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The Owl
11 Thu Feb 12AM

Chapter 1

Late night. I am still awake, browsing in my phone. I think nights like these are somewhat interesting. Your brain enters in a deep connection with the information you are looking at, and you don't even need to force the information in, it just keeps coming like a stream of data.

Right now I am reading about these Stephen Hawking's discoveries on black holes. I don't even understand what they mean, but the information is printed steadily in my memory anyway. I am a bit chilly, I should get up and close the window, but I suffer from those irrational fears of having something popping out of the shadows and eating me.

Fuck it. It's too cold for me. I am going to close that window anyway. Yeah. Just do it, man. I get up and walk to the window. Out there there is only silence on the road and the buzzing sound of the lamps that follow it. No clouds today, I can see the moon clearly, in surprising detail, what remembers me of that NASA photo I just saw... why from down here it looks so bright while from up there it is so opaque? Those physics guys must understand it and think that all children were supposed to know why. For me it is a mystery anyway.

Feels warmer now, but its still cold. Am I going to need to go down there and get a coat? Man, this sucks. Okay okay. I am going down. By the way, I hate this staircase. It makes crazy sounds when you go down. At least I am alone and there is no one to wake up.

Way better now. But now I am hungry. I wonder why people never are content with anything. You fix something just to show that there is another thing needing to be fixed. Always.


And there goes another cigarette. Five now. I am getting impatient. The man is in there, I can see him behind the window, but he does not move. Just keeps scrolling down on that fucking phone. If they weren't paying so high, I would take the shot right now. But I must be careful on this one. Very careful. A slip and they will cut the pay in half. Or even not pay, and one can never be too careful with those guys.

Now he comes to the window and looks around. I have no idea what he is looking at. He looks around but seems like he isn't looking at anything. Man, that guy has strange eyes. Oval and fully open. He give me the creeps. He is looking at the moon, I am almost sure, but no, I am not sure. Better stay low, he wasn't supposed to see me over this distance, but you can never know for sure.

Almost two o'clock now. They said it had to be done after two... no idea why, but they are the bosses. And there he goes again to his phone. What in the hell does someone do with his phone two in the morning? When I was young these kids would be sleeping long ago.

Better check the tool. I don't want to miss this shot. At least there's no wind. Wind messes up with every setup, and there's always the risk it will change at the time of the shot. I believe it will go okay. No wind, close target, open view. Yep, no reasons to go wrong.


Back at the phone. Everyone is offline by now. I wish Pamela could stay awake all night long, but she sleeps early. She is the kind of girl who is always doing homework. Seven in the morning, what is Pamela doing? Homework. Seven in the night, what is Pamela doing? Yes, you are right. Homework. Of course, not literally, she also does a lot of other things, like hanging out with me and the guys. But it describes her very well, anyway.

I am feeling something strange. It is not the hunger. It is something else, like a headache but different. I must take some air. I should go to the window, but this time not to close it, to open it. Ah, this cold breeze... I feel better already. Still no clouds, it's dry... it's so clean I can see the tops of the buildings at distance. So much detail, I am actually impressed by how much detail I can see over there! The TV antennas... wait a second... there is a guy sleeping there!

The man must be crazy, shit! Who in the hell sleeps on the top of a building in the middle of a could night like this? Shit. My head hurts. The man is moving? What is he doing? Is he looking at me? Ah! Fuck! My head! What is that he is holding? Jump. Is that a gun? Jump. Seriously, my head is killing me. Jump. I should go down and get some ice. Jump. I should jump over the window. What is this sound? Is someone blowing in a straw? Shit! Why did I AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

~philips