Arratal
Arratal is a character who cones from the realm of S21. This is an introduction to her.
Arratal listened behind the door, she couldn’t hear the entire conversation but her uncle was going to be ‘looking after’ some ‘stuff’, probably stolen, for a few days, to help payoff some of his growing debts. She sighed, her uncle would mess it up again, he always did.
“Day after tomorrow then,” one of the visitors said.
She ran outside and hid behind the communal refuse bin as the two men got back into their car. She could just make out, “… then it will be three times what it is now” as the door shut.
There was something about the way they spoke that indicated that something else was going on. This job wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared to be and Arratal reckoned she knew what was happening.
It was two days later that Arratal noticed several nondescript boxes in her room.
“What are these?” she asked feigning ignorance.
“Don’t touch them,” her uncle ordered. “I’m looking after them for some people.”
“You’ve not hidden them very well.”
“Why would I have to hide them?”
“Because whatever they are, they’re stolen or something.”
“It doesn’t matter what they are, in a couple of days, they’ll be gone.”
“And how long before someone finds out that you’ve got them and decides that you shouldn’t have them any longer.”
“Why would anyone?”
“To put you further into debt.”
“Nonsense.”
There was no way of explaining to her uncle that he was being set up, whether he refused to see or perhaps he was just too stupid. Perhaps it was both.
Five days later the boxes were still there and the few days was turning into a week. It was then that Arratal decided to do something about it.
“Day after tomorrow then,” one of the visitors said.
She ran outside and hid behind the communal refuse bin as the two men got back into their car. She could just make out, “… then it will be three times what it is now” as the door shut.
There was something about the way they spoke that indicated that something else was going on. This job wasn’t as straightforward as it appeared to be and Arratal reckoned she knew what was happening.
It was two days later that Arratal noticed several nondescript boxes in her room.
“What are these?” she asked feigning ignorance.
“Don’t touch them,” her uncle ordered. “I’m looking after them for some people.”
“You’ve not hidden them very well.”
“Why would I have to hide them?”
“Because whatever they are, they’re stolen or something.”
“It doesn’t matter what they are, in a couple of days, they’ll be gone.”
“And how long before someone finds out that you’ve got them and decides that you shouldn’t have them any longer.”
“Why would anyone?”
“To put you further into debt.”
“Nonsense.”
There was no way of explaining to her uncle that he was being set up, whether he refused to see or perhaps he was just too stupid. Perhaps it was both.
Five days later the boxes were still there and the few days was turning into a week. It was then that Arratal decided to do something about it.
Arratal was out when the raid happened. She returned to find the front door smashed in and her uncle desperately trying to repair it, watched by the neighbours, half of whom would be trying to work out if they had any opportunity to steal stuff.
“What happened uncle?” Arratal asked.
“The police came calling. They took the boxes.”
“Did they look in them?”
He shook his head. She despaired. He hadn’t worked out that the police had been paid to take the boxes, or else how would they have known what to take without even looking inside.
“What will I do?” her uncle asked.
“How much were you going to get paid for looking after them?”
“Fifty Coronas.”
“And how much were the contents of the boxes worth?”
“I don’t know …”
It was later that evening that they received visitors.”
“We have come for our goods,” one said smiling.
“Well there’s been a bit of a problem …”
“Really.”
Arratal slipped out and knocked next door.
“Do you still have them?” she asked.
Tim nodded.
“I need them.”
Tim liked her. He was the one true friend she had and they had something in common, they both lived with useless adults. She and Tim ran upstairs passed his comatosed parents and manhandled the first of the heavy boxes downstairs and placed it in front of the car.
They had managed to get the third box out when the two visitors were leaving. “Your debt has now …” one stopped mid-sentence.
“Gone down by fifty Coronas,” Arratal finished. “I’ll just go and get the other two.”
Her uncle just stared at her.
There was a bit of muttering but the boxes were loaded into the car.
