Rain and Shadow

ANNABELLA changes her clothes in a restroom dedicated to female workers. She wears a vest that bears the Story Cafe logo as the official attire of workers at the cafe.

Her golden yellow hair is pulled into a neat bun so that it doesn't fall out. A pen and a notebook were reached and tucked into the vest pocket. She stepped out of the room.

"Hei, Anna!" greeted Samantha.

The girl was Annabella's 21-year-old co-worker. She was supposed to continue her studies at the university level but Samantha refused to continue studies. The rich kid could do whatever she liked.

"Hi, Sam! You're late. Did you stay up until midnight because you fought with your boyfriend?" Annabella teased.

"Yes, we fought."

"Again?"

"He's driving me crazy. He gets jealous when I'm trying to talk to someone," Samantha shared about her boyfriend.

"You broke up with him. He's kind of possessive."

"We broke up officially today!" says Samantha cheerfully.

"Really? But why don't you have a breakup face?"

"Babe, life must go on," Samantha said, accompanied by laughter.

"As long as you're happy, Sam! As long as you're happy," Annabella retorted. Her locker was closed and locked.

"Thank you, Anna. Did you see Burn today?" asked Samantha.

"You want to flirt with Burn too?"

"Come on, Anna! He's kinda hot. Women come here every weekend because they want to see his face. Where else can you find a hot barista like him?" said Samantha. Her eyes were already picturing Burn brewing coffee.

"Do you like Burn?"

"He's like my brother, nothing more than that. I'll leave first. Talking to you, tomorrow may not be enough."

Annabella walked away. When talking with Samantha, the fun topics revolved around men only. A month's worth of work can be delayed when she heard her talking about her boyfriend. Or even about the random guy she stumbled across on the side of the road.

Story Cafe is only busy during the midday hours because the blue-coat workers are on break. After peak time, the clientele starts to dwindle. Even those who came only wanted to enjoy a cup of coffee at Story Cafe and then leave to kill time.

Annabella wiped the table to relieve her boredom. When sitting at the counter with Samantha, she must need to hear the girl chattering about men. After that, she also cleans the slightly drunken glass wall.

Her eyes scanned outside. The weather outside seemed calm.

Rain... her heart sighs. For some reason, those words came to her mind.

"Anna, the customer is here," Samantha, who was at the counter, told her.

Her work was halted instantly. Notes and pens were taken out of her pockets. She stepped to the customer. The customer's order was recorded on the note. After that, she heads to the kitchen. The note was handed over to the chef.

Annabella made a tray to serve the customer's order. Then, she resumed her work wiping the glass wall.

The scorching hot weather had changed. Rain began to soak the earth. The longer it lasted, the heavier it became. She didn't expect what had crossed her mind earlier to happen. The work of wiping the glass wall continued.

Suddenly her hand stopped. She saw some shadows out there. The shape of the shadows was very odd. It was like an animate object but did not resemble the physique of a human or an animal.

Once again she was struck by the shadow that crossed before her eyes but this time it was in the shape of a human.

Rain... You can see all kinds of things. Sometimes even trees look like giants.

"Boo!"

"Arghh!" cried Annabella in surprise.

"Hahaha..."

Annabella smacked her lips when she saw Burn laughing out loud outside the cafe. She put her hands around his neck like she was strangling him. It was a warning to Burn if he came into the café.

"Hi, everyone!" greeted Burn as soon as he entered the cafe. Annabella's murderous musings were ignored.

"Burn! Where are you diving, huh?" asked Will, one of the waiters.

"Diving what? It's raining heavily outside."

"Go exchange. It'll flood here anyway."

"Okay."

He was then in front of the counter. "Hi, Sam!"

"Hi, handsome."

"I am handsome. You're just blind."

"Not anymore because I broke up with my boyfriend."

"What I expect from you, Sam? So, what happened to Anna? She looked like in a bad mood," Burn whispered.

"You scared her earlier with your not-so-ugly face. That's why she's in a bad mood. I guess you didn't know that Anna doesn't like being pranked."

"I forgot. Anna! You look like a swordfish," Burn said.

"You look like the house is in the renovation," Annabella retorted.

Burn laughed. It was amusing to see Annabella's red face. He continued to the dressroom to change his clothes.

Annabella continued her overdue work but she was still thinking about the shadows she had seen.

It was just a shadow.

***

IN a dark alleyway, a creature was lying on the ground when its body was stabbed by a sharp weapon. The creature died instantly on a water spillway. However, the creature's carcass suddenly turned into black dust and then disappeared without leaving any trace.

"One down. Two more to go," said a man wearing a hood to protect his face. He stepped out of the dark alley. His eyes darted towards the café across the street.

"I hope that girl can see me," he muttered before walking away.