prepping me.  I don't know of anyone else who would have put up with this hot mess!" "It's what friends do.  They help others when they need it."  Ben was speaking from the heart.  "Now, you have your resume and headshot.  They may not ask for those but sometimes you never know best to be prepared." The two men drove to the theater where they were greeted by a small group of other men for the auditions, each one practicing their monologues and various lines from the show.  Charlie froze unable to move.  "N--no. nonononono!  I..I can't that's...no!"  He was glued to the car seat. "You got this Charlie, I believe in you.  Don't let these guys intimidate you.  You're better than that"  Charlie was refusing to move.  It took Ben all his might to drag Charlie into the theater where the director had just unlocked the door to let the prospects in. As they turned their resumes and headshots,  the young lady who was accepting them smiled at them both and wished them the best of luck, and jotted down a couple of notes.   Charlie sighed wearily. The auctioneers all sat in the house of the theater as the director, who looked like he was about one foot in the grave, went over his procedures.  "Today will be fairly easy.  We'll have everyone read for Felix and Oscar, from there we will say who can leave and from there you will read with the women who are being considered for the Pidgeon sisters.  If this your first time, break a leg.  We've all had our first audition.  You'll all be fine."  Everyone applauded the elderly gentleman who took a seat behind a makeshift desk situated in the center of the house.  He started calling out men two by two and each one read their scene.  Charlie was feeling better, or at least he was until his name was called along with Ben.  The butterflies had started up but he followed Ben up to the stage. The director looked at their pics.  "Ben, Charlie, welcome.  Ben you'll read for Oscar and Charlie you'll be Felix.  I trust you gentlemen know the story of 'The Odd Couple'."  They both nodded.  "Very well, open your scripts to page 47 starting with Felix saying 'That's funny isn't it Oscar' and go to the end of page 48. Anytime you're ready." The two delivered their lines.  Charlie began to doubt what was so hard about acting, he was having a blast with it.  When the scene ended they thanked the director.  Before they could go sit down the director looked at Charlie and said "Would you mind reading again for me?  Ummm Adam, could you read Oscar, same scene."  Ben hadn't prepped Charlie for this but he did as he was told.  Adam, who looked like he was fresh out of high school, hopped up on the stage and shook Charlie's hand in a friendly manner.  The two read and finished and both allowed to sit.  By this time the director took the stage again.  "Gentlemen thank you all, everyone was wonderful.  This part I hate doing, if I call your name...thank you for your interest but we don't need you at this time."  Looking at his clipboard of names he began to read. Charlie whispered to Ben.  "I think I'm going to be sick."  Ben squeezed Charlie's hand. "It's nerves, you'll be fine." The director finished the list.   Both Ben and Charlie made the cut!! "Charlie!! Charlie you did it!!  You made the call backs!!"  Ben almost screamed. Charlie was perplexed. "What does that mean?"  He asked. "It means they like you enough that you might, just might fit into the show somewhere!" Charlie couldn't believe it!   His first audition and he made it this far!!  "Ben, thank you for believing in me and letting me come along with you."  The two talked as the women entered for the roles of Cecily and Gwendolyn.  One woman, who looked like a meek mouse softly asked Charlie.  "M-may I sit here?" Charlie looked up at her and smiled.  "Sure, go ahead.  I'm Charlie."  He said as she took her seat. "Oh hi I'm Joyce, this was my first audition."  Charlie looked at her surprised. "Really? Mine too.  I just made the callbacks!"  The two began to chat quietly as the process began again.  This time a quartet of readers were called.  Once everyone was finished the director took the stage,  "Congrats to everyone who made the callbacks we have our cast.  Good job to everyone!  I encourage you to come back if you didn't make it this time."  He began reading off the cast with 3 poker players, making a note that the role of Speed was now going to be a woman.  "In the role of Cecily Pidgeon is Joyce Pettis!" Joyce stood up and almost screamed.  "Thank you, sir!!"  She went down and got her script!  When she got back she gave Charlie and Ben hugs.  "Good luck you two!!"  She said excitedly! He read off the other sister who did give much of a reaction. "Now for our leads,  for the role of Felix we have...Charlie Kaspurski!!"  Charlie couldn't believe his ears!! "And in the rold of Oscar we have...Benjamin Walsh!"  Both men stood and retrieved their scripts.  "Rehearsals start Monday night at 7pm bring a pencil." As everyone started to leave, Charlie couldn't help himself but to hug Ben tightly.  "Thank you Ben, thank you for kicking my butt to do this!" Ben chuckled.  "Like I said it's what friends do.  Now the fun begins!  C'mon let's get something to celebrate!" "Yeah sure Ben, on a minute."  Charlie approached Joyce who was packing her script in her bag.  "Umm hey, Ben and I were going to get some lunch, you...you want to join us?" Joyce was surprised by the offer.  "I'd like that.  I'd like that a lot." Ben, standing back and observing everything, realized his shy friend was now coming out of his shell.


Trigger warning: suicide

“Our every action opens a loop that can lead to several results depending on the continuum of our further connected actions” Theories travel open in the minds and the works of people who devoted their whole life finding the secrets of space and time seeking only new inventions and ways. However in my life remained another reason for living – my beloved wife. Tanaka held my hand every time as my wife and as my colleague. Both of us

devoted our life to each other and to my insane inventions leading to a dream of crossing time and pass to a different period. Call it the result of our certainty, our desire to help this world and endless effort that one day we found the key to our invention even after being around several antagonist and conspiracies. Maybe it was her magic anyway, that day was already too beautiful to begin with. I had put my outmost struggle and to cherish and support it stayed my beloved Tanaka. If only this fortune could remain any longer. I marked the date – 24th August 2021 and went on a manual configuration of the machine once I had received the resource key for its functioning. The sun was prepared to set any moment and I was inside the open chamber busying my hands over energy slides of its walls. Tanaka was right outside the platform with those eyebrows narrowed over her computer. She had forever been my motivation for working hard until, IT happened.

My nerves gave a huge thumb and the energy slides slipped from my fingers.

When I noticed it wasn’t just the nerve thumbing, my fingers were DISINTEGRATING into flying dust. I turned towards Tanaka, I wanted to

call her name, but I was disintegrating rapidly. What was happening? I knew

nothing. Was I dying? It was more frightening to leave into an oblivion.

Everything went blank all of a sudden yet I could feel it – the darkness.

I opened my eyes, hopefully. I didn’t die. All I could see was a dark roof for

a while; my throat was burning dry compared to my body, which weighted a thousand pounds whenever I made any movement. I still managed to move anyway and the room I found myself was a burnt room. Somehow, it felt very familiar but that wasn’t my primal concern that moment. Where was I? What happened? I summed up a wild theory yet it only seemed like a dream till I was inside. I had no idea what awaited me outside. Not the slightest of idea.

