Chapter 12 : Larry's Pub

As the rain continued its relentless pour, the boy continued to sit on the bench. Just staring at the house. However, even if he could see the rain, for some reason, the rain wasn’t on him. He looked up and saw a paper umbrella. It was simple, and there were some holes. But it shielded him from the rain. He looked behind him to see who was holding it, and it was the tall watchman. The tall watchman had returned when everybody else had left. He paid no attention and continued to stare at the house.

“What are you still doing here Kieran? Don’t you want to-”

He stopped mid-sentence as he stared at the house. He looked down at Kieran, who stared at the house. The boy was helpless. It felt as if he had no drive, no motivation. His mother was dead right in front of him. The tall man didn’t know what to say. He didn’t know what to do. He just continued to hold the umbrella for the boy. After what seemed to be an eternity, he asked the boy

“Hey, do you want to eat something? I know this place that’s really good.”

It stayed silent. The only thing that made a noise was the pitter patter of the rain drops.

Kieran didn’t feel like eating, but he knew that he had to eat something. He just didn’t know what to do with all these emotions. He hopped off the bench and looked at the tall man. The tall man, understanding that Kieran yielded, picked Kieran up. He had him placed on his shoulders, like a father would carry his son. He gave the umbrella to Kieran so that they could both be shielded from the rain. The rain had only gotten heavier, and thunder could be heard in the distance. Kieran was still silent, and so was the tall man. They were both people of few words.

As they walked, they reached the destination. It was a pub, and inside was a warm, orange light. Music and laughter could be heard inside. Outside, it was old and beaten up. Some chairs outside were broken, pieces everywhere. A large wooden board read “Larry’s Pub”. As they came onto the porch of the pub, the tall man put Kieran down, and they walked in with Kieran behind him.

The tall man pushed the swinging doors open, and inside were all sorts of people. Music was playing, people were talking, and it had a happy vibe. An old man behind the bar counter saw the tall man come in, and yelled

“OI, MASON YOU FUCKFACE! YOU DIDN’T PAY FOR YOUR FOOD LAST TIME!”

The tall man replied, also yelling back

“I’LL JUST DO IT TONIGHT YOU MISERABLE OLD PRICK”

He looked at the child, and realized he shouldn’t have swore in front of Kieran.

“Don’t say those words.”

He said to Kieran, sternly.

Mason brought Kieran to a small empty table in the middle of the bar, and told him to wait there. He walked over to the owner and seemed to be ordering food. Kieran looked around the pub. It was lively and very bright. There were lights bright like this even on a dark gloomy day. There were a lot of women who wore dresses, men who came in groups and were drinking together. It was your average bar. But it felt warm.

“Mommy, isn’t that the boy whose mommy died?”

A child asked his mother, pointing at Kieran. Kieran looked at the child, then the mother, but the mother was already staring at him.

“Shhh, don’t say that! Poor child… His mother killed herself and left him to rot…”

Kieran was still sad, but he had calmed down and was now thinking rationally. He paid no attention to them, except for the last thing she said. It didn’t make sense. Suicide? His mother didn’t commit suicide. His mother was killed by a man, it was obviously written in the journal. The hanging could be staged, and there were signs of a fight. It made no sense. He was in the midst of his thoughts when Mason sat back down at the table. It was silent for a while, until Mason gathered the courage to ask

“Are you okay, Kieran? I know this is hard for you, especially at such a young age. Nobody should have to deal with this kind of thing at 6 years old, I-”

“Did my mom commit suicide?” Kieran interrupted.

Mason was shocked. He looked around, and realized that Kieran probably heard it from somewhere. After all, this was a pub, and this is where information could be exchanged.

“...”

“Yes, Kieran. We believe she committed suicide” replied Mason

Kieran was confused, especially when the evidence was right there in her room.

“But what about the journal? She wrote that someone broke in, and a man had been following and harassing her everyday.”

As Kieran said that, Mason looked at him confused. When Mason looked at him confused, Kieran was confused as well. Did they not search his mother’s room? Are they that stupid to not search for evidence in their own person’s room?

“Kieran, there was nothing about that. There was no journal… The only thing we found was a suicide note in her table, it was a suicide note. She said that she couldn’t bear it anymore and that her whole life she had been suffering.”

Kieran was shocked. A suicide note, on the table? He didn’t see anything though. It was a journal on the table, not a note.

“Did someone fix the evidence?”

He thought to himself for a while before telling Mason that he was tired and probably remembered things wrong. The food arrived shortly after their conversation and it was a nice fulfilling dinner. Mason had ordered pasta for Kieran since he didn’t know what he liked, and gave himself a nice steak with a beer to top it off. They ate in silence, no one spoke a word.

“Good thing that bitch died, stealing all of my customers? Serves her fucking right..”

Someone said in the distance. It was the man who was a part of the crowd, saying they were going to drink and party to celebrate this event. With him were other men and women who were having a blast. Mason, having heard this, immediately stood up and walked over to them.

“Sir, please, keep it down. The child is here, don’t cause any more harm to him, please.”

The man looked at Mason, then looked at Kieran, smiling. It was obvious that he was drunk. They were drinking for a good 2 to 3 hours before Kieran and Mason came in.

“Hey, it's the lowlife’s bastard!” he cheered, raising his glass, prompting cheers with his peers.

Mason repeated again, this time, in a more serious tone of voice,

“Sir, please, the child has been through enough. Keep your voi-”

“OR WHAT? I PAY YOUR WAGE, BOY”, the man yelled at Mason in his face, angrily.

“DO YOU KNOW WHAT WE’VE HAD TO GO THROUGH? ALL OF US WERE VICTIMS OF THAT BITCH! IT’S A GOOD THING SHE'S DEAD NOW, OTHERWISE WE WOULDN’T BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR OUR FAMILY! I KNOW THE HEAD CHIEF, SON. DON’T MAKE ME REPORT YOU TO HIM.” The man said cockily, as the rest of his gang snickered and laughed at Mason.

Unsure of what to do, Mason retreated, his tail tucked between his legs. He didn’t know what to do. Afterall, he was already on his fourth strike this month. Every month, each villager has 5 strikes. For each wrongdoing they do, they receive a strike, and depending on the severity, it could vary. When someone hits 5 strikes, they are exiled from the village, and are not allowed to return. Every month, this strike count resets.

Mason returned to the table, looking down at his food, clenching his fists.

“If only I didn’t do those stupid things, I could risk a strike now and beat the everlivi-”

“Thank you, Mason”

Kieran said. Mason looked at him, realizing that even if his message didn’t get across, he was thanked for at least standing up. Everyone else just stayed silent and let it happen except for Mason, despite knowing that Kieran was there. Kieran realized that Mason did this out of kindness, and stood up for him when nobody else would. And so there, Mason continued to finish his meal in silence.