“What did you think you were doing?” her uncle asked as the car disappeared.
“Reducing your debt,” she replied. “Me and Tim replaced the boxes with identical ones and took the real ones next door.”
“What if you hadn’t been here? They’d have collected the wrong boxes.”
“Tim would have given them you. You still don’t get it do you? There was nothing in the boxes, at least nothing valuable. They were only there for you to get caught with. They probably weren’t even real policemen.”
Her uncle stared at her with incomprehension. “You’re grounded,” he said.
“I’ve just saved you I don’t know how much… I’m going to see Robot Invasion.”
Arratal was going to do what she liked. At least there was someone in the house with some brains. She walked into the house and looked under the floorboards for her hidden wad of cash. It wasn’t there. “Where’s my money?” she shouted.
“I had to give them something as compensation.”
“You idiot,” she shouted. “Do you think that counts? I was really looking forward to seeing that film.”
“You’re grounded anyway. You went behind my back.”
“They set you up, you idiot, they’re trying to get you further and further into debt.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. You must have something they want.”
“What? What do I have?”
“Nothing. You have nothing and now you don’t even have a front door. Next time they try this, you’re on your own. I’m not going to save you.”
Arratal went and sat in her room. She could not for the life of her work out what her uncle had that the local crime-lords wanted, her uncle was useless, unlike her. She was smart.
“What happened uncle?” Arratal asked.
“The police came calling. They took the boxes.”
“Did they look in them?”
He shook his head. She despaired. He hadn’t worked out that the police had been paid to take the boxes, or else how would they have known what to take without even looking inside.
“What will I do?” her uncle asked.
“How much were you going to get paid for looking after them?”
“Fifty Coronas.”
“And how much were the contents of the boxes worth?”
“I don’t know …”
It was later that evening that they received visitors.”
“We have come for our goods,” one said smiling.
“Well there’s been a bit of a problem …”
“Really.”
Arratal slipped out and knocked next door.
“Do you still have them?” she asked.
Tim nodded.
“I need them.”
Tim liked her. He was the one true friend she had and they had something in common, they both lived with useless adults. She and Tim ran upstairs passed his comatosed parents and manhandled the first of the heavy boxes downstairs and placed it in front of the car.
They had managed to get the third box out when the two visitors were leaving. “Your debt has now …” one stopped mid-sentence.
“Gone down by fifty Coronas,” Arratal finished. “I’ll just go and get the other two.”
Her uncle just stared at her.
There was a bit of muttering but the boxes were loaded into the car.
“What did you think you were doing?” her uncle asked as the car disappeared.
“Reducing your debt,” she replied. “Me and Tim replaced the boxes with identical ones and took the real ones next door.”
“What if you hadn’t been here? They’d have collected the wrong boxes.”
“Tim would have given them you. You still don’t get it do you? There was nothing in the boxes, at least nothing valuable. They were only there for you to get caught with. They probably weren’t even real policemen.”
Her uncle stared at her with incomprehension. “You’re grounded,” he said.
“I’ve just saved you I don’t know how much… I’m going to see Robot Invasion.”
Arratal was going to do what she liked. At least there was someone in the house with some brains. She walked into the house and looked under the floorboards for her hidden wad of cash. It wasn’t there. “Where’s my money?” she shouted.
“I had to give them something as compensation.”
“You idiot,” she shouted. “Do you think that counts? I was really looking forward to seeing that film.”
“You’re grounded anyway. You went behind my back.”
“They set you up, you idiot, they’re trying to get you further and further into debt.”
“Why would they do that?”
“I don’t know. You must have something they want.”
“What? What do I have?”
“Nothing. You have nothing and now you don’t even have a front door. Next time they try this, you’re on your own. I’m not going to save you.”
Arratal went and sat in her room. She could not for the life of her work out what her uncle had that the local crime-lords wanted, her uncle was useless, unlike her. She was smart.
