The Shop On Ironwood Avenue

Shao stood quietly behind his antiquated cash register. His father had opened this small roadside shop with the savings that he’d accumulated working in factories. His mother had worked tirelessly as a maid to help run the house. Together, they’d managed to buy the shop and have spent every single day placing orders, arguing with suppliers for cheapest prices, fixed the place with their own hands. The shop, dimly lit with old fluorescent tubes, was their sweat, blood, and pride. Holidays, weekends, school vacations, all were spent in the shop, and Shao had taken over when time came to it.

Shao followed the man in the hoodie, his face hidden by the now mandatory medical level mask, shuffle between the aisles. A feeling of doom descended on him, turning the rivers of sweat streaming down the sides of his face cold. It has happened to many other small shop-owners. Being held at gunpoint. And asked to handover the meagre earnings of the day. I call for help, and then what? Tell them a suspicious individual was roaming in the shop? Shao shook off the feeling and proceeded to ringing a customer up, his eyes on the figure drifting in the aisles.

Helen looked into the hazel eyes of her date. She’d finally tried it. Internet dating. She’d downloaded the app, set up her profile and went through the steps. Notifications from interested… candidates had started popping up in no time.

“Oh, you like reading? I have always found it boring. Never touched a book before in my life. Probably only the night before the exams. And for work, I have to open an instruction book every once in a while, but you will never catch me with a book in my hands reading for pleasure.” She detected a note of pride in his voice. “I would rather watch a film.”

Helen nodded at him. The soft warm light made his features look even more alluring. She has always been a voracious reader; she could finish one book in one day. She’d once finished the Prisoner of Azkaban in just one night and spent the next day at school yawning.

She’d tried to change the subject. And moved on to something else. But as she opened her mouth, he cut right in, “I think body-building is one of the best hobbies I have ever taken up.” So, she’d smiled and nodded at him. He likes talking. She made a mental note.

On the other side of the city, near the biggest park of the country, Thomas was trying to find his way back home. With him was his 10-year-old son. They had decided to go to the park that evening but had gotten lost on the way back. 

“Are we home yet, Papa?”

“Pas encore, but we will be. Tu t’es bien amusé au parc?” he asked his boy, trying to distract him from the fact that they were both so very lost in this concrete jungle. He couldn’t even remember the name of the flat, or the street name. Sure, they have recently moved here, thousands of miles from their home country.

This was supposed to be a new beginning for the two of them. His wife of 15 years had passed away suddenly. A heart attack no one had expected. And he’d picked up his son and brought them here to start afresh. A new beginning, but he was so lost without his wife. She’d always known what to do next. Over the years, he had relied heavily on her, whether it was deciding dinner, their next vacation, or even his clothes.

“Oui. Est-ce qu’on peut partir tous les jours?”

“Everyday? But you have school, and homework.” We haven’t been through that street before. On both sides of the road were food stalls and hawkers with many different types of food laid out. The heavenly aromas overwhelmed his nostrils. His mouth started watering. His stomach grumbled. Thomas thought about dinner. They had to get home first. He kept marching as if he knew exactly where home was, his son in tow.

Somewhere in the industrial zone of the city, Marjorie, in her fifties, ambled slowly towards the bus stop. She’d finished her shift. It was time to get home. The heat hasn’t subsided at all. Add that to her hot flashes, it was becoming unbearable. But Marjorie was used to the heat. Ah, there was a young girl on the bus stop. She wouldn’t be alone. The crazy good-for-nothing youths can be violent. She has always avoided them, never made eye contact.

She took a seat on the wooden bench. The girl didn’t make eye contact nor acknowledged her presence. She seemed in her early twenties, lost in her phone. The dying sunrays fell on her eyelashes curled back with black mascara, and eyes heavily lined with black. Her dark mask hid the lower part of her face. Her sharply cut bob hairdo hid most of her face, but Marjorie caught glimpses of her beautiful, tanned skin. Maybe she’d just started a new job in the area? She’d never seen her before here.

The sun was already low on the horizon. The streetlights were twinkling already. It would soon get dark. Cars whizzed by, with their blinding headlights but they always end up screeching to a halt some metres ahead, never noticing the speed bump until it was too late. Her children should be home from school already. God bless her eldest, always taking care of the little ones when she got home late. A rivulet of sweat trickled down from her neck onto the deep canal shaped on her back by years of childbearing and hard labour. She took out a hand fan and started waving it quickly in her face for some air. Where was the bus? Late again.

He looked up at the sky and saw that the gradient sky was starting to turn dark blue. The dark shadows of the tall buildings facing the sinking sun rays were now blending in with the darkness. He slowly rose from the shadows, adjusted his tattered clothes, rubbed his chin before letting out a dry cough. An unnatural glow from the bright signage fell on him. The light was harsh. But not the model in the Sephora advertisement. Lips so red. Glitters sparkling on top of her eyes. They are always beautiful, aren’t they?