I walked outside the building and I saw – the future. Yes! The future. I saw

a more professional and technical city before me. By the scale of shock I

was, I was delighted and amazed too. Screaming in excitement wasn’t

enough, I had no idea what to do. I arrived in 2026.

I ran through my city as a little kid finally let loose to his chocolate world.

Everything came crystal clear to me. It wasn’t dust I had disintegrated too, it

was atoms. Reducing to atomic level would possibly be the only way of

passing through time and space and I knew just the right person who could

pull such an action.

I went running straight to my house, no location had altered anywhere. How many kids till now? What was my position? How was my Tanaka? Several questions waited for answering. I reached my mansion and knocked on the front door immediately, impatiently. My heart was ready to burst out in happiness and excitement. The door opened. On other side was a small, unknown woman. Maybe we changed our location for better post. She questioned my arrival and my identity by a thorough look. I had to ask. “Excuse me, is this your house?”

“Yes, since a year. Whom do you want?”

“Well, I was searching for Dr. Rick Dawson” I should’ve been famous for

my name till now, for helping humanity all around the globe.

“You mean that MASS MURDERER. He doesn’t live here anymore, now

get lost.”

My excitement died immediately. “W-What the hell are you talking about?” “What are you? From space? Don’t you know anything that happened five

years ago?”

“What happened five years ago?”

“That bastard killed his WIFE and fifteen other workers in a single night.”

“I killed my wife? What type of joke is that? A mass murderer?” The skies

shattered down on me. It was mostly impossible and unbelievable.

“That man escaped right after. Rumours speak about him living in an

abundant barn outside the city.”

I returned with a crumbled mind and a heart. Just in hope of her words being

false I knocked every house around the area but received the same answer.

In future, I was remembered as a mass murderer who killed his wife and

fifteen more. Who could that be? I always puked seeing blood, how could I even think of killing. My Tanaka, why in hell would I ever do this? What

happened to me? WHAT happened five years ago? My devastated self

flashed images of my beloved before me. How she would kiss my cheek

each time my body would drain from work, how her warm finger entangle

around mine whenever they hesitated, how her smile inspired me to live on

happily each day.

Her smile was an inspiration, it still is. Why did I travel to future – To

know my past and save my people, to save my name, to save my Tanaka?

It was time I meet the truth and change it. So, I ran without stopping. Not a single other thing mattered anymore. I reached the barn and quickly went inside. Not a sound of a soul, emptiness wherever eyes went. I walked in further into darkness. Terrifying to its core, until the light went on. It was no ordinary barn, it wasn’t a barn at all. Before my eyes stood the machine I dreamt for eternity – the Time Machine. However, it was in its most ghastly shape, like something from scrap. More than machine, I wanted its owner,

and fast. I strolled closer and finally behind it I saw a lowly weakened man.

As soon as I stepped closer, he spoke.

“I have been waiting, you took quiet long” his voice quivered as he turned to me. I was at surprise again. It was me for sure. The future me I finally met.

However, I lacked a complete face. All I had was one side of it, my other

half – nothing but a stitched mess of skin and tissues.

“I am Dr. Rick Dawson” he said. It pissed me even more. I dashed forward and jabbed right across his remaining face. He didn’t move a bit – A hologram.

“If its you Rick, I am sorry to say that we won’t be meeting again. I used my

life force to bring you here and how its upon you to change what’s done.”

“Why did it turn out this way? How could I become a mass murderer?”

“This machine will allow only a counted more travels. Save your name, save the people I couldn’t” saying this, the hologram dismissed. Recording ended.

I was to travel back again. This time to another timeline for uncover the truth

first. The machine was at a pause. The energy was active. I had to go back

through time, once again. For her.

Without any delay, I rushed to the station beside the machine. Its second

destination was already set – 24th August 2021. It had no trouble starting

once more. I stepped in and began disintegrating yet this time the thumbing of my body increased drastically.

I opened my eyes once again. Once again, I travelled back through time and my nerves were at their verge of bursting. I should have considered before – the consequences. Time travelling comes with a cost that must clear by the traveller’s body and mind. As soon as I woke up, I spit out blood. It was cold. It was frightening how my entire body shook for a while like it would decay and crumble down to the floor. At this rate I realized how limited my turns of travelling would be. Probably once or twice more.

I arrived at night, inside a closed lab three floors below mine. I sneak out;

my body had already become a hindrance yet still I drove everything at its limit to reach my Tanaka. I climbed the tedious stairs, which never seem to end. It was my only chance to save her no matter what the cost. There was absolute hope of success I became definite. I stumbled to the top floor, heaving but with a short smile until, I heard GUNSHOTS. Everything stopped for that moment, I ran again towards the entrance and it

opened. I had failed already. What lay in front of me was Tanaka as her

blood flowed out. I fell on my knees knowing nothing more. How cursing

and terrifying it was to see her dead. I wanted to scream but my throat didn’t

make a sound.

As known, the machine began disrupting too. A drop of tear rolled down my cheek as I spoke her name for the last time before the machine exploded. It’s wave blew away everything into atomic particles under its huge range.

Wasn’t this supposed to be the end? Yet I still could hear Tanaka calling my

name again and again. I didn’t want to be remembered as a murderer, as a

killer. I could smell blood, the sound of my heartbeat – dying. I wasn’t dead.

I returned to 2026 – empty-handed and failed. I lay in that barn as images of my past kept me amused.

I was yet to stand; my body was ready to give in but not my soul. The case

wasn’t solved yet, I didn’t save her yet. If I had to rescue her, the truth

behind had to open. Why did I do it? What made me do it?

The questions were critically necessary and only if I get their answers, the future would alter. However, a major hindrance stood was my physical endurance. Travelling twice more raised the chances of me dying, massively and still two more was left. I didn’t fissure, I mustn’t.

This time, the answers prevailed in a year after the incident. When I was still alive. I altered the timeline destination against it s will. All that I cared was of my Tanaka, not me. The machine began heating and converging energy slides. I stepped in and the disintegrating began.

What could be worse than my entire body dying out at ease? The cost of

finding the truth. The cost of saving my love and my name.

I woke up at THAT abundant building. This time I had to sneak out because

that’s where the incident happened a year ago. I slowly walked to the barn

once again. I sneaked in, saw him working over the scrap as expected and at the first glance, I knew I wasn’t ready to face the truth.

What could have made me do such a thing?

He turned back at me with shock. I only managed a few more steps ahead before I collapsed to my knees. I arrived way before he ever planned of

having me arrive so he realized the reason behind it. Maybe, that was it

because he told me soon after, he told me everything.

“Tanaka killed herself.”

It was the last time I was closing my eyes. It was the last time I woke up

from time travelling. It was the last time I felt pain. It was when I returned to my own time. Nothing more could I do. The sun was till shinning bright,

nothing had happened till than. All I could hear and see was the last words of my future self.

“Our every action opens a loop of possibilities but what affects more is

always the end of it.”

