Chapter Text
It was a warm, September day in Camelliatown.
Summer was gifting one of its last days, while the colder, rainy season was making its way in the calendar and in the atmosphere.
The end of holidays were approaching and many families were leaving this seaside town, and more of them would follow them the next week.
That monday anyway, while many were leaving, someone was entering the location.
A yellow car was accompanying a fluffy sheep wearing a comfortable light grey shirt and soft shorts that almost covered their knees: they were looking outside with an excited smile, tapping their fingers on the border of the car window, to the tune of the melody they were listening to.
No one would've wondered they were listening to their favorite death metal band.
Their name was Lambert and they recently graduated from college and decided to move to a new town. It was hard to convince their parents, since they were worried about their child, but Lambert really wanted to start experimenting and becoming more independent while looking for a career linked to the field of literature and phylosophy.
Lambert knew it was going to be hard, and that they would have to wait for a while and hunt for a more simple job, but it wasn't certainly a problem to them. They always saw those little changes as a way to collect more experience, grow as a person and learn new things.
The sheep was so lost in their thoughts they didn't even notice the taxi ended its trip, and the driver, a brown horse with a white patch on the brow, had to catch their attention by gently poking their shoulder. Lambert jumped slightly, raising their eyebrows, and then moved the gaze to him, smiling with a bit of embarassment.
- Are you here?- he asked with a tired expression, while the sheep was detaching the pale green headphones from their ears.
- Y-Yeah, sorry...- they chuckled, scratching their own head and using the other hand to reach out for the wallet in the pouch.
Once they paid for the trip and brought with them the bag and suitcase, they found themselves in the main square, which... wasn't really a square. It was big, circular area, there was the statue of a large fish in the center, surrounded by a big pentagram that reached the edges of the circle, creating a big pentacle.
In the background, a teal strip of sea.
The sheep knew that view really well, they used to go in that city during the summer with their family when they were very young. Their parents would rent an apartment and Lambert would dig the deepest holes in the sand, and spend many hours in the sparkly waters of the sea, no matter how many times their mother would have begged them to come out. Making friends the very last days of vacations and crying in the car on the return trip, but with a bag full of seashells and colored glass.
Lambert closed their eyes and inhaled the crispy and sweet scent of the atmosphere, while his head was being filled with nostalgic memories and hope: their little adventure just started.
The sheep reopened their eyes while their lips curled into a tiny smile, then they took their smartphone from their shorts pocket and opened the app that would have helped them finding their apartment: even if they spent many summers in that seaside town, a lot of time passed.
Also, orientation never was their strenght.
Lambert entered the adress of their destination and started walking into the road suggested by the navigator, carrying the weight of the bags under the light of the roaring sun. They begun to sweat even more and, at every step, they could feel their shirt becoming wet and wetter.
The sheep never enjoyed the texture of the humid fabric against their body, but the thought of reaching their new home and finally dropping everything and themselves on the sofa or a bed was comforting.
Lambert smiled wistfully, daydreaming about the moment in which they would abandon themselves on the softness coldness of the untouched furniture or, even better, about the fresh shower that was waiting for them.
They were lost in those thoughts of hope until the sheep felt their left shoulder violently hit something... or someone. The dream they were holding to got shattered, and when they realized what happened it was already too late: Lambert collided with a feline, dark and tall figure holding a tray, and now they were falling.
With a gasp full of panic, the stranger tried to rebalance himself and save the contents of the tray, while the sheep ended up on the asphalt. Thankfully, they blocked the fall with their knees and hands before their face would eat the ground, but it didn't mean it didn't hurt.
- OUCH!- Lambert lamented in pain, surrounded by the suitcase and bags that fell with them. After raising and cleaning their arms from the dust, they moved their gaze to the person they accidentally collided onto, to check if he was okay: the feline was still standing and was observing the tray they just saved from its fall with their eyes wide open, then sighed relieved.
By the beige apron and the black uniform they were wearing, it was obvious that cat was a waiter from a cafe. His fur was almost black, he had two dark circle under his crimson eyes and a cut on his right ear.