The weather no longer affected him, as long as it wasn’t harsh winter. In winter, he could feel the cold sucking at his pores, closing the ones that dirt hasn’t already gotten to. Tonight, was a lovely night. Maybe a kind soul would take pity on him and get him a cold drink and a meal.

Night was his friend. He’d never been able to get out during the day. It gave him the cover that he needed. Besides, people didn’t pay much attention to him in the dark. Being invisible was his superpower. He knew all the streets, their corners, their nooks, the shortcuts. He also knew where to dig out for food if he were unable to score some food. The air smelled heavy and sticky. From the constant smoke coughed up by car exhausts.

The man in the hoodie was taking his time, standing in front of the aisle, taking up space already. He was bulky. He walked slowly too. Shao wished that he would move quicky and get out. But he couldn’t go around rushing his patrons. He gave him a long look, trying to discern his features, half hidden by the shadows. Was he a drug addict? Shao glanced up at the CCTV cameras installed sometime in the past decade. They no longer worked. And he hadn’t bothered to get them fixed. Shao caught a glimpse of himself in the windowpane. It was time to upgrade the hardware. It’s been getting dangerous lately.

The restaurant her date picked was lovely, with chandeliers hanging from the ceilings, white tablecloth with shiny silverware laid out, liveried waiters bustling around the beautiful décor, soft musical background, and the patrons. The air conditioners were blasting out cold air, a welcome relief in this heat. But as she looked across the table into the darkened irises of her date, she wondered if she’d made the wrong choice again. He was now rambling on about football, more specifically, American football, a sport she had absolutely no idea how it was played. In fact, she had zero interest in watching sports. Most of her time, she spent reading and travelling. Is he ever going to show some interest?

Then, without warning, the soft glow on his face disappeared. She blinked and opened her eyes wide. Still dark. Then it hit her as soon as groans of disappointment and frustration arose around the room. It was a blackout! Someone cried out in pain. Followed by a profuse apology and a failed attempt to wipe the spill. Someone pushed a chair back, then an expletive was uttered. In the far corner, someone had managed to switch on their phone light which was still faint.

She had minutes to act. Come on, there’s your chance! Leave, now!

“Oh damn! A power outage!” she could hear him say, in a very annoyed tone.

Thomas was sure he was lost now. His son has been quiet for a while now, sensing the seriousness of the situation. They’ve moved here just days ago. And he was hungry. But he didn’t flinch, nor showed his anxiety, not wanting to add on to his father’s predicament. Thomas stopped by a small shop. He looked at his phone. He had tried retracing his steps since they’ve left home but all the streets looked the same.

“Hi. I need some help with my mobile data. Can you help me?”

“Sure.” Shao looked at the man. He had a weird accent. He’d never heard that one before.

Shao took the phone and checked the service provider. He then proceeded to check the balance, then found a day package. Just as he was confirming the purchase, the lights turned off.

“What’s happening?” Thomas asked.

“Papa?” His son asked, scared to find himself submerged by complete darkness.

“It’s nothing. Just a blackout. It can last a few hours. Once, it went on for a few days. It was total chaos.” Thomas heard the man’s calm voice, unaffected by the sudden total darkness that shrouded them. He wondered how they would get home now. He clasped his son’s hand tight.

“We’ll wait here for a couple of minutes, son.” He said, trying to reassure him.

Marjorie was getting down from the bus when the city lights went dark. She stopped in her tracks. Not good. She had to walk a couple of blocks to reach home. Someone let out a blood-curdling scream. Goosebumps raised on her skin. Even her unplucked hair stood up, alert. She carefully stepped down from the last step that she’d nearly missed. The girl from the bus stop bumped into her back. The headlights of the bus gleamed on the streets but as it moved away, Marjorie was left in total darkness. Her eyes needed time to adjust to the darkness. People were turning their phone lights on. Within minutes, there was a sea of faint light beams moving. But she didn’t have a phone, nor light. She wondered what her kids would be doing at home in total darkness. There weren’t any candles at home… she’d never wanted them to play with fire –

Did someone just brush against her? Specifically, her bag?

She tried talking but her voice didn’t get out. She started walking briskly and held her bag closer. She knew the way back by heart, where the cracks in the pavement were, the uneven steps, the smooth concrete surfaces, and the largely uneven cobbled areas. But tonight, that path was immersed in pitch black. Whoa!

“Stop it! Leave me alone!” Marjorie screamed. In the darkness, she caught a glimpse of a sparkly jacket. Someone was definitely trying to snatch her bag! She stepped away, bumped into one of the many spectres roaming the street.