“The resource key we thought we GAINED from a huge company was

nothing but a political fluke. It was a time bomb meant to destroy everything as soon as it activates. I activated the key. Tanaka absorbed the key’s reaction and shot herself.”

“It’s okay” those were her last words he said. She smiled at him before

dying. How shattering would that be?

I was slowly climbing the stair, unaware of the dripping blood from my mouth and my nose. The time had come for me, its certain but all I had to was one last thing. Stop the trail. Destroy the resource key. The last of my soul ordered me to move against the will of my body. I did it, at last. Finally I made it to our lab. There she was. There was my Tanaka, waiting for me over the station. She was alive. My Tanaka was alive.

“ Just a little more” I yelled at myself and entered the lab. She saw me but I

didn’t stop until I reached the key. She caught me crying my name but I was

not to stop. I grabbed the key and crushed it under my feet, the stone inside broke. The key broke. I did it. I finally saved everyone. I cleared my name.

“Tanaka” that’s all I said before I fell. I gave in, at last.

“Rick! Rick!” I could hear her voice from afar. Those gentle words crying in worry. No! I must not make her worry. I slowly opened my eyes again but this time there was no pain.

I looked up and there she was – my beloved. She was smiling with tears. She was relieved and happy. I saved her.

“Hey, Tanaka?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Let go somewhere. Somewhere away from time.”


His eyes are ocean-blue, deep, mysterious, and focused tightly on me. Shaggy brown hair is pulled away from his face, tangled in the back like he cared not for how it appeared. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know where I am. “Do you see it?” I pulled away, his breath stinking heavily of peppermint failing to cover up the smell of smoke. His fists clenched with such an intensity, I felt small and insignificant and unworthy of his attention.

I found my mouth to speak, my throat so dry I couldn’t remember the last time I spoke. In fact, if it weren’t for his prompting, I wouldn’t have even tried.

“I-I-” I sputtered, testing my voice and forcing down a cough climbing up my throat. “Where am I?” His eyes glinted with pride at my question, and I fought the urge to vomit. I wasn’t safe, that was clear. But even though the dark, dingy room seemed to hold me captive within its walls, I was not restrained. I could theoretically stand, if my legs would hold me. The man turned toward his computer, leaving me to contemplate my situation on my own. “It will come to you.” He smirked. “You’ll know before I even have to tell you.” I contemplated standing, but another part of me knew it would end up in my falling to the ground. The concrete ground would scrape my knees, my hands would reach out and falter under my weight. The unknown man in the corner will turn toward me and hiss for me to be careful, or I would ruin his hard work. Injuries, minor or major, were not allowed. His hands, rough and calloused, would lift me up and back onto the chair by my waist. And I would try and shrug him off, hissing with a weak voice I did not need his help. Of course, he knew I did and would not leave me alone. “Who are you, and what do you want from me?” My voice will be demanding and sharp, but the throatiness and weakness of it I could hear easily. I reeked of the fear that came with the unknown. Shivers ran down my back, and I will think of how cold and hard the bleak room was. I retreated from the memory quickly, the transition jarring and sharp. Bolting up from my chair, I tumbled to the floor in front of me, my hands reaching out to shield my fall and crumbling under me. A familiar sting to the knees overcame me, and I struggled to stand and ignored the sigh of the man at his computer. What on earth? His voice came in a low hiss. “You have to be careful, injuries, minor or major-” “Are not allowed.” I breathed, trying to wrangle away from his strong hands, lifting me up by the waist. A thin smile blossomed over his face, making him look much older in an instant. Yet he carried the enthusiasm of a child who had gotten just what he wanted for Christmas. Giddy and excited, the expression seemed unnatural. “Who are you, and what do you want from me?” I recognized my voice, the words slipping out before I had time to think about them. Deja vu washed over me in waves, this was the second time I had experienced this series of events. I remembered it before it even happened. The memories became faster, rushing through my thoughts before he even had a chance to respond. I knew the answer, and more. Images and feelings coursed through me like lightning, heat flashing through my body while the memories came hot and fast. His voice, double-speed explaining how I was an experiment. My eyes focused on the picture frame hung up on the wall beside his computer, a girl in a loose red shirt smiling with purple paint splattered on her face and hands. My legs wobbling as I took a few shaky steps, until I managed to keep my balance, the man hovering nearby in case I tripped up.

The taste of an apple, crisp and sweet against my tongue. A hunger I didn’t know was there fading, questions flying out of my chapped list irritating the man who claimed if I was patient I would learn soon enough. He knew, the thought was future me and past me jumbled together. He knows this is happening, he wants it to happen.

With a spell of dizziness, I was catapulted back into the chair. I wiggled my fingers and felt my toes, I felt completely normal despite my weakness. And the man was still talking. Whatever paradox he had thrown me into, it was not fun to be bounced around in my own head unpredictably. But I couldn’t interrupt him and tell him I already knew, could I? Because then the future I saw would be incorrect, I wouldn’t get the explanation. My thoughts ran rampant with the possibilities, the concepts and theories. It all came back to the memories from the future. “Essentially, your brain has been tweaked to work in reverse-memory. You can remember the future, but not the past.” I inhaled, the memory of it fresh and a reminder of the time loop I had going. “It will last forever, it is non-reversible. Though, of course, you already know that.”

The fury and frustration I had hearing him tell me the first time made sense, it was like being goaded with a treat and then being told you already had it. But this time I understood. He understood. But it didn’t mean I liked it any more.

“I’m going to be stuck in this cycle of deja vu forever.” I repeated, my knuckled tightening around the armrests so tight my knuckles went white. I didn’t recall asking the question - it seemed like my memory wasn’t perfect from the future either.

His brows furrowed, and he pursed his lips tightly together. “I’m afraid so. I’m going to need for you to share with me what it is like though.” My mouth fell open. I was sure I had not been asked this the first time, this was new. Not just a slip of something insignificant, I would remember this. “But I don’t remember -” He waved his arms for me to stop. “Time will almost never play out exactly how it did before. It is ever-changing, hence the paradox is taken out. You didn’t need to actually hear me explain the concepts again, you would still remember, it’s just time would break off down a different path.” “Would I remember the new path?” I asked, my hands loosening from the arms of the chair.

He sighed. “It will come more naturally over time, and it won’t always be so clear. Right now, your brain is figuring out how to access these memories. Eventually it will be more dull and you will know more vague ideas you can call upon at will instead of being sucked into it.” “You knew I had already seen the future.” I ran my fingers through my hair, surprised when they fell through it easily without knots. It was such a blasphemous statement to say, one I would never have imagined letting fall from my lips without a second thought.

