Charlotte Gaspel: Demons and Ghosts

XVI: The Fall

The sun in Soufreville barely illuminated its rocky streets, the birds sang at a very low frequency and if you have lived there for a long time, you will not be surprised to learn that drug trafficking was very common in the town.

It was true. In Soufreville there was a sugar factory. It was the local heritage because it was the main source of income for the town's government, that is, The Coffin. It is a very lucrative business, mainly because sugar was not the only crystalline substance they exported. The Coffin manufactured a drug called blast, this was manufactured in pill form and sold very well in Soufreville, as it benefited the mafia in every way. The factory helped them to get free sugar for their tea and to camouflage their business of illicit substances.

Since you know the main business of the mob, you can get an idea of what Steven was doing at the gates of that factory. He wasn't looking to do any illegal business, he was just looking to buy a bag of sugar.

Surprising as it may seem, sugar was not easy to come by in town, as it was mostly exported to other places and what remained was kept by The Coffin, so the stock they had for others was very limited. If you wanted to buy a whole bag you had to be very important to the mafia; luckily, Steven was an essential figure to them, so he figured he would be allowed to buy in bulk.

While Steven was waiting for the doors to open for him, Officer Greyson was unpacking his bags after arriving from Spoirtown. His mother had difficulty walking, and being a widow, she didn't get much help because she was also mute and socializing was never easy for her. Not being able to utter words, the feelings you get from a person with that disability are more evident, and if an elderly widow wasn't pitiful enough, not being able to speak makes being with her a very sad situation.

Officer Greyson did not look much at his mother, and even though he had come a long way to be with her, he had repudiated her for years for always depriving him of his own happiness. It's kind of hard to think of a situation where a disabled widow would be strict with her only child, but families in general are like that. Greyson had nothing to settle with her, he was going to act nice until the weekend was over and then leave that dusty town. He put away his clothes and prepared to buy a few fruits when his mother tapped the ground loudly with her cane, it was at that moment when she pointed at the gun in his waist, hinting for him to take it off. Greyson would not tolerate his mother controlling him even from a chair, so in sign language he told her, "If I feel like carrying my gun, I'm going to carry it even if you don't like it." His mother, setting the cane aside, replied, "As long as you are living under my roof, you will not use a gun near me." Greyson didn't bother to answer her, just went outside and aggressively kicked down the door. You can tell they are family because they both have very bad tempers.

Perhaps the resentment that dwells in Officer Greyson's chest is a bit unjustified, but he didn't have time to ponder that, as he already had a rather interesting day ahead of him.

Steven G. Ledger got tired of waiting without anyone seeing him, so he decided to go through the fences. This, logically, attracted the attention of those who were watching from inside and they did not wait to stop him. Steven was confused, as he was not getting the attention he deserved.

"Stop right there. What are you looking for?" exclaimed one of the three men in suits who came out of the front door.

"There's nothing to worry about, I'm The Coffin's Personal Wizard, and all I want is a big bag of sugar," said Steven calmly.

"Listen, Mr. Warlock," said the same man in a slightly mocking voice, "if you want merchandise, you'll have to buy it like everyone else."

"Don't you know who I am?" replied Steven.