What remains - A collection of Duskwood Oneshots

Fate in a Buried Tub

It feels like walking through a portal into another world when Jake rounds a corner leading from the brightly lit and bustling Chinatown quarter into a narrow and gloomy side alley. There are no shops here and only a few lost souls hurry along the narrow sidewalk.

Jake takes out his phone to check the route description MC sent him, then he looks around. That could be it: An old garage door. When he walks up to it he can see a huge, old clock face through the glass. It must have been taken from an old train station.

Jake: I'm here.

MC: Just my luck. Tram service stopped working all of a sudden. I had to walk the last two stations.
MC: You can head inside already. I made a reservation under the name Smith.
MC: I'll be with you in just a few minutes. 😄

Jake looks around once more. Noone seems to be paying any attention to him. So he turns to a small side door next to the garage gate and rings the doorbell. It takes a moment before the door opens a crack and a man in a suit and tophat appears. "Yes?" he asks, wearing a wary expression on his face. Jake takes a deep breath, and then, feeling silly, he says: "Lovely trails."

The bouncer's attitude changes immediately and he opens the door as wide as his smile. "Welcome to the Buried Tub. Do you have a reservation?" "For Smith." "Well, come on in then." Jake is led through the garage room. The massive clock turns out to be concealing a pathway into the interior of the house.

A narrow hallway later Jake enters a surprisingly large bar room. The bar is to the immediate right of him. Opposite of it is a small stage where a few people are currently setting up instruments. Further in, there are six bistro tables with two chairs each. A sort of lounge with a few cozy leather sofas is separated from the main room by a pool table. The entire room is dimly lit. Every bit of wall space is occupied by old photos, newspaper clippings and advertisements from the prohibition era.

They walk past the pool table. Then, the bouncer indicates a single couch with a small coffee table in front of it. Jake takes a seat and is handed a menu. "I take it, you expect company? Once they arrive I will start you off with our signature Sidecar." "Thank you."

Jake puts the menu on the table in front of him and settles back into the couch. When MC suggested this place for their first meeting, he had looked into it. Despite, or maybe because of its secrecy, this bar is very popular. It is regularly booked solid and apparently you would need to offer your first born as a sacrifice to secure a spot on the more comfortable and intimate couches. Still, right now there are only four other patrons: Two couples occupying two of the bistro tables in the front.

He takes out his phone and starts fidgeting with it. They have been waiting for this first meeting for so long. And now that he is here, knowing that she will walk in any minute now, he can't help it but wonder what her reaction will be when she sees him for the first time. Ever since she came into his life he was not able to show her his face. He still fears his pursuers catching up on him. But he has also made a promise to her.

But he has also spent many hours thinking about her and wondering what she looks like. To his own surprise, he always felt hesitant to look her up on social media or through other channels available to him. This is normally not in his nature anymore, especially when his own safety is at stake. But the thought of violating her privacy and her trust like that always felt wrong.

Jake frowns down on his phone. Right now, however, the temptation to sneak a peek is stronger than ever.

Just when he looks up again the entry opens again and the bouncer walks through, followed by a woman. They stop at the bar and speak briefly, before he turns back and she continues her path right towards him. Jake gets up to greet MC, but as she gets closer, his smile freezes. He has no doubt. Her long ponytail has changed to a shorter hair style. But apart from that she has barely changed.