“You finished my sentence, and you were visibly bored when I went through the explanation.” He shrugged as if it were perfectly normal for him to know such things. “I can’t control it, it’s got a mind of it’s own I can’t-” I stammered, my words tripping over each other until his heavy hand came over my shoulder in a strangely paternal gesture. “Idaya, it’s mind is your mind. You will come to control it, not the other way around. There is nothing to fear here.” I fought the urge to jump up and run, opting instead to take a few shaky breaths and calm down. In that moment I lurched into memory again. It was less chaotic, slow, rather. Different from the previous events, these had a layer of fog separating them. The clarity had reduced, leaving only vague imprints of events, feelings, and thoughts. Me and the man, in deep discussion about what travelling through memory was like. Discussing the impermanence of it - I could not remember individual words but rather what I gleaned from them. I remember eating an apple, not the acidic taste on my tongue but the concept of eating it.

Removing myself from the memories came easier this time, for I had never truly disconnected from reality. I remained aware and conscious in the room, the memories taking over my subconscious and filing themselves away without my control.

He was right. It would sort itself out .

“You just returned?” His voice lifted at the end in question, his hands glossing over papers sprawled over his desk. Pausing over a frame of a girl in a red dress.

“I never really left this time.” I swallowed hard, nodding to myself. “It’s getting easier.” He nodded, and his smile was smaller as he walked over to the chair and offered me his hand. I glared at it. “Why did you do this to me?” The question was sharp and accusatory, but he did not seem to take offense. “Oh, you already know.” And I did, I realized. The mere thought of it summoned information taken from the future, beyond consciousness. He had made me this way because I would be a tool for him. And the prospect of escape would never be an option, unless I wanted to spend my life in a lab with my brain being dissected. And I knew this with perfect certainty. Begrudgingly accepting my fate, I put my small hand in his and allowed him to lift me up.

“Nice to know you, Jason.” I taunted, my mouth turning up into a crooked smile mirroring his. “I just have one request.” He nodded, hesitant, not knowing how big my demand would be. But it was nothing big, just a tiny desire. “I would like to have something to eat.” His face flooded with relief, and reaching into his bag, he pulled out a shiny red apple and handed it to me. “Thank you.” I said, biting into it and tasting the crisp, sweet flavour against my tongue.


Nothing good had happened in Tina’s life since the earth-shattering breakdown of her long-term relationship. Seven years down the pan and nothing to show for it, her career had taken a back seat throughout the whirlwind that had begun too soon and should have ended long before its poison turned each partie bitter. In the aftermath, Tina’s life spun uncontrollably as bits of her life dissolved around her and all she could do was nothing. Until one day the earth froze and has been ever since. Since it sunk in that Luke wasn’t coming back. Life now was monotonous and if anything, going in reverse. Tina’s alarm goes off at 6 AM each morning, she makes black coffee and is (hopefully) on the Victoria tube station by 7:30 AM, usually with damp hair. Last week on her way into the office a text came through from Sally that both excited and terrified Tina. "GET PACKED. We are finally doing it this year. RIO BABY!”. Tina and the group have had the Rio De Janeiro Carnival on their bucket list for about as long as they have known each other. The three of them, Tina, Sally and Liv met at Glastonbury Festival six years ago outside the burger van when swapping meals because they had all been given each other’s order. In the years gone by, they’ve formed a sisterhood, an intimate club of three. Tina knew it was time to start moving on, it had been a year now since Luke packed his bags, and where better to be on the rebound than Rio? Besides, she deserved the break she told herself; if she had to eat one more stale office doughnut out of curtesy, she was going to shove it down Pete’s neck. How many times did she have to plead him not to buy her one, for him to completely ignore and guilt her into eating the wretched beige phenomenon? Sally, AKA, the ringleader of the group had sorted out all of the holiday logistics to the point that Tina needed only show up two hours before the flight with a passport in hand. Before they knew it, they were in Rio and the whole city was a kaleidoscope. Day 1. Walking through clouds of coloured chalk in the streets had begun to make the girls woozy and they were now all samba maestros, or so they thought. With their spirits higher than they felt in the midst of all the chaos, colour and humid sweat they had decided that for this weekend, all bets were off. Liv, their style guru, had made sure that no patch of skin was missing a streak of pastel (pastel is SO in right now) face paint and, of course, the occasional stick-on diamanté flower power symbol. Feathers were a must; Tinas head-dress looked like a peacock which she was surprisingly happy with considering Sally was bordering on parrot cross drag-queen. They had no choice in the matter. Besides, Liv had not left herself out, she was a sort of walking flamingo, and they couldn’t care less because they were finally going to cross Rio off that list. Accomplishments, no matter how big or small, were essential for Tina; keeping busy kept her mind from wandering back to him. The girls had never been to an event this size. They were field-festival veterans, the loudest at any house party and the best dressed at any concert. Here in Brazil, however, they were three specs in a sea of flamboyant colour. Dinner was planned inside a hotel restaurant, but the streets were flooding with more and more people now, and it was getting too dark to see through the crowds. Street food seemed their only option, and so linked together like a daisy chain, the girls squeezed arms and pushed forwards until they saw a food stall with complimentary fire-eating performers. Not only was the fire a landmark to follow, but Liv, who had been bursting to showcase her carnival dress designs since they landed, was about willing to catch on fire herself if it meant getting that perfect holiday Instagram snap. The girls huddled around the vendor who was shovelling meat onto a lit fire. Without a word of Portuguese between them, they held out paper plates and caught whichever pieces were thrown to them. “Why is it that we are always eating food that we didn’t order on the side of a road. Next year I am choosing the destination girls!” “Liv, the all inclusive’s have fire breathing dancers too, but they don’t look like that in Benidorm.” Sally directs the girls’ attention back at topless male performers. Tina, however, found herself fixated not by the attractive foreign men but the fire itself. It felt freeing, to be stood so close to danger. Drawn in by the flames, Tina’s feet were taking her closer and closer. How close could her bare skin get to the heat? What would it feel like to reach out and touch a flame? Tina only knew that it would hurt so badly, that it would hurt more than losing Luke and Tina needed something to burn more than her heart did, so she kept moving forwards. Mesmerized and completely unaware of herself, Tina was now following the yellow torches away from the group. In her mind, she was letting go of all the things that kept her grounded and rational. Instead, her body was moving without her permission and not having to think about her actions was the closest she had felt to a holiday in too long. Absentmindedly, Tina twirled and moved with the crowd as the fire gleamed on her skin. Letting go. Until all of a sudden, the lights went out, and Tina’s head jumped up to find that the performance was over, and she was brought back to reality by the deafening cheering and clapping from the on-lookers. Tina could no longer see her friends behind her, but she could have sworn she had only closed her eyes for a minute, two at most. Trying not to panic, Tina calls out to Sally and Liv, but they aren’t anywhere to be seen, and now she can’t find a single landmark. The whole city looked the same to her; it was a maze. Her phone had run out of battery, given that they had been out all day. Tina hadn’t even realised it had gotten dark until now, which made her panic again. Too much drink. Loud music now was starting up around her; the next float must be some kind of traditional band as people are jumping with excitement in their hundreds. Tina can barely breathe. Was this really happening to her? All the beauty of the carnival had now turned ugly. The once vibrant colours were now horrifying to the eye, and the loud chanting is no longer fun- it´s burying all of her screams. People in face paint are dancing around her; the world is spinning and then, blank. “Olá? Você pode me ouvir senhora … ? “ Opening her eyes, Tina makes out the blurry shape of a man looking down on her. She realises now that she has fainted. “Shit”, she speaks in a language the man seemingly understands. “You are English? Don´t worry, Miss everything is fine, you fell down in the street. Here, have some water”. The man hands her a bottle. Tina feels a surge of relief, he doesn’t look like a murderer, and he speaks English. She can tell him that she is lost and she´ll find her friends and this will all be funny in an hour, two max. “Thank you, sorry, I´m fine. Are you one of the performers?” Tina quickly realises that this is the man she had been following blindly down the street, she was fixated on the fire, but she must have subconsciously registered his figure and face too. The local police station is a crime scene in itself, notes Sally as Liv hammers at the vending machine. Since informing the officer in charge that Tina had been missing all night and she had not called in at the hotel, they have been sat sick, with worry, in a waiting room no bigger than a prison cell. Damp with sweat, all they could do was wait in a panic deafening silence for someone to inform them that their friend has been found safe and well. The hours had merged, and they had not realised the sun was up until Liv squealed at a blinding ray of sun cutting through the blinds and into her face. Deciding to take matters into their own hands, they agree that the longer they sit and wait, the more likely the worst outcome will come to pass. No one’s face looks good in a foreign TV plea. Sober and pissed off, Sally leads the march. Tanking down the main street, they trace back their steps until they get to the food stall from the night before. The celebrations are still causing havoc in the street. They don’t remember seeing Tina eating any food, but she was here watching the performance, they both confirm. Sally asks the food vendor about the fire performers, and luckily, they are regulars of the carnival, so he gladly tells them where their rehearsal rooms are. Arms and legs swinging in all directions, the girls fly down the road frantically looking out for the 'Red door' What they might find behind the red door is another matter. Liv screams, “SALL HERE, THERES A RED DOOR!! HURRY!”. They both stand in front of the door, both too scared to open it. Knowing that the longer they stand there, the further they come to finding Tina safe and well. Liv thunders a gut-wrenching scream as she bravely reaches out her hand to grab the door handle. Instead, the door swings open before Liv could turn the knob and what they see next knocks them both for six. “Guys!” Tina shouts happily. No one can utter a word for what feels like hours from the shock and relief rolled into one. “Well, this takes ´all bets are off´´ to another meaning Tina!” Sally remarks angrily. Gobsmacked, Liv and Sally watch as their thought-to-be dead friend walks out of the door in a white dress arm in arm with a tanned, tall local man. Their anger quickly subsides as they witness the unwitting smile spread across Tina´s face. The happy couple, man and wife walk back into the carnival river as if nothing had happened. Tina looks back at her friends with a wink that says "I'll explain everything later, promise!". Sally and Liv afford her a smile and turn to each other. "Imagine that, she gets lost and then she finds a husband all in 24 hours" Liv teases. "Tina had been lost for a very long time before this weekend, all things considered a pretty successful outcome, wouldn't you say? Smiles Sally.