“Hey, watch your way!” one of the figures shouted.

Total darkness always seemed bring out the worst in people.

He looked up at the sky. It’s funny when the electric hums fall into total silence, and the city submerged in temporary darkness. His eyes got used to the darkness real fast. Even the woman on the billboard has faded into oblivion. Within minutes, he could see the stars appearing one by one in the clear sky. Even the moon was at half quarter. People tend to lose a lot of valuables in the dark. As he pushed his cart down the lane, eyes peeled for treasures, he heard a woman scream.

He looked ahead and saw a small figure trying to grab a woman’s bag. Opportunists. Not on his turf. Not tonight. He pushed his cart faster and made a beeline towards the screamer. A couple of moving obstacles bumped into him – they cried out in pain and let out insults, but he ignored them. Someone needed his help. In the darkness, he was the only one who could distinguish between the silhouettes, spectres, and shadows.

Shao had switched on the rechargeable lamp that he kept for emergencies. In the dim ashen light, he saw the bulky shape moving towards the cash register. Was he about to…?

Shao stood frozen for a millisecond.

The man placed a couple of items on the counter.

“Hey, man. Guess it’s gonna be cash?” He asked, in a raspy voice. The darkness has somehow distorted his features. He was inches away from his face, yet he wouldn’t be able to describe him to a sketch artist.

The man turned to Thomas. He took a good long look at him.

“How you doing, man?”

Thomas looked at him, trying to remember where he’d last seen him. The shadows were playing too many tricks.

“You live from across the hall. You just moved in, didn’t you?”

A sense of relief washed over Thomas, “Yes. We are actually on our back.” The blackout has also killed the phone lines.

“I just finished my shift. But I think I will go back and help the station out. But first, I am headed to the flat.” He turned to the boy. “Come on, little man. Let’s get you home! I’ve got my torch with me!” He fumbled in his gym bag before pulling out a powerful torch and turning it on.

Shao forced a wan smile in the dark, ashamed of the thoughts that he’d had. They were legitimate thoughts. But… the times were getting dangerous.

The man turned to Shao before leaving, “For your safety, you should close the shutters. And stay safe!”

He moved to pull down the shutters and close the door as soon as the trio had left the shop, but as he pulled down the first shutter, a figure pushed him aside to enter.

“I am sorry, are you closing already?” She asked, her voice shaking. “Someone tried to rob me!”

Shao felt pity for the woman. The neighbourhood wasn’t the safest in the dark. She was panting so hard, as if she’d run for kilometres. She was now bent, trying to catch her breath. Shao couldn’t see her face.

“You can stay until it calms down.”

“Someone with a trolley pushed the bitch away! And to think…” Marjorie stopped herself mid-sentence. She did not want to divulge that she’d just gotten paid. She clutched her bag safer.

Just as he got up to close the door, someone else barged in. He’s got to get this closed before it’s overrun with strays.

“Hi Shao!”

“Oh, Helen. What are you doing here?”

“Running away from a bad date!”

“Another one?”

“Oh yeah. This one liked talking about himself. I could barely get two words in. So, when the lights went out, I nearly did a French exit. But I got up, told him I had to get back, left my half of the bill on the table and left. I thought I could pop in here instead of driving back. You remember the last blackout, right?”

Helen then noticed Marjorie sitting on the floor. She looked at Shao, who moved around trying

“You okay, Ma’am?”

“Someone tried to snatch my bag,” Marjorie replied, her voice still shaking. She was also trying to discern the features of her interlocutor in the faint light. She could see her hair and the coloured streaks.

“Were you going home?”

“I’ve just gotten down from the bus when it happened. I was rushing to get home to my kids when someone tried to rob me.” After a pause. “I think she was on the bus with me.”

“Where do you live?”

“A few blocks from here. I have to get home. When is the light coming back on?”

“It’s not safe outside.”

“I have to go.” Marjorie was clearly worried now. She stood up on her shaky legs. It seemed that she might fall any time.

Helen’s heart went out to the children left in the dark. She wondered why the city hadn’t informed them beforehand.

“I grew up in these neighbourhood. Let me walk with you home. I know a few alleys.”

Shao showed them to the back alley, gave them the bat he kept behind the counter. He watched them leave until their silhouettes were indiscernible in the dark. He locked the back door then moved to the front. He noticed the homeless man with his trolley standing by. He went back inside, got a packet of bread and some snacks, opened the door, and handed them over to him. Then he pulled down the last shutters, closed, locked, and bolted the front door before going home upstairs for the night.

He barely made it up the dark stairs when he was startled by a loud crash, followed by angry banging and violent outbursts.