NORM(1)

Arthur, Ricky and I again found ourselves in Town Hall. Mayor Golston wanted to talk to us, and it ain't no mystery what's on the agenda. He will want to try to talk us into selling the farm yet again. I asked to be excused, since I was only eight. Wink wink.

I could stay, but I had something far more important to do.

The office space was empty. It's usual, since it was already five PM. Besides, this is a small town. There's nothing much to do even if it's office hours. And there's not a lot of people left in this town anyway. Thanks to our beloved mayor.

Yes, thanks to the Mayor's active effort to buy the whole area for 'redevelopment', the townsfolk had been decreasing by the minute. In fact, excluding us, all of the farm areas belonged to the town already. Of course, their respective owners did ended up with a lot of money. But it was heartbreaking to know the land they poured their blood, sweat and tears for generations would be soiled with illegal activities.

But I can't complain. It made things easier for me to snoop into the Mayor's office.

I went inside, check for cameras, and then I entered. I could not helped but chuckled. Mayor Golston's office didn't even have cameras as surveillance. Boy crime people are stupid. Perhaps that's why dorky superheroes could easily beat them. In cartoons that is.

A quick walkabout the room, and I realized why he did not have CCTV in the office. He did not need one. I was hoping to find something juicy, incriminating even. All I found was a pile of boring. Rows upon rows of files on birth rate, financial, tax collection. You know, typical government office thingies.

I sat on the Mayor's chair. I always wanted one of this. Even when I'm an adult, and homeless. I saw the office chairs as I walked past the furniture stores. And whenever I found one in the dumps where I used to live, I always brought it to the corner where I slept, and sat on it. Even the broken ones. In fact, the shelters I built at the dump was quite comfortable. I used the soft cushion of the broken chairs as my bed. At that time, it was heaven.

I cut that bad memories out. If I didn't focus on this snooping session, I might ended up sleeping at the landfill a lot sooner than before.

I looked at the rows of binders again. Reading the labels, hoping to find something I might've missed the first time. It remained unchanged. And of course it is, it's not like it's a revolving cabinet or something. Nobody invisible suddenly came and placed another binder in here.

Defeated, I pulled a binder labeled residents. I just...you know...got curious about how many was left.

Oh my, it was really a stroke of luck. Curiousity might have killed the cat, but the cat will die smiling.

The residents list was full of foreign names. Names I never encountered before. I realized, I might've sounded racist, but hear me out. I've been around the block twice. TWICE. And this was a small town. And I know most people, if not all. But this list, about ninety percent of them consisted of strangers I haven't met before.

I realized it. What they did. I checked on their place of residents, and most of them lived in the newly built apartment block near the dock. Only one of the name lived in the mansion at the edge of the town. And I think that this is it. My first clue.

I took the binder, and stealthily exited the office. By stealth, I mean I look at the conference room, saw that they're still in a meeting, and ran quickly to the photocopy room.

I quickly made a copy of all the residents, but then tragedy struck. The meeting was over. I was halfway there, hidden by the cubicles. If they found me with the binder in my hand, they might've suspected something.

I panicked as I heard the door shut. And then I remember, I was just eight years old.

"What the fuck?! Elizabeth? Look at what your kid's been doing?"

Mom hurried her footstep and came to me. She was horrified to see me make paper hats from the documents in the binder. "You stupid child! STUPID STUPID CHILD!"

Whether you're eight or thirty eight, your mom raising your hand to you will never not be scary. Thankfully, Arthur stopped my mom from slapping me.

"I'm sorry, but please don't hit Sammy."

"What do you care? This is my child."

"Really? Two years you didn't even came home, and suddenly he's your son? Please, if you're gonna be a mother, at least be there always. Don't nitpick, and chose to be a mom at your own convenienve." Bravo Arthur. That's a lawyer for ya.

"Hmph, give me that!" mom grabbed the binder from my hand, and walked away with the Mayor.

:"What are you smiling about?" Ricky said to me.

"Ehh well, it is quite satisfying you know. Seeing my mom getting schooled liked that."

"You cheeky brat." Ricky turned to Arthur. "You should've let Liz slapped this kid."

"There's always next time my friend, the Mayor won't stop until you actually sold the land." Arthur turned to me. "From the looks of it, you found something didn't you?"

"I might've."

"Then, let's go to Rose's. I'm starving."

###

"So, you're telling me, that the mayor's been filling the town with the mob?"

Rose's meatloaf was divine. If she told me that this was chiffon cake, I would've believed her. It was meaty but light at the same time. Filling, but doesn't knocked you out. Probably because of the spicy and tangy sauce accompanying it. Unfortunately, I had to stop eating to answer Ricky.

"Yeah, I guess. The mob, the yakuza, the Mossad. I think by the time the redevelopment project was done, every kinds of evil organisations will be here in our town."

It was then that I noticed Arthur staring at the list I photocopied. "What is it uncle?"

"It's this name, the one registered on the beach mansion."

"What? Michio Yomi you mean? You know him or something?"

"No, but I think my friend does. She used to tell about a rival gang of hers called the Hanyo. The leader of Hanyo was called Ikusagami Yomi. I'll ask her about this Michio Yomi. They could be related."

"Alright. Thanks uncle."

Ricky put another piece of the meatloaf and mashed potatoes in his mouth. He finished swallowing, then asked me. "So what now?"

"Well, right now, we should just observe our new neighbours. Find out why they're here, and what have they been doing. Maybe we could get some piece of evidence to crush the organisations."

"But then, even if we find some evidence, who should we report too? Arthur already said that this was a government conspiracy. I don't think the cops or even FBI would help. They are under our government."

"Hmm, that is true."

We all sat there for a while, in silence. The meatloaf did eased up the pain of being unable to do anything.

Then an idea came to me. "Hey Uncle. Your...friend, she's in the yakuza right?"

"Urmm yeah, why?"

"What kind of clan is she in?"

"Well...the traditional type I guess. They still uphold the honor of the samurai code. They don't sell drugs, or force people to prostitution. There is prostitution, but by choice. And they took care of their own people. Where are you going with this?" Arthur said.

"Well, if our government won't do a thing, maybe their government can."