A lonesome town

The Knights' Fall

Months melted away and the police and departments were still investigating, trying to catch the culprit but It was all for no good. The only lead police had to start with was; On the dawn of 1st November, Katie Smith was found dead, stabbed in the stomach, in the fields of Mark Knofler's farm, located right at the centre of the town. However, people in town seemed to be forgetting about the incident as though there hasn't been a murder in the first place.

Tyler, however, was having a hard time shaking it off.

As for Krista, she had been crying her eyes out. Katie was her close friend. However, what hurt her most was everyone seemed to have forgotten her. At times, Tyler would comfort her. Now that they were talking to each other, It felt to him that she wasn't a mild-nuisance at all.

"The culprit will be caught, Krista….don't worry."

"What if they won't, Police haven't even found out who has done it yet ."

"Then, we will. "

That conversation with Krista at the bus stop hadn't died out of his mind.

"Hey Penvil!" Tyler called.

They were at school grounds and at distance there was an oak tree which boughs were laden with a couple of squat juniors. The sky bright as the sun was shining merrily at the students rocketing out onto the streets outside. There weren't many students present there, on the grounds. Most of them had gone and many of the rest were going to The Christmas Carnival carnival, celebrated at the

Beatles Park.

"Penvil!" said Tyler.

They were at the school grounds. Tyler looked around to see if anyone was in earshot.

"Yeah?" Penvil replied looking at his not-so-usual behaviour. "What happened?" he added.

"I was thinking….let's form a clan, you know."

A light of ambitious excitement glistening in his eyes.

"-It'll be a cool shit." A burst of excitement exploded in Penvil's mind too.

Tyler smiling and contemplating about their next move, and said;

"So do you know any hide-out?"

"What for?" Penvil asked.

"Well, we need a lair." replied Tyler. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah!" he paused. "Hey, Tyler, why do you want to do this g**g s**t in the first place?"

Penvil was right. Tyler had always been indifferent to everyone, it seemed funny to him, Tyler wouldn't talk to anyone for so long. Although he wasn't always like this. In fact, in his childhood Penvil, Krista and he had a lair. Penvil would put it like; "His childhood wasn't so good but it doesn't mean he was rude."

"It just.. It's my last year in this town." said Tyler. "and I thought I would want to remember a few of its memories."

Penvil looked anxious and then breathed radiantly.

"Then, let's make some fuckin' good ones." he said jovially. "Meet us in the Beatles park at 5:00 sharp."

"Us?"

It was 4:47 in the evening and Tyler looked through the window and found the Sun dipping itself into the Trastino River in the distance, smearing the sky with blood.

A truck loaded with junk and a rusted brown bicycle passed the street outside the moment he had got outside his house-yard, he had put a cloudy-grey overcoat on, mounted his icy-blue bicycle and started riding across the town.

The town "Pragintona" was just like any old town, beautiful. But somehow, It had a funny fragrance of obscurity, people didn't seem indifferent to each other but there wasn't any love either, care for their fellows, firm support for one's friends.

On the other hand, Krista and Penvil stood out from the crowd. Tyler hadn't thought about it earlier but now that he was painting his journey of life in his mind, he was somewhat afraid to lose his friends, lose their presence. Thoughts struck him at times, sometimes horrible thoughts that he would lose them forever from his life. Krista, and Angelina too, had always been nice to him, and as for Penvil he had always stood by him. They weren't just his friends, they were far more than that. They were his allies.

About 10 minutes later, Penvil reached the park. There was a humongous red semi-circular board overhead reading "The Beatles Park" in golden letters. However, inside was only green; all the grounds were covered with untidy grass. A rather tall boy in black jacket sitting at the centre on a lump of a hill midst the stone cubes was the only scenery that seemed somewhat different. Tyler trotted over, the boy was Penvil.

"Why did you call me here.. of all places?" Tyler asked.

"You've forgotten it." A familiar voice sounded but he didn't know from where.

"Wait a sec." he blurted out. "You've called-"

"-Me!"

A freckled girl in snowy-white coat appeared from under one of the cubes. Her fringe flying over her face. It was Krista.

At instant, Tyler was far more pleased than he was shocked.

And they strode out of the park and the instant they mounted their bikes. A voice rang from their back across the street.

"Tyler!.. Krista!.. Penvil!...."

They all turned around at once, and Penvil's mouth fell wide open.

A slender girl was pedalling over on a mauve bicycle wildly as her brilliant-red coat and fly-away hair sweeping past her.

"You called Angelina Kompson too!" Penvil gaped at Tyler who had been utterly astonished by another unexpected arrival. He was delighted though.

"Good to see you here." said Tyler blissfully as Krista whispered jovially. (I called her, you know.) in his ear, and they set off.

"Where are we going, Penvil?" asked Tyler, Krista, and Angelina at times, all tired as for the last half an hour Penvil was leading the way towards what seemed the southwest region.

Half an hour had passed and the sky was dropping itself, turning itself cloudy grey. In the distance, there were thick trees, at the heart of them, a colossal sycamore tree which had crooked branches waving about wildly in shivering-cold wind.

"Oh, Pevil." panted Krista. "Are we going to the F-"

"-Nope" said Penvil abruptly, Angelina giving him a mysterious glance.

They pedalled down the earth track into the woods and the instant they reached the other end;

"Is it that fall?" Tyler wondered aloud.

Deep down the grounds, beneath the canopy of the glistening clouds stood a cliff, somewhat icy for the water that was drifting the stones and pebbles along in a narrow ravine away from the place.

"It's beautiful!" cried Angelina Kompson.

"Indeed, it is." beamed Tyler. "The Knights' Fall."

Krista and Penvil were smiling too