Chereads / The Sleeping Delicatessen / Chapter 4 - LOSTS

Chapter 4 - LOSTS

As I got home, I slept immediately because I was exhausted because of the work. I suddenly woke up when I heard a loud thud. It was so loud that it almost explodes my eardrums. I got up from the bed and tried to find where the loud thud came from. I walked downstairs to check if anything is fine and that nobody broke in. It turned out fine because everything is still and sound. Then I walked upstairs to check the time, it is already two twenty-five in the morning. I tried to pick up the clock near my bed to change the alarm time when my hand passes through it. I tried to pick it up again and it seemed like I can't touch it. It can't be. I tried to touch and pick up other things but I cannot seem to do it. I suddenly concluded that maybe I'm dead and someone shot me with a gun and killed me while I was asleep, maybe that will explain the loud thud I heard lately. I walked outside the apartment to test if anybody could see me or hear me. But nobody saw me or talked to me. I screamed for a minute and cried. I then walked and contemplated for an hour, then I decided to go to the police station to get help and get myself a justice I deserve.

So, I went to the police station to get some help and tried to make the police notice me. But it didn't work because I can't even touch a thing. It just passes through my body. I just rested for a while at the corner of the police station and I notice that they are all kind of busy doing their work. I had also seen some missing posters on their bulletin board. There are many people who had been missing in our town, and most of their cases remained unsolved. It was devastating because there aren't any lead or evidences of what might happened to them. They just suddenly disappeared. And I have been wondering how aren't they have been solved until today. Or are the authorities really doing their job correctly? Or maybe they are protecting someone. Maybe I am just paranoid to think of it that way. I mean I am currently watching them doing their job, and they are not slacking or eating donuts like some of the police movies do. So maybe some of the old or inactive cases have been dismissed. Some of the cases I've seen them working on are murder, robbery, and abduction. Well, most of the missing persons aren't really familiar to me. Maybe there is a connection between these missing persons. So, I tried to scan some documents using wind because I realized that I can control the wind somehow. It was like I had a magical power.

While I was browsing through the documents of the missing persons, I noticed a name of a person who's quite familiar to me. Her name is Linda Owen, she used to be our neighbor at the Quentin Village when I was still in high school. She was a nice old lady; she would bring us cookies sometimes when there is an occasion like thanksgiving. I didn't know she was missing because after high school, I already moved here in San Francisco for college and work. Her husband must be very lonely without her. And as I flip the document the next paper behind Mrs. Owens document was her granddaughter Kittsey, seven years old. I found out they both went missing together after having groceries according to Mr. Owen's written statement. I need to do something. People are slowly gone missing and I have to do something about it. They have their own life and a family. I need to make a move before it happens again to anyone. And that's when I decided to get out of the station and do my own investigation. I went to the Owens and I headed directly to Mrs. Owen's room. It was plain and clean. I know that what I am doing right now is like trespassing or invasion of someone's privacy but I need to help people get justice. I opened her drawer. I gasped as I realized that I can already touch or move things now. I didn't know why lately I can't even handle a thing. Inside the drawer was photos, pocketbooks, necklace, a pen, and a ticket. At first, I thought it was just an ordinary carnival ticket, but I realized that it was an amusement park ticket. The date indicated in it, matches the date when she went missing. The ticket isn't really familiar to me. Because some of the amusement parks only opens at the start of Summer. But the date of the ticket says October. And I find it weird. I think the that the date was not just a coincidence. There must be someone who kidnapped them in the amusement while they were having fun. I realized that the sun was nearly rising and I need to get home to get some rest after I continue on investigating Mrs. Owen's case.

After that day I went to work at my usual job at the company and went on working to get things done immediately so I can plan on the undercover investigation I am going to do at the Owen's case. After working, I got hungry, and I thought that if I went to another restaurant to eat it would cost much and my money isn't much to help me until the end of the month because of the apartment bills plus I am still waiting for the payday in which I know sometimes it would get delayed. Therefore, I decided to buy some groceries so I went to the train station and ride the way at the supermarket to buy some goods. I was looking around inside the supermarket and I turned my way first at the dairy products which I primarily needed and also because it is the first things on the list. I picked up some fresh milk, bread, butter, cheese, tray of eggs strawberry flavored ice cream and finally some yogurt. Next, I was finding my way to the fruit section as I strode well, I notice the supermarket's music changed to the 1975's 'The Ballad of Me and My Brain' song which is a perfect timing for me as my eyes drifted to the fruit section and there I saw some fresh bananas, watermelons, strawberries, oranges, kiwis, and other healthy fruits to consume. Healthy fresh goods are heaven. Well, I picked up some avocado, banana, green apple, strawberries and grapes. I was about to go to the cash counter to check out when I decided to add some orange fruit. So, I went back immediately in the fruit section and quickly picked some orange. Unfortunately, when I picked, the oranges fell to the ground and rolled to the isle and I was rushing to pick up the dropped oranges. An old man approached me and helped me pick up the oranges.

"Thank you" I said without looking at the man.

"You must be in a hurry" he said.

"No, not really. I just forgot something, that's all" I said.

After that I went to the cashier to check out the foodstuffs. Then I went to the train station and waited for a train to stop and load passengers. While waiting, my phone rang and I answered it. It was my cousin Paul; he is currently in Philippines and he's inviting me to his wedding to be hold in Davao. He's marrying a beautiful Filipina woman named Kristin and said it's going to be a beach wedding.

"I'll see if I can go Paul, I'm not really sure about it but thanks for inviting me" I said.

"No problem Jules, we're a family. Just call me if you can go, Bye"

After the phone conversation, a train stopped and the waiting passengers are ready to go. I sat on a vacant seat inside and waited for the train to stop at my destination. When the train stopped, I was about to get out of the train when I noticed a brown bag at the near back seat. I notice that most people on the train were also getting out as well. It seems like someone forgot their bag. So, I picked up the bag and tried to find the owner who might be one of the people walking out from the train.

"Excuse me miss, is this your bag?" I asked.

"No, it's not" the lady answered.

I asked some of the people from the station but nobody claimed it. So, I picked up my groceries and went home. And when I got home, I immediately settled the foodstuffs and then I opened the brown bag to find some things inside it which could help me find the owner. And there I found a wallet and inside it is twenty dollars and some ID. Thanks to this identification card I could give it back to the rightful owner. I rested and I totally forgot about Mrs. Owen's case because of exhaustion.