Every superhero story that you have seen or read about has two distinct roles: the Hero and the Villain. The Hero is viewed as hope, security, loyalty, and love, and stands as a symbol of protection against those that wish to bring harm. The Villain is regarded as evil, tricky, rude, irresponsible, and violent, and creates an environment meant to be hostile for everyone. Yet, the one detail nobody ever considers, is what if there are Heroes and Villains with the opposite qualities? Are they still considered “good” or “evil”, or does it become something different entirely? When Lady Phoenix (otherwise known as Ellie) arose from the ashes to become the city’s new Hero, people were hesitant at first. To have a superhero that controls a destructive element was considered odd and frightening. She proved herself worthy, however, when an arsonist attacked the city’s public library. People were trapped inside as wooden bookshelves began to fall, closing off any exits and chances to escape. Ellie had been walking the streets when she heard the screams and saw the smoke rising in the distance. She took a deep breath and turned down one of the many alleyways. Her heart pounded as she took off her civilian clothes and revealed her ‘costume’. It was a red, low-cut one-piece with orange sleeves and orange flames on her shoulders. Over her face, she wore a mask that covered everything except her eyes. Time was of the essence so she quickly hid her backpack and ran toward the scene. Firetrucks and other medical personnel were surrounding the building as she ran past them and into the awaiting fire. She assessed the damage and was able to locate the origin of the fire on the top floor. One of the perks of Ellie’s powers was her ability to see heat signatures meaning that the people were trapped on the third floor while the fire had started on the fifth. “Hey,” She called out towards the police who looked over at her in confusion, “Mind if I step in?” “Uh- “ Except, she didn’t wait for an answer. Walking confidently up the stairs, she burst open the door, and immediately her sight was covered in haze. She continued to sprint up the stairs until she was on the third floor where a group of people was huddled. They were coughing and the moment one person saw her, they all rushed forward. “Please! Please help us, the fire is getting stronger!” A woman cried out, a child crying next to her. “It’s fine, when I went up the stairs I extinguished the flames, you’re safe.” Lady Pheonix told them with a smile. “Now, go!” They all nodded and ran off as Ellie went directly towards where a mass of flames was raging on, books and window curtains ablaze. The thermal shock from the rapid heating of the building was causing the windows to begin to crack. As Ellie was weakening the flames, she ignored the frightened cries of the civilians as they were making their way down slowly (even though she told them to run). Ellie had told them to be quick but she didn’t have the time or energy to give them comfort right now. What would she say? That everything was going to be okay? She didn’t know if someone would perish or if the entire building would fold in on itself. Besides, these people knew that any generic Hero would say that line even if they are lying through their teeth. If there was a part of her that actually cared about the livelihood of these people, then of course she would be comforting them and placing their lives as a priority. Her train of thought was broken when she looked up and saw a young man racing towards one of the windows. She swore that everyone had left. “WAIT!” She yelled out as she sprinted towards him. As soon as he pulled the window up, it triggered a backdraft. Without thinking, she flung herself at the man as they went crashing through the window, the sudden change in air pressure causing the floor to explode into flames once again. She held onto him as her other hand will a rope to be formed from the flames in the building. Grasping onto the flames, she swung them down to the ground and gingerly let go of him. “Now,” She began calmly, watching as paramedics began to run towards them. “That was incredibly stupid and if anybody else was up there, they would be dead. I’m surprised I even took you out of the building after that. You need to think before you act, do you understand?” The man seemed to be in shock but simply nodded as she scoffed and ran back into the building. After quenching the fire on the lower floors, Lady Phoenix was able to rescue every human in the building. It was easy to become a Hero if you had the abilities to match it and that was exactly what happened with Ellie. The months following were filled with merchandise campaigns, public speaking events, planned rescue operations, and similar events meant to capitalize on the mutants that had appeared in the city. Nobody could pinpoint the precise reason as to why some individuals were granted powers and why others weren’t, but for those that were lucky enough to have these abilities, it was up to them as to what they wanted to do with them. Meanwhile, in a nearby borough, a Villain had been running from the scene with tears running down his face. He had been the one to light the place ablaze but couldn’t ignore the screams of terror from the people in the library. His name was Tendril, otherwise known as Carter, born with the ability to sprout vines from his arms and will poisonous thorns to grow as a protective layer. He hadn’t wanted to become a Villain but that was what life handed him, and that was what he was going to do. Tendril had joined a particular group of Villains simply known as The Devil’s Advocate (TDA). He had left home at the ripe age of 16 after paralyzing another student at his high school. He hadn’t meant to do it, but the victim was pushing him around in the hallways when Carter’s anger got the best of him. His tendrils had whipped out and wrapped around his waist, the thorns puncturing the lower part of his spinal column. The school was not happy, as expected, and he was expelled. The downside of being with the TDA had nothing to do with them, but rather with Tendril’s weakness. No matter what mission he was sent on, he would freeze up. Something within him cared about the people that he was assigned to get rid of and the moment he saw their faces, it felt as though he was being held at gunpoint. It would typically end with his colleague finishing the job, scoffing a ‘you’ve got to be kidding me', and then the two of them running to the awaiting getaway car. Carter wasn’t a bad kid; he was a good kid in a bad situation. This particular mission was to go to their weapon’s warehouse which was hidden in the back of a deli. The TDA got wind that some detectives got word of their operation and they needed to buy time to smuggle out the weapons. In order to ‘buy time’, Tendril was to immobilize any person at the deli and use them as hostages. The police would need to communicate agreements and set up perimeters giving them ample time to sneak out. Now, Tendril was standing above six citizens who were temporarily paralyzed on the floor. He was crying softly and the people were watching him with wide eyes, their mouths duct taped shut. Tendril had no idea what was to come. “Lady Phoenix do you copy?” A voice rang from Ellie’s phone, “We need you to check out something.” She glanced over at the phone on the couch and sighed as she picked it up. “Where’s the fire?” There was silence on the other end before the device was turned on again. “This isn’t regarding fire, actually. We need you to check someone out, an individual that may be involved with the weapon smuggling going on. You should be receiving an image through your tablet of the target. His name is Tendril, not too much is known about him except that he can use vines that have thorns attached to immobilize his victims. He hasn’t had a history of appearing on the front cover of news stories so I am assuming he