The Business of Time Travel Tourism

Chapter 18: Two Helpful Cops

 June 30, 2014. Monday.

While everyone else was plotting on how to save or damage the world, a lonely, bruised creature with a swollen cheek, half the size of a man wandered into a dark alley at night. Due to its gray skin and dirty, torn rags it blended to the darkness like a ghost, as it moved from a trash can to a trash can. A warm summer breeze tingled its back through the holes of clothing, giving it a short sense of satisfaction and, for a moment, making it forget the pain of gurgling belly. A line of bins led it to a massive container standing at the back of a restaurant.

Bony cats meowed and bolted away after the midget lifted the container cover. Long after it jumped inside, there could still be heard echo of cat envy and sadness coming from far away

"Tasty, so tasty," it spoke to itself, "No Peach, no Zoop to say that I have no manners and stop me from feeding. Happy, so happy." After biting a piece of sandwich with the remains of cheese and ham on top of it, he wiped off a tear and continued the monolog, "Now Dang is not a slave, Dang is finally a free man. Free to travel and do things as he pleases with no one to stop him." The creature dug deeper into the container throwing trash between his legs like a dog digging the ground. Opening plastic bags and boxes it sniffed and put different food waste into his mouth. Chewing loudly, Dang would pause to wipe a tear and then continue the supper.

Dang's beautiful experience was stopped by the beam of bright light shining from the sky and the sound of a loud engine getting closer and closer. He was not sure if he needed to run or stay. He was clueless what the light was what it wanted from him. He lifted the head out of the container and from the light the voice of hundred men spoke to him, "Alien, stop here, you can't escape, you're surrounded! Stay where you are and wait for our team to pick you up."

Listening to the order, Dang chewed the last bits of food he held in his tiny hands. And when men in yellow suits grabbed him and took him away, he introduced himself, "I am, Dang, ex-slave king of Kakamaqua and I greet you, people of the old times!"

———

On the morning of the next day, George brought the moped to the Extreme Pizza, where he was met by a worried stare of the lady manager. She gave a few bucks and did not let him go before he listened to her words.

"George, I don't know why would you quit your job so soon, but I beg you to change your mind. You're doing so well. You've survived longer than most of our interns. You've almost mastered the use of the moped and your pizza delivery rates are perfect. The soul of the extreme is strong in you."

"Thanks, but I have chosen to follow another path, an adventurous, dangerous, and rewarding path."

"I see..."

"You know, if you bought a small, safe car, you could find employees much easier."

"George." She smiled. "We do it the extreme way or no way. Anyways, if everything fails and you need a job, you know where to find it. I will accept you with open arms."

The manager spread her arms open wide. George did not understand if it was a graphic expression of her words or an invitation for a good-bye hug. Since the woman often gave him shivers, he decided to avoid the hug. He nodded instead and said, "Thank you again. I will visit you some day."

"Take this. Use it when in need." The manager came closer, padded George on a shoulder and slipped a paper card into his pocket. She added, "You saw the cooks. They work the night shift, but for much more money," and winked her eye.

With a distorted smile and a surprise on his face, George left the place and joined the girls outside. Together they walked the empty gravel road toward the city. George peeked at the card in his pocket. It was white and had the sentence 'Making people disappear since 1996,' written in black. A phone number ran beneath the words.