The Shape of Goats

Walt

"Stop ignoring me! Why won't you tell me your opinion about the story?"

"You're bare edgy you know?"

"For all you know, I could actually be a polygon."

Noah didn't speak to Charon in school for several reasons: firstly, he had to recover from the scare he got in the staff room; secondly, he didn't want unwanted attention; and lastly, he had to recover from the scare he got in the staff room. But now school was over, so he was more relaxed.

"Alright square-face, help me out, where can I find Walt?" to know if he was safe, Noah needed to figure out if her stories had any impact in the real world. That's why he spent the whole lunch break researching any odd events involving the characters she mentioned. However, as the internet proved to be useless, he was now walking through the streets of the city centre looking for the coffee shop.

Charon was quiet.

People struggled to keep their hats and beanies on as gusts of wind carried dark rainy clouds above them. Many took their umbrellas out, some went to the shops to buy them and others rushed to get home. Not having anything with him, Noah was forced to join the crowd rushing home and followed it to the bus station. It was frustrating, mainly because he hated wasting money.

"Looks like ya in love the rain, kid."

"Ha, ha, ha. You're so funny," blurted Noah.

The newspaper distributor in front of him lifted his eyebrows, stunned, "A bit sour ain't we?"

Realising that Charon wasn't the one who spoke to him, he apologised straight away.

"Don't sweat it kid, it's this moody weather that makes people so rough," he said. "Sometimes, I just feel like leaving this country. Would love to go somewhere nicer. Italy maybe, Greece or Spain even. Do me a favour boy, will ya take this last newspaper please?"

Heatwaves spread from his insides and poured out as sweat. The light rain, drummed in his body, the tranquil chattering blared in his ears and the rainy horizon fogged his view.

In that moment, he was Lincoln, a man about to meet fear. A scary, yet exciting feeling.

"Do you know a café called 'Walt'?" he grabbed the newspaper and leafed through it, Barbara and Frans occupying his thoughts.

The man nodded, pointing at the road behind him, "Straight down, until ye see a park kid. Should be somewhere there."

Noah ran, keeping the momentum of the newly found excitement going, uncaring of the rain. He thought about Charon's arrival and his unexplainable urge to be brave. Perhaps, it was God's work, his destiny, to stay and listen, so that one day he could save Lincoln and the others. He smirked, knowing it was probably wishful thinking. Who was he after all?

An ordinary boy with nothing else to do. That's who he was.

The park was just like he'd imagined it: a field with only some lampposts and benches. Weirdly, it felt nostalgic... as if he had always been there, watching with Charon by his side. His chest tightened, realising he was already part of her stories. A puppet. But he didn't falter.

Noah wondered if she was enjoying herself.

"Walt is across the park to the left," her voice was feeble.

Noah raised his eyebrows surprised, trying to guess in his head why she sounded so sad.

He did as he was told and made his way through until reaching the café. It was small and looked even smaller right next to the tall city buildings.

Inside, he was greeted by the distinct aroma of coffee beans and a peaceful atmosphere. Like a conductor guiding an orchestra, the slow and soothing piano playing on the background guided the waiters from table to table. The sweet music, sprinkled with the cheerful buzz from the customers, called Noah to take a seat.

"What can I serve you sir?" the waitress's voice brought him back from his admiration state. She was a tall and slim girl, possibly in her twenties. Her deep black hair dyed in scarlet red at the ends made her pale skin look paler.

Noah checked his wallet even though he knew it only contained air. "Tap water, please," he said and watched her leave with his order.

Whilst waiting, his eyes swam to the cakes, cookies and pastries in the room. Sooner or later, he had to come back with a filled wallet to treat himself; having a ghost following you was stressful.

But now, he didn't have neither the money nor the time for that. He asked to speak to Liah when the waitress came back.

"That's me," she said, pointing at her badge.

Noah flinched. Of course, the badge.

"Can I speak with Lincoln?"

"Do you know each other?" she asked, scouting the place.

What was he supposed to say? "Kind of."

She left, replaced by a tall skinny man with short curly hair. Actually, skinny was an understatement: bony was more accurate.

Noah read the name on the badge: Lincoln.

"Do we know each other?" he asked.

Noah shook his head, "I wanted to ask if you're okay."

"I am. Why?"

They stared awkwardly at each other. Maybe entering without a plan wasn't very smart. Should he talk about a ghost stalking him? What about Frans and Barbara?

"Did you see any bent buildings covered in blood or something like that?"

Lincoln was biting his lips, thoughtful. "That would be quite the view, but no. Never seen anything like that."

Lies. Noah could read his face. "Do the names Barbara and Frans ring a bell? Did anything weird happen to you?"

Lincoln shook his head and smiled, "Is this an interview?"

Noah didn't know what to say. He should have definitely thought about all of this before entering. Disappointed, he stood up to excuse himself, but Lincoln pushed him down and left.

In a few minutes, Liah came back with a slice of chocolate cake and a cappuccino. "From Link to the soaked boy that looks like he'd just seen a ghost."

"I'm sorry, I don't have any money..."

"It's on Link, don't worry," she winked.

Noah did what anyone would do in his situation. After taking a picture of the food, he began eating. Each bite was soft like marshmallows, minus the stickiness and the sponginess. The chocolate crust was probably the only part of the cake that was very sweet, the rest had a delicate taste with a subtle flavour of almonds. Gosh, Noah wished he had enough money to buy some more. He wasn't a coffee person but he drank it nonetheless since it was free and a gift.

"I wish I could drink some coffee," said Charon, her feeble voice was back to normal.

Noah ignored her.

"Do you dislike me Noah?"

No response.

"There's a way to get rid of me if you want."

"I'm all ears"