is relatively harmless.” “Yeah, well, you never know.” She began as she reached for her tablet. There was a chuckle over the phone, “Yes it is still a worry, I’m surprised you didn’t ask if there were hostages.” Heat flooded her face as she began to feel flustered. “I was going to ask that but I figured you would just tell me.” “I’m just teasing you, Ellie,” There was typing on the other line before he let out a sigh. “But there are hostages, at least six of them. When you infiltrate, you’ll have to worry about whether or not they have the hostages at gunpoint, or in this case, wrapped in vines.” “Gotcha, I’m assuming you want their weapons gone?” She smiled as she formed a flame to dance around her fingers. “Yes, but try not to be too destructive. We still have to pay for any damages done.” He grumbled the last part. Ellie knew that time was of the essence and all she wanted to do, was finish up this mission and go back home. She got to the scene quickly, noticing that the police had yet to arrive. Slamming open the door to the deli; she instantly threw two fireballs at a man guarding the back door. He slumped to the ground and she grumbled about how pathetic he was before bursting through the next one. There, in the center of the room, was her target. His legs were shaking slightly and he was quite tall, towering above the six victims on the floor cowering. Looking a little closer, she noticed that Tendril had various vines wrapped around them with thorns sticking into their lower backs.  “So, you’re the vine guy,” Lady Phoenix remarked, cocking an eyebrow. “I’m assuming that this is the first room of many for your little weapon situation?” “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Carter thought that would sound tougher out loud but he was wrong. “Right,” She said as a flame erupted in her hand, “If you don’t want to chat then I won’t bother.” Before Tendril had a moment to react, she threw the flames into the far walls where there were hidden doors leading to the rest of the warehouse. They didn’t have much money so the makeshift wall immediately began to burn before crumbling down. “What are you doing?” Carter questioned, his voice almost a whisper to his own ears. “Why are you lighting everything on fire?” Lady Pheonix turned around to look at him fully. “Your little boy band has been manufacturing illegal weaponry and there’s the whole hostage thing so you guys lost warehouse privileges.” The flames began to spread quickly, the wooden paneling fueling the fire. “But the hostages are still here!” Tendril squeaked, “I infected them with my venom. They won’t be able to stand for 24 hours. We need to get them out first.” Ellie shook her head as she formed a fireball in her hand. “Look, this was my priority and I can’t factor in the idea that they won’t wake up sometime soon so it’s being set ablaze right now before you start calling in backup.” “We can’t leave them, are you kidding me?!” Tendril nearly screamed, the flames growing with every passing second. “I can carry three and you can carry three, it’ll be fine.” “No,” Ellie repeated, “The fire is spreading quickly and there is no way I can save these people in time. Sacrifices have to happen, I said I would destroy the warehouse, and here I am destroying the warehouse. I’ll just say that I was fighting you the entire time and barely made it out with my life,” Lady Phoenix let out a dramatic sigh before smirking at the man, “You should be happy; you’ll get a reputation.” “I’m not leaving without them.” Tendril growled out firmly. Tendril stood up and gingerly helped one of the young men up. His knees instantly buckled, the venom in the thorns making it impossible for any of them to stand up. Carter hoisted the man over his one shoulder and motioned for one of the women to reach out. “This is ridiculous,” Pheonix scoffed. “The ceiling is starting to fall apart.” Tendril whirled around; his eyes furious. “Then why don’t you be useful and help me out here instead of accepting the fact that we won’t make it?” Ellie scanned his face and something within her ached to have that need to save someone, to have the drive to protect another human being. But all her head could do is view them as weak. Their fragile bodies and minds were drastically inferior to that of her own and the most they would get out of their lives would be marriage, a job that they most likely hate, and screaming children that you must answer to every second. Tendril began to cough, the smoke stinging his eyes as he desperately tried to wipe them with his bloody shirt. “The smoke is getting really bad; we have to move faster.” The fear had settled into a pit in his stomach as he looked around the room. Nothing could help them get these people out and if they die, it’s on him. “Cover your mouth and nose,” Ellie barked at Tendril as she took out a canister and rolled it towards the six people who were laying on the ground. They didn’t seem to notice it as the smoke had made the room quite hazy. Tendril watched in shock as they went unconscious, the smoke fizzling out. “You… you knocked them out? How is that going to help us at all?” “Well, if you were worried about being caught, that problem has been solved. They won’t remember this whole ordeal.” Phoenix calmly explained. Tendril glared at her as he poked her in the chest, “That wasn’t the problem you imbecile! The issue is getting them out alive not knocking them out so they can’t say anything. I’m getting these people out with or without your help.” He grasped onto one of the young ladies and hoisted her into her arms. In response, Lady Phoenix let out a low chuckle. “What’s so funny? They’re going to die!” Tendril croaked out, the smoke beginning to hurt his lungs. “Why do you care so much? You’re the Villain don’t forget, nobody is going to be thanking you outside of here,” She took a step closer to the man. “How did you even get to this point? I figured the other Villains would’ve eaten you alive by now.” His eyes narrowed as she smirked at him. “I’m good at what I do but I still give a shit when it comes to people’s lives, something you don’t seem very comfortable with. I would’ve saved them in a second if I was in your shoes.” She was silent for a moment as if she was analyzing him with a magnifying glass. Before Tendril was able to berate her further, she turned towards the flames and began to extinguish him. He watched in awe as the fire dwindled down to a spark. The smoke was still quite thick as Tendril let out a cough and stared at the woman in bewilderment. “You mean to tell me you could’ve done this the whole time?” She shrugged as she picked up two strangers and threw them over her shoulder. Ellie grasped one of the smaller ladies and held her bridal style. “I wanted to see what you would do, what lengths you would take to save them. Turns out, it didn’t take much. If I walked out of here without any of the hostages, my reputation would be through, and as much as being a Villain sounds tempting, I got bills to pay.” Carter was at a loss for words. Her whole inspiration to save them wasn’t because he had wanted to get them out of here, but rather for the persona she provides to the people. “I’d hurry if I were you, though,” she began, “The fire is still raging in the back and I can only carry these three so either you follow me with the rest of them or we’ll have to have a public funeral to remember the lives lost at your little warehouse.” The moment that the duo left the warehouse, several police cars and ambulances were waiting. The fire looked a lot worse from the outside and Tendril knew the moment he got back to the TDA he would be in hot water. Calmly laying the people down, he looked around a few times before sprinting away, ignoring the shouts of the police officers. Lady Phoenix watched as the Villain ran off, a small part of her wishing to have his empathy, not knowing that Tendril longed for the day he wouldn’t have to care anymore.


