Fanon:Hearts of Hallowan/101

Hearts of Hallowan Episode 101 - Pilot
Main Street was abuzz with the movement of traffic as cars moved back and forth on an early Monday morning. The sun shone through crystal clear sky, hitting the east-facing windows of the Old Stone Cafe. Mary Lisa Stone, an aging waitress, wiped off a table alongside the window, then moved along to the next table where a pair of old men sat drinking hot coffee and talking about the stories in this morning's Hallowan Herald. "Can I get you any more coffee, Blake? Or you, Gabe?"

Gabriel peeked out from behind the Herald and pushed his empty coffee cup towards the waitress, while Blake shook his head, took a sip from his coffee, then said "Nope, I'm good. Thanks Mary."

From the cafe kitchen came the sound of food being fried, as a young cook rang a bell and set a pair of platters on the kitchen window. Another waitress, this woman much younger than Mrs. Stone, walked up quickly to the counter, picked up the platters, and moved them to a man and woman eating together at the lunch counter. From outside the cafe, a businesswoman walked briskly by and caught the eye of Blake, and her face contorted to a less-than-satisfied expression, as if the mere vision of Blake Morril caused her a bad taste in her mouth. Blake quickly kicked Gabriel's leg underneath the table as if to signal to him, and Gabriel peeked to his left as the businesswoman walked by. "Please keep going... please keep going..." Gabriel whispered as the woman rounded the corner and headed towards the cafe door. Immediately, as if on cue, Gabriel grabbed his paper and darted behind the lunch counter.

"You can't hide from her forever, Gabe," Mary said with a grin as she slipped past him and picked up the half-drunk coffee from the table, just as the businesswoman walked into the cafe. "Good morning, Mrs. Ullman," Mary said cheerily to the businesswoman, "Anything for you this morning?"

"Thank you, no," Mrs. Ullman said to Mary, a cross expression on her face, "I'm only here to have a discussion with Mr. Morril here." While saying this, she moved towards the chair that had just seconds before been occupied by Gabriel. "Where's your guest, Morril?" she said, an even more revolted expression on her face.

"That's hardly your business, Jane." Blake retorted.

"Mr. Morril, you seem to forget that everything in this town is my business," Janie said as she moved the chair and sat down. Gabriel moved further behind the counter to avoid Mrs. Ullman's gaze. "Now, please explain to me how last night a lawn chair found itself in my swimming pool?"

"Could it possibly be one of your kids?" Blake asked, a look of displeasure on his face.

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You tell your brat Wesley to stay out of my yard, or I'll call the police!" Jane pounded the cafe table, causing both Blake and his coffee cup to jump. "How dare you accuse my family of..."

Jane's tirade was interrupted by the squawk and radio chatter of a police dispatcher, blasting through a radio attached to Gabriel's police uniform.

"Gabe, please respond, we have a report of a front-end collision just outside of town... Gabe?" Gabriel, knowing he had been caught, slowly stood up from behind the lunch counter. All eyes, including the two steely eyes of Mrs. Ullman, were fixed on him.

"Gabriel! What... WHAT WERE YOU... With... AAAHHH!" Jane screamed and jumped so quickly that the table was toppled over, breaking Blake's coffee cup.

"Jane... please..." Gabriel said, moving behind the lunch counter, edging towards the cafe door... "I have to respond to this call..." With that, Gabriel darted out the cafe door, chased close behind by the stern businesswoman. The cafe sat in tense silence for a moment until its normal noisy atmosphere returned.


 * To continue...