City 0

　　City 0

　　Part one. It’s not a beginning

　　It’s close to the end of fall. The rain has occupied City 0 for almost a week. Clouds brought masses of vapor from the distant mountain ranges, and splashed the water on to this small place. No one had ever experienced such weather. The Water kept falling in to the sewers and flushed back, bouncing and dancing on the dark bricks of the streets. Underneath it, there were newborn mosses clinched on the bottom of its own under water world.

　　PIA! PIA!

　　Suddenly, the water was stepped over.

　　A high-pitched voice broke the silence and cracked the air.

　　“Mr. Husky! Your mail!”

　　The sound spiraled in darkness and landed down in distance. The boy who just yelled, listened carefully to the surrounding. He turned around, took a glance and found someone snooping at him; but soon, the figure disappeared. He ran along the alley and stopped by a front door that was no different than the other ones lined on both sides of it. The boy looked around, and realized that he was standing in between two residential buildings. Upon his head, the sky looked like a piece of grey rectangle, dim and lifeless. The boy stopped wondering, stepped up on the front stairs and spoke low voice.

　　“Mr. Husky? ”

　　“Please, Please open the door.”

　　He waited, but there was no answer.
　　The sky was getting dark, and the night had fallen; He moved his umbrella from left to the right hand, and found that the alley was all quiet except the sound of the rain.
　　The cool air attacked his nose and made it itchy.
　　Achewwwwwww!

　　On the front stairs, the water painted concrete ground black. It’s too wet, he thought, for him to slide the envelop through the gap on the bottom of the door. The bag carried on his shoulder got heavier and heavier in every hour. It was not the letter he worried about; He was worrying about his dad. His Dad the Old Mellon had always been a postman until the new government came up; then, afterward, his work became something else. After standing still for a while, the boy left the alley.

　　“He left! Grandpa!” Berry ran back from the front door on her tip of toes, and reported the news to the Mr. Husky. The old man nodded, “Thank you Berry.” He smiled, and released his fist.

　　Few hours later, on the other side of the city, a young boy tentatively approached the door of his Dad’s house. He sneaked out of the house around noon, and stayed in the rain up until now. All of the hours staying in the rain made him felt nothing but coldness and hunger. He pushed the door slightly, and the door was rapidly opened

　　“Where have you been!”

　　The Old Mellon yelled at his son, grabbed on his arm anxiously and dragged him in. His voice almost created echo in the night, and he couldn’t stop shacking because of anger.
　　As soon as the boy noticed that, he lowered his head as if he was studying about the floor. He looked while listening to his dad’s breath. The floor looked very messy with the wetness and dirt all over, but soon it got much cleaner, after the water started evaporating to the air.
　　“You…. You think it’s a game? How many times do I have to say this? Stay home! Nothing that I do has things to do with you!”
　　The Old Mellon loosened his hand and took off the bad from the young boy’s shoulder. He said,

　　“Promise me that you won’t do this ever again.”

　　“Yes, sir.”

　　“Now, go to your bed.”

　　Part two. The agency

　　Mr. Olive got his job from the Post Agency manyyears ago. There were about 50 people got hired at the time, and two of those were he and the Old Mellon. This morning, Mr. Olive was alone in the office preparing his morning tea. It was 5 past nine o’clock. Usually, his co-workers should be in this shared office by now. But soon he realized the fact that his co-workers were probably all doing their job around the city right now.
　　“Excellent!” Mr. Olive laughed, opened his snack can by nails.
　　“ Morning,” Someone spoke behind him.
　　Mr.Olive almost jumped up, he dropped his snack on to the ground, and the cookies fell all over the floor. “Dammed! Mellon! What the hack are you doing here!”
　　“I’ve a bad news, Olive.” The man quickly undressed his raincoat and spoke, “I just found out this morning; one of our first-class mail was lost.” A drip of water slid down from tip of the Old Mellon’s nose.

　　“Which one! Don’t tell me it’s the… ”

　　“My son,” said the Old Mellon, and he breathed, “ he took my message case yesterday, probably went somewhere, he just wanted to help…”
　　“Your idiot son?” Mr. Olive felt he was on the edge of screaming.
　　The Old Mellon found an empty sofa and sat down. “You know his situation as much as I do. Since it already happened, Olive, I will take the responsibility.”

　　“You? Are you even serious?”
　　“Mellon! It’s the message from our head court!”
　　Olive almost slipped on the cookies on the ground.

　　“Why don’t you go now? And find that dammed letter lost byyour idiot son?”

　　“Let me have a rest.”

　　The old Mellon rubbed his eyes slowly, and leaned back onto the ragged sofa he was sitting in.
　　The room sank into a strange mood. Mr.Olive shut his mouth up and walked around the room in circles. The teapot started screaming on the portable stove. He walked up quickly, and killed the flame.

　　Part three. Mr. Husky’s family
　　The farmer’s market opened at different period of time each week. Sometimes, people had seen merchants selling goods very early in the morning; sometimes they saw them setting up shops at the time of sunset. There was hardly any commercial activity these days. As a result, Berry had to walk 2 miles from her house for getting foods for her family.
　　It was the second day after the stranger’s visit. Berry was heading back home after finishing food shopping from the market. She carried a covered basket in her arm and walked quickly in the dead silence of the street. Even tough the buildings were the same; they don’t look familiar to her any more. The shops were all closed and dirty; and those glass windows were fully screened by propaganda posters with a simple slogan, which only contained one simple word.