Odin’s mom stopped in front of the big glass door. Squatting down next to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder. “When we get inside, I will buy you a treat. You are going to sit next to me at a table and eat while I talk with a friend. I brought some play dough for you to play with when you are finished eating,” she explained. “Okay, Mommy,” Odin said. She took his hand in hers and pulled the door open. Odin followed her inside and immediately noticed a pungent smell. He sniffed the air, trying to place the familiar aroma. His mom guided him over to a counter, where they had to stand  in a line. Odin decided it smelled like Sunday mornings when Daddy didn’t have to work and could make breakfast for the family. The line moved, and he saw a cash register on the counter, next to a glass case.

Odin pressed his face against the glass that was protecting rows of muffins, cookies, scones, and other baked goods. He breathed out of his nostrils and watched the glass fog up around his nose. “Odin, stop!” his mom hissed. Odin wiped the glass with the palm of his hand, leaving smudges behind, as his mom pulled him closer to her. Finally, it was Mom’s turn to talk to the man on the other side of the counter. Odin watched as the man pushed some buttons on the register screen, then swiped his mom’s credit card.

A few minutes later, the man handed Mom two paper cups with lids and a ceramic plate with something big and fluffy to eat. Odin could see blueberries dotting the top of the treat. “This way,” Mom said, guiding him to a table  with four chairs. Odin pulled out one of the chairs and climbed up. His mom sat next to him. She removed the paper liner from the bottom of the treat and cut it in half. She took one of the halves for herself, and pushed the plate with other half towards Odin. “This is hot, so take little sips,” she told him, as she slid the smaller paper cup over to him. Odin picked up the cup and brought it to his lips. All he could taste was whipped cream, at first, but then a warm, sweet liquid flowed into his mouth. “Yummy!” Odin exclaimed. He picked up his half of the treat and took a bite. It also tasted sweet, and it crumbled in his hands. The blueberries were soft and squishy. Odin was surprised at the way juice popped out of the berries when he chewed them. A woman carrying a baby in a car seat, and her own paper cup approached Odin’s mom. “Hi, we’re finally here,” she said, softly. “Amy! Hi, I’m so glad you made it,” Mom gushed. The woman set her cup down on the table, and the baby in the car seat on the floor. Mom hugged her, and they both sat down. “How are things going?” Odin heard his mom ask, as the other woman leaned down to loosen the straps on the car seat.

“It’s been a big adjustment, but I think we’re finally figuring things out,” the other lady said. She pulled the baby out of the car seat and cradled him in her arms. “This is Augie,” she said, offering the baby to Mom. Mom took the baby and he promptly started to cry. Odin stared at his tiny, bright red, scrunched up, screaming face and covered his own ears. How could something so little make so much noise? Mom held the baby up with his head on her shoulder and patted his back. He let out a burp, and began to calm down. Now that he wasn’t making so much noise, Odin noticed the dark, fuzzy hair sticking up all over the baby’s head. He reached up to touch it and was amazed at how soft it felt. “Gentle, Odin,” Mom reminded him. She reached down in her purse and pulled out a container of play dough. “Can you open this for him?” Mom asked her friend. “Oh, sure,” Amy said. She popped the top off and handed the container to Odin. He took it from her and set it down next to his plate. Odin took another bite of his crumbling treat before digging the play dough out of the container with his fingers. It was bright orange play dough. Odin preferred blue, but this was all he had right now. When he’d gotten all the dough out of the container, he picked it up and rolled it into a big ball. Then he set the dough ball on the table and began pounding it with his fist. The table shook with each blow. “Shh, Odin,” Mom scolded him. Odin tore off a smaller piece of play dough and rolled it into a snake. He did this again and again until all of the play dough was snakes. He pushed the plate away to make more room, spilling several crumbs on the table in the process. Odin smooshed them with his thumb, then smashed them into the dough. The tables around them were filling up with people. Odin didn’t like all the loud talking. He couldn’t hear himself think. He wanted to leave. “Mom,” he whispered, as he tugged at her arm. “Odin, I’m trying to talk with Amy. We’ll be done soon,” she assured him. Odin was frustrated that she didn’t listen to him, but there wasn’t much he could do about it, so he went back to his play dough. He tore each of the dough snakes in half and rolled them into tiny balls. The baby was now sleeping in his mom’s arms, and she and her friend were deep in conversation. They were so busy talking that they didn’t notice when Odin dropped a small ball of play dough into his mom’s paper cup. She had taken the lid off earlier to sprinkle sugar in her drink, and had never put it back on. Odin took the lid off of his own cup, and stared at the contents. It was half full of the light brown liquid. He swished the contents of the cup and could see a chocolate coating on the bottom. Odin picked up a piece of his treat and sprinkled it into his cup. The crumbs floated on top. He pinched off a piece of play dough and dropped that into the cup. The dough bobbed up and down when it hit the liquid. Mom picked up her cup and brought it to her lips. She was about to take a sip when she saw the bright orange ball floating on top. “Odin! Why would you do that?! What a waste, now I can’t finish my drink,” she hissed. Then she turned her head and saw the mess of crumbs squished into play dough. She handed the baby back to her friend, and took a deep breath to compose herself. “I’m sorry. Odin, we’ve been sitting for a long time. I can see that you are getting bored. Let’s clean up and go to the park,” she suggested. “Does that work for you? There’s a nice little playground across the street with lots of shade,” Mom told her friend. Amy nodded, and began to pack up the baby while Mom threw away their garbage. She pulled out a pack of wipes and cleaned the crumbs and gunk from the table. Then she gave Odin a wipe for his face and hands. “Alright, let’s go to the park,” Mom said, taking Odin’s hand in hers. Odin stopped to give his mom a tight hug before following her out the door, across the street, and to the playground.


