Picture for yourself a full eatery

a continuation of this story

Screeching chair, a silent plop and a sigh.

"So, where did I leave off?"
"Who are you?"
"I'm pretty sure it was a cliffhanger..."
"Excuse me?"
"Ah! I remember now!"
"Hey!"

Sound rushed back into the busy restaurant. It was lunchtime, at the busiest possible hour. Men and women in business suits sat about, eating and talking about the new TS43 evaluation forms, catching up on the latest office gossip or just wolfing down their meager lunches. It had already been a long day, and it was to be longer still. Karen sat and stared at the strange man that suddenly decided to sit across from her. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, his hair askew and his clothes (a plain white tee with jeans) stained. His bearded face grinned wildly.

"Yes?" the man asked nonchalantly.
"Who are you?"

The man snorted and laughed, as if Karen had asked a ridiculous question. "Come on, now, Karen. Stop joking around."

"How do you know my name?"

The man laughed again. "Come on, Karen. Do you want to know more about Raymond?"

"How do-" Karen's voice lowered, angered. "How do you know Raymond?"

"There we go," the man said, tapping his temple. Karen seized up. "Now we can continue. I think this is where I left off..."

***********************************************

Raymond's voice echoed through the stadium, the speakers carrying his voice to every corner. The loud cheering died down, and the few men left struggling on the field stopped dead in their tracks and wearily looked towards the podium. In a matter of minutes, the stadium was blanketed in silence. Raymond, red faced, looked out at the confused crowd. People from the upper booths stood up and stared, stretch-necked, at the man standing in the podium. Suddenly the silence broke.

"He's an outsider!" someone from the crowd yelled. Others who were chasing him earlier shouted in agreement. "I heard him talk of the world outside!" one of them exclaimed. Gasps of surprise and fear rang through the crowd. Several people fainted.

"Wait! Please, listen! You have nothing to fear!" But before he could get another word out, the man in the striped suit suddenly appeared and punched him in the stomach. Dry heaves and retches prevented him from going any further. Two bulky men quickly jumped onto the stage and held him up.

"Explain yourself!" The man in the striped suit exclaimed, reclaiming his microphone. "Who are you?"

Raymond gasped his answer. "Raymond. . . Finch. I'm from. . . the outside."



Alrighty, I'll finish the rest another time!