　　Decucumber;

　　Decucumber;

　　Decucumber;
　　…

　　Berry had always felt skeptical about this word. What does that mean? What’s the meaning of the prefix “De”? Why there are so many of them? Why are they so cold?
　　Someone passed her by hit her body by her shoulder. The basket flied out of her hands and fell on the ground. As it happened, Berry looked extremely stressed and picked up the good fallen out quickly. Not until few seconds later, she finally felt safe. She stood up and cleaned her wet dress a little bit, walked away and disappeared in the white rainy fog.
　　Mr. Husky’s wife had been sick on bed for manyyears. While Berry was out for food, Mr. Husky took his wife downstairs and set her next to fireplace. He carefully organized the shawl on the old lady’s shoulder, and then seated himself onto a chair stood by. He had a thoughtful and solemn mien, which made him looked like a statute by the firelight.

　　“Grandpa, I’m back, let me in.”

　　When Berry entered the room with hear basket. Along her, a breeze of cool air squeezed into the enclosed space. “Grandpa, see what I’ve got!” She spoke in whisper, but also looked excited. Mr. Husky uncovered the basket, and saw that there were few vegetable underneath it.

　　“Cucumbers…” He muttered quietly.

　　The dinner was almost ready. Berry walked back and forth between the kitchen and the dining room. The table was all decorated with dried flowers and sweet smelling candles. Next to it, Mr. Husky was sitting by his wife with a slight of joy on his face. In the old days, Mr. Husky recalled in his mind, the cucumber was the national symbol of glory and treasure, a gift from the God of nature. It was also his wife’s favorite food. Everyday in the dinner, she would always prepare a dish of cucumber salad for her family. It was a time when everyone believed the magical fortune hidden in this small and wonderful vegetable. However, things had always been changing. They do.
　　His wife could no longer accept new things; her mind was too old for any memory besides those of her family, and of her old days.

　　Finally, Berry walked out of the kitchen with a huge bowl of Cucumber salad in her hands. She smiled and set the bowl down,“You must try this. Grandpa. I feel confident about it and I believe I made it tasted like the Grandma’s flavor”
　　The old man crossed his fingers under his chin, and winked Berry

　　“Thank you so much, sweet heart.”

　　Berry’s cheeks turned to the color of the pink roses, she giggled and sat down.

　　Part four. What the hell?

　　No one realized the door was slightly open.
　　When the boy’s hand touched the door, it knocked the latch down to the floor.
　　At the time, Berry and Mr. Husly looked up and felt shocked. The old man stood up rapidly and his glass slide off between his fingers and shattered in to crystals.
　　“I, I’m sorry.” In fact, the boy looked shocked too. He looked as if he wanted to explain, but spitted out only few broken words. “I, I, I just want, to come back… Don’t worry I want to…”
　　Berry covered her mouth and glimpsed at Mr. Husky.
　　Slowly, the boy took an envelop out of his jacket while he was still standing on the front stairs.
　　“You’ve got … a mail…” He handed it forward, and that made his arm the only part that was actually inside of the frame the room.

　　Mr. Husky was about to move.
　　But meanwhile, he heard a series of stepping sound approaching very quickly. No, he yelled in his heart; No! At least, please let me take care of my family!
　　He pulled his wife up and shouldered her with all his body strength. “Berry! Follow me! Go to the back door!”

　　Berry wanted to leave, but she saw there’s a new stranger already and he was about entering the room.

　　The stranger raised his hand and spoke.

　　“Wait! Wait! Sir! You don’t have to leave! I don’t mean anything to harm you!”

　　It was the Old Mellon. His voice sounded almost begging.
　　“We aren’t suspicious people! Believe me, this is my son!” He pulled the boy in and pushed him forward to let them see his face. “I’m really sorry! But my son has a special situation! You might have heard of the sickness before. My son has got amentia since he was a baby.”
　　Mr. Husky stopped by the door that was in between the living room and the kitchen. He was not far away from the back door of the house, but he felt hesitation. He spoke,” So it’s a mistake?”
　　“Yes.” The Old Mellon took one step forward. “But your guessing is right, I am an post officer..”
　　Mr. Husky’s eyes felt twitching.

　　“Apologize to Mr. Husky! Right now!” the Old Mellon scolded his son ruthlessly.

　　“…, I apologize to you, Mr. Husky.”

　　The words muttered by the boy only made Mr. Husky more confused.
　　There’s something about it, he thought, made the phrase doesn’t sound like an apology at all! The boy’s eyes had never moved away from his face; He couldn’t even tell if the boy blinked or not.
　　The father took the sun away. In the house, no one was speaking. Berry knew some things about her grandpa’s work, but only a part of it. Mr. Husky left his wife down onto a living room sofa with a calm face. Berry thought, what happened? Anything happened?
　　The sound of rain became extremely loud, even disturbing.

　　Part five. The ending?

　　A month has passed by. Almost all of the residents of City 0 have heard of strange news. The vice mayor of the city was found dead at home. According to what the police says, in a rainy night, the house was broke in by an anonymous person. That guy stole not only the money but also stole all the paper documents away from the second-floor office. Fortunately, at least, his wife and granddaughter were survived.
　　“What happened after?”
　　In the front yard of a house, a girl and a boy were sitting on a bench and enjoying the adorable weather of this sunny day.
　　“I don’t know. Maybe nothing happened. The man died, remember?” The boy peeled off the skin of a tangerine; he split the pulp to half and half.
　　“You want some?”

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