Tim saw the blue and red light flashing from a distance.

He shouted, 'Patrol Car, Ron.' Hearing this, Ron hid behind the railings of the top of the water tank of the town. Tim hid behind the concrete fence walls around that water tank. The police siren murdered the silence of the night. The intensity of sound was increasing, and as the car passed by the water tank, the siren sound began to decrease.

Suddenly, the car stopped, and the policeman reversed the vehicle to park in front of the water tank. 'He definitely saw us,' thought Tim. The policeman left the vehicle and switched on the flashlight. He beamed to the top of the water tank as he noticed two things when passing by. The first thing: the gate was open, might be the mistake of a waterman. The other thing: he saw a silhouette behind the railings at the top of the water tank.

He was looking for that silhouette with that beam from the flashlight.

Ron, meanwhile, swiftly moved to the backside of the water tank away from the beam. Tim also moved behind the cabin of the waterman.

The policeman continued the search only to give up after few minutes. He closed the gate and continued with the patrolling.

As soon as the policeman left, Ron resumed his work amidst the deadly silence. The moonlight assisted Ron in his quest. Tim did not want to participate in that task. He was here only to observe and caution Ron about the impact of his action.

'No, you can't do that on your own.' cautioned Tim at the top of his voice.

The silence hidden in the darkness allowed Tim's voice to reach the top of the water tank. Ron was moving around the tank in circles and sometimes up and low. Tom could hear the hissing sound of the Spray-Can.

Tim shouted again, 'It will appear in a negative light. Vandalism is not the way to bring change.'

'Will you keep your voice low. I am up here only and I am not deaf.' Ron shouted. 'Listen, use proper ways. Don't deface this water tank. If you can convince the planning committee, they will themselves demolish it. Can't you see?' argued Tim. 'I have been explaining to them for almost nine months. If they were keen enough to listen to us, we would not be doing this.' explained Ron. 'Don't say we. Say I. It is all your plan. I will never take the refuge of vandalism to prove my point.' 'Whatever suits you. To make those deaf ears listen to our voice, this is my final step.'

'Let us again go door to door and garner some more support.' 'What good will do that?' 'The committee will listen to those united voices.' The discussion continued for another hour until Ron finished his work. After that, Ron glided down the vertical stairs like a pro and landed with a big thump. It was time for the patrol car to return. Both of them hurried out of that premises and closed the gate.

'What good this vandalism will do?' asked Tim. 'Let the sunrise tomorrow and you will see.' They were walking down towards their car. They parked their car a mile away from the water tank to cover their tracks. They reached the spot in the middle of barren land, some feet distant from the road. The passerby won't even glance there. They arrived home and climbed up through the rope into the bedroom that they shared. Tim and Ron even lived together before they were born. They entered this world as twins, and only their birthdate was identical. All the other things were different.

Tim and Ron were only a year away from college, but they were far ahead in the level of intellect of their counterpart.

The newspaper mentioned nothing of the graffiti. But the social media picked up at around noon. The picture of graffiti was all over the internet. That picture would make a huge impact.

The water tank was considered the unique landmark of that town, and the water supply came from there. Now, the problem was that one philanthropist decided to develop a sports complex at that place. The philanthropist can choose any other location for the Sports Complex, but this location had many benefits.

But, the planning committee did not approve the plan. They will miss this golden opportunity. Tim and Ron took it upon themselves to change the opinion of that committee.

They started doing meetings, but only a few cared about the issue, let alone support the cause. They went door to door and explained the benefit of a sports center to locals. Many arrived at the meeting. Some were curious, and some had nothing to do, and some were genuinely concerned about the issue.

The minor support changed the mind of four committee members in the latest hearing. However, one member vetoed to halt the momentum. The twins tried to convince him, but he was hell bend on saving the water tank. The identity of the town mattered more than the town's progress. Tim and Ron took the refuge of social media to increase awareness about the issue. They ran ads, played testimony of those who enjoy the benefit of having a Sports Complex in the town, and also made groups of like-minded people only so that Tim and Ron can influence them to support the cause. The Twins were confident that the committee would rule in their favor after seeing huge support, but the reverse happened. Now three members went against the destruction of the water tank.

Ron knew that something was not right. He let his inside sherlock holmes lose inside the digital world. He investigated the one member who vetoed using his digital footprint. Ron was good with computers, and coding helped him earn a scholarship to an Ivy League college.

He nicely combed through all the details of that member and found more than three anomalies in the past month. The first anomaly: Huge sums of money transferred in an offshore account by his wife's name. The second anomaly: a flat purchased in his son's name. The third anomaly: Two small but equal shares of fund transferred to two newly created offshore accounts of the other two committee members.

The picture was clear. Someone was giving bribes to those three committee members. Who was doing that, and why this much money for a simple sports complex.

Ron began the deep dive and at last found the source of the money. Someone used a dummy corporation to hide the reality. Luckily, Ron solved the mystery. It was the owner of a construction company that specialized in entertainment parks. The phone of the committee member helped a lot. It had all the call recordings that painted a clear picture of what was cooking between them. The owner of that construction company wanted to build an entertainment park. Right where the water tank stood and all the open land near it. If the philanthropist constructs the sports complex, the upcoming entertainment park will lose its place. That means the owner of the construction company will lose billions in revenue.

So, the owner bribed that committee member who vetoed. That committee member further bribed his two colleagues, and all was set. Those three members would then pass the plan for the entertainment park. They will shift the useless water tank to another place. Ron then vandalized the water tank with graffiti, shouting in colors. It said that: I will only relocate myself for entertainment park. Don't entice me with Sports Complex.' The next day instead of asking who wrote it, everyone was asking what is written? The momentum built around 2 in the afternoon during lunch, and that is when Tim anonymously shared the call recordings between the owner and the committee member.

It took only five days for the plan to get approved, and on the fifth day, the water tank was razed to the ground for the groundbreaking ceremony to ensue in the evening. Sports Complex will now be a reality for future generations to hone their skills and talents, all thanks to the persistent effort of the twins.