N I G H T  S N E A K |밤 몰래

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The heaven was in its best celebration of bright azure collage. Light breeze rattled through the lanes, blowing the dry, crispy leaves on its way. It laid them at the feet of a jacket bound mortal whose soles squished those twigs indifferently as he strolled in search of his desired destination. His molar teeth crushed some mouth freshening chewing gum when he moved about in his random phase behind a black mask, securing his mandible.

People paid very little or no notice of him since he almost looked like every other regular citizen in a long amber overcoat. His ambiguous anatomy amidst the light crowd sought not too much attention, providing him the chance to be able to advance at ease.

At a point, he stopped, relaxed and unconcerned about where the rest of the crowd went to. His gaze settled at a shop, probably one where one could grab sights of brown, bronze and gold out of all other shades. A hoarding at the top of its entrance, howled in silence, 'Stay Antique'.

"Be quick, will you? How can you work so slow? Even a sloth is quicker than you!" a hoarse cry emerged from the edges of a grey suit clothed man, probably in his forties. Ends of his tinted hair strands were soaked in slight sweat. Sweating in winter? Well it was possible for his fatty, bulky structure anyways.

"What's going on here?"

The middle aged male turned abreast to spot a young frame staring with questioning eyes. He cleared his throat, "Can't you see? I guess those eyes haven't lost the power of sight yet."

"Well I do, perhaps you don't. He's already working pretty hard to balance himself on that small stool while reaching his hands up there yet you're yelling at him like a bastard. Have you forgotten humanity? Can't you get him a ladder or something that would make it easier for him to complete has chores?"

The man landed his palm at the tip of his skull and imitated, "Oh my god, now who are you, my lord? I'm at going to apologize on beforehand if I curse you next time. Those rotten thieves have already become a lump in my butt. Could you kindly keep your raised tongue out of it boy?"

He seemed quite disgusted at the unnatural pokes of the juvenile youth, standing right next to him with no satisfying movements to vacant the place. The shop owner tried his best to concentrate at the new CCTV camera outlet, being fixed at the top corner of the front wall.

"So you own this store? How much do you profit a day?"

The man darted his glance at the other, "Why do you ask?"

"Oh I wish to open a shop as this in the near future," the black wigged boy answered. His casuistry, though not too much convincing, was still powerful.

"Well the earns are pretty good as the interest in people for quality antiques have always been on trend."

"Trend I see, hmm," the younger one hummed, "Okay, bye! Hope we never meet again!" He travelled down the street while the owner shrieked, "That little - How long are you going to take for a simple camera!"

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Some pendulum clock of a brick house banged midnight. Its echoes thronged among the glasses of the shut stores at that instant. The empty canvas of the road glittered by the rays of street lamps. Air grew colder. It roared at the ears of a personality whose fingers were busy unscrewing the lock of a wooden framed glass door on which it was printed in calligraphy, 'Stay Antique'.

The ticking of a lockpin inside the key hole seemed to be the only noise bothering him. His ears were stuck at the light flashed hole while he repeatedly licked his lips as his warm breaths created slight short lasting, fleeting, misty clouds. The fleshlight beamed straight at the circular depression in the door whereas he kept on rotating the metallic pin on the either sides cautiously.

"What are you doing?"

The sudden notes freezed him in the frosty night. His eyes widened and his throat felt deserted. His hand let go of the issues for the moment as he twirled back to find a tall man in brown overcoat and hat. His spectacles reflected the other's half exposed face under the street lights.

"Well I-"

"Are you trying to sneak in?"

"No, uh I was..."

"Stop lying boy. I know what you want. Go on, I won't tell a soul. Just give me one information."

"What information?"

"Where is the liquor shop?" Now it made sense that he was a drunk dude. Smell of scotch whiskey floated from his attires and his orbs had the threads of blood vessels throbbing.

The younger head instantly answered, "It's not nearby, you've to walk for a quarter at the least. Go straight till you reach a salon and turn left." His vague indications did not appear to baffle the elder that proved him to be really really drunk. What a shame!

"Thank you son. May you get all that you seek," and he was on his own path, stomping his boots on the mosiac pavement.

A heavy shaky sigh hushed out of the former lad who unlatched the door entrance with a click and broke into the store without wasting another second outside. The room filled with age old expensive articles, welcomed him which screened perfectly royal under the halogen bulbs.

"That was close. What a weird drinker! He's looking for a drink now, in that state? Hope he doesn't end up in a manhole or something," he chuckled, unclasping the mask he had been acquiring. A little mole just at the lower tip of his bottom lip seemed to stretch as he smiled. "Wow, today I'll be rich in no time!"

................................

"When did this happen?"

"I don't know officer. When I came for opening my shop in the morning, I noticed the door swinging in automatically with a slight push. On sensing a bit awkward, I went in to find many of the vases and showpieces missing, also the CCTV camera was smashed that I fixed last day," the owner of the shop sobbed.

"Hmm we need to seal your shop for the time being. Constable get to work," declared the inspector.

The shop owner pleaded, "Please get those things back to me or my wife will kick me out of the house once she comes to know it all. That's why I did not even encourage the media."

"Don't worry. We'll do the best of what we can," he patted the owner's back and out of the blue, a voice came rushing towards them. "Sir, we found this man, sleeping at the nearest park!"

It was a constable who clung onto the arm of a tall man dressed in brown overcoat with a hat which covered his ruffled hair. He blinked his eyes twice or thrice as he was brought before the officer.

"Hey, why were you sleeping in the park? Don't you have home to stay?" the inspector asked, a bit concerned at the victim's awfully crinkled conditions.

The directed man laughed, "Oh no, my wife kicked me out last night because I got home late."

That answer acted as a bolt from the blue in the shopkeeper's heart. He shivered to imagine himself outside the warmth of his cosy house in a chilling stormy night. A second later, he shook himself to reality.

"Did you see someone at this shop last night?"

The man eyed the hoarding and prepared to dive into his lost memories. However, he soon came up with an answer, "No, I didn't. There was none outside then."

While both the officer and the seller were arguing over the affair, a younger guy watched it all from the other end of the road, among the darkness of a passageway, in between two buildings. His eyes sparkled and his jaw clenched for a smirk. 

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Yooo I'm back after another whole week^^
Let me know how this book is going!!!! See ya! Stay safe, stay gold!