ThisTown

Awkward Corner

AWKWARD CORNER

Ron Rasper was the angriest man in Thistown. He spent most of his time arguing and shouting in the cafes of Awkward Corner (where Avenue A meets the First Circle). Earlier that day, a tall thin and spotty police constable called Chester Brown had been on duty. He’d been crossing the Green when he’d heard angry shouts coming from the red-painted People’s Cafe, the third one on the left along from Awkward Corner.

He saw Rasper heaving himself up onto a table outside the Cafe and shouting down at the crowd that was gathering round his feet. It soon became clear to Chester that they’d all heard about the strange Sleeping Man too. Probably from Nurse Pine who never could keep her mouth shut.

Rasper yelled with his loud voice, “We all know about them in the Town Hall. We all know that they don’t never tell us nothing!”

Some of the crowd shouted back. “That’s right, Rasper.”

“And why do they tell us nothing?” Rasper yelled, “because if they keep us in the dark and we don’t know nothing, then they can boss us around, can’t they?”

“Yes! Rasper’s right!” This was Henry Horne who always wore a blue hooped shirt. He was an old friend of Rasper’s and with his big funnel shaped mouth and brown teeth, he was just as fierce. “They can boss us around like they always do!”

Rasper went on, “Like this Weird Thing in Duster Alley!” Have they told us anything about him? No they haven’t!”

“No they haven’t!” Henry Horne repeated everything that Rasper said.

Constable Brown watched from the edge of the crowd which was getting bigger by the second. He wondered if he shouldn’t do something.

“Well I’ve heard no-one recognises him and he doesn’t come from Thistown!” Rasper shouted. There were several gasps. “So why haven’t they told us anything about him?”

“Why haven’t they told us about him?” echoed Henry Horne.

“Because....” Rasper looked down at the angry faces at his feet. “Because they know somethin’ about him that we don’t!”

“That’s right! That’s right!”

“But,” said Rasper, his voice falling to a whisper, “But this time we’re going to find out! This time we are not going to be kept in the dark. Where did this Weird Stranger come from? What’s he doing here?” And suddenly he roared, “And why did he come!””

“Oh yes! Where, what and why?” yelled Horne.

“Well he obviously came to do something. ” Rasper went quiet again and looked around the crowd. “What?’

There was a silence. The crowd were sure that Rasper was going to tell them what the Weird Stranger had come for.

“But they won’t tell us will they? Up there at the Town Hall, they’ll only cover up the truth like they always do!”

“Like they always do!” repeated Horne.

“We want the truth!” Rasper yelled.

“The truth! The truth!” The crowd yelled back.

“You should disperse!” Chester Brown had plucked up his courage and climbed onto a chair. He spoke as loudly as he could with his thin, reedy voice, “This is a breach of civic order. Unless this meeting is disbanded, there will be arrests!”

“The truth! The truth!” The crowd ignored him. They knew one policeman couldn’t arrest all of them.

“The Town Hall!” roared Rasper.

“The Town Hall!” yelled Horne.

“Let’s go to the Town Hall!”

Before Chester could do anything Rasper and Henry Horne had marched off across the Green towards the Town Hall. Chester leapt down from the chair and ran as fast as he could to the police station on Avenue T and the First Circle.