“I want the blue one, please.” A middle-aged plump woman stopped by the stall and said.
“Here you go.” The man behind the counter neatly folded up the blue furry carpet and wrapped it with a rope.
“Thank you.” The woman muttered and left a coin on the table.
The man stared at the glittering coin emotionlessly. After a long while, he collected it and tossed it into the basket.
Business was on the slip nowadays. The total amount of customers for the entire week didn’t even reach ten. If this kept going on, he could hardly earn a living.
Mr. Shaw from across the street had a similar stall and yet, the grass just seemed to be greener on the other side. Things were running smooth for Shaw while business kept drifting away from him.
He knew the reason though.
Something about Shaw’s business just amazed him. The cunning man used to be as broke as him but now he was getting all the money. Every day, he listed out plenty of shiny and beautiful blankets. The carpets he sold just seemed to get more furry and attractive. The polished mat was always the best seller.
So…when had this started happening?
Right, it had to be last week.
He had no idea how Shaw managed to get tons of such fine and perfect goods but one thing he was sure about was that man’s evil face. Indeed, he didn’t plainly obtain such wonderful rugs and fibers.
Curiosity kept bubbling up inside him but he dared not to ask. Still, he was a man who needed appearance and all. One doesn’t simply go up to his enemy and asks how he succeeds.
He was going to figure out the way on his own. He would discover Shaw’s secrets anyhow. And so, he made a plan tonight.
He waited and waited. He knew Shaw often crept out at night, though why he did so was yet unknown. He just thought it would definitely be something to do with the products he sold.
Such superb goods ought not to be found in this town. It wouldn’t make sense for good things to be sold at low price. Plus, he had passed his stall once, pretending to be a pedestrian. He took a glimpse of the rugs. Those furry things just didn’t seem right. They must have been manufactured specially or imported from somewhere else.
“Smuggling, maybe?” He thought to himself.
As the clock struck ten, the entire street was vacant and dark. People these days went to bed early. It was something about a rumor, so he heard. Something about a witch called Margorie.
The door creaked open. Carefully, Shaw headed down the stairs. He looked around, pulled out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it. The street became lighter at once.
Hiding in one corner, he made caution not to be discovered. A few seconds later, Shaw began to walk along the street. He followed quietly.
“I’m going to learn about his secret.” He smiled.
It was getting closer. Things were becoming clearer.
Shaw was going to accidentally reveal his long-concealed secret to him and he would take as much advantage of it as possible.
If he couldn’t do what Shaw did, he would unravel and spread his secret around, defaming him.
“It must be smuggling.” He told himself. “Some illegal trading or stealing from high-class shops.”
However, it was nothing alike.
What Shaw did was not meeting any suspicious strangers or going to the port to get any imported goods. He just stopped by an alley.
Both amazed and surprised, the stalker stopped as well. He thought Shaw had seen him. His heart was beating fast and his limbs couldn’t help shivering. He knew he shouldn’t have anything to fear. After all, Shaw couldn’t possibly do any harm to him. It was just…he had never stalked a person before and that combination of curiosity and excitement was driving him crazy.
He expected Shaw to turn around and gaze into his eyes. Instead, that man just stood still in front of the alley. He was utterly amazed by his action. Was someone back there going to meet him? No. Not a single sound could be heard. No footsteps. Nothing.
Oh…wait…there was sound. Very minor though. It was… a kitten.
And then, Shaw vanished into the dark. He followed him into the alley. The man approached the kitten, his eyes gleaming. It was odd. Utterly odd. What was Shaw doing? He thought.
Just then, Shaw pulled out a dagger from his coat and struck hard at the poor little creature. The kitten let out a moan and struggled but soon it died in a pool of red.
He wanted so much to scream but feared to be heard by Shaw. He stepped backwards and stumbled over.
“Who’s there?” Shaw turned around abruptly and demanded.
“Who’s there?”
Frightened, the fallen man covered his mouth and quickly got up.