After that sigh of relief, he looked at the sheep squinting his eyes in an angry expression.
- Hey! Careful where you put your feet!- he clenched his teeth, while Lambert frowned in disdain. If it was true that they were lost in their thoughts when walking, that waiter was being very rude to them and the fact he didn't even helped them when they fell, made it even worse.
- I didn't do it on purpose...- they murmured while getting up, trying to be polite.
- I don't care, you almost made my tray fall!- he shook his head, then walked away, widely gesturing with his hand- Fuck you, bitch!
Lambert widened their eyes, incredulous by the amount of impoliteness addressed towards them.
- Hey, chill! You… I just can't believe it.- they snorted with disdain, picking up the bags and returning to move in direction of their destination. That unpleasant encounter made the sheep long for their arrival to the apartment even more.
After fifteen minutes of walk and baking at the sun, Lambert finally arrived.
Their apartment was located in a four-storey building not too distant from the beaches: it was mainly white and beige, had many, wide terraces and was surrounded by a garden.
The sheep sighed with a smile and walked, tired but relieved, towards the entrance of the building. When they opened the huge, armored glass door, they could see the doors of the elevator closing.
It wasn't a big deal for them, the sheep was simply happy to finally be home.
After taking few deep breathes, they started going upstairs, dragging the trolley with one of the bags placed on its top.
Once they arrived at the fourth floor, Lambert dropped the baggage, bending on their knees, snorting exhausted.
“Finally... bed, here I come” they thought, then sniffing their own armpit and shook their head as response, wrinkling their nose “But first, a shower.”
Lambert inserted the key of steel in the wooden door's lock and after few attempts, the mechanism clicked. So, they put pressure on their arm and opened the door, entering the hallway.
The air was stuffy, with the base notes of an unpleasant acrid smell.
The shutters were completely closed, letting in just a small amount of sunlight, which made the room look more gloomy than it actually was.
Lambert coughed instinctively, and after filling their lungs with the air that was outside, they rushed in the house, opening the shutters and the windows.
Once the light entered the room, they could finally see it clearly: the short hallway opened onto the room in which Lambert was in, a living room with a kitchen corner. The walls were painted in a light beige and the furniture alternating in colors of a pale blue. There were two different sofa, a TV, a commode and the island of the kitchen, surrounded by two chairs.
It was like in the pictures of the house rent announcement, except it looked a bit lifeless.
Lambert smiled slightly, happy to bring more life to that apartment.
When they walked towards their baggages, their right foot stepped on something that produced an unpleasant 'crack' noise. The sheep shivered, then moved their gaze to the bottom, slowly raising their foot to see what they crushed: a dead cockroach.
Lambert let out a disgusted lament, covering their mouth with a hand. They looked on the floor, trying to spot any other unexpected creature and, with horror, the more they looked, the more they seen: there were dead cockroaches in the corner near the door, and under the furniture on which the TV was placed.
- Oh no... this is a nightmare.- they commented, shaking their head in disapproval. Then, they turned in direction of the door that would have brought them to the terrace.
They needed some air, so they decided to give a look outside.
Once Lambert opened the door, they could see how it looked: the floor was a bit dusty and stained, it definitely needed some cleaning, but the terrace was huge and it was possible to see the sea from there, even if a bit hidden by the presence of other buildings.
That lovely view managed to calm down the sheep, who took a deep breath.
“This apartment is not that bad, it just needs a bit of love.” they smiled, starting to walk towards the edge of the terrace, in order to give a closer look to the sea, but the more they approached, the more they noticed something on the border. Something flat and pale: the skeleton of a bird. And it wasn't the only one, there were other three, laying on the ground.
“Geez...” they snorted. It seemed like reality slapped them in the face anytime they tried to be positive or optimistic.
After giving another look to the distant sparkly horizon, they turned away to go back inside, ready to cleanse their new home from the dead creatures stinking up the apartment.
Thankfully, in the small bathroom there was anything they needed and, armed with a spray, they started to make sure that their invaders were all dead, and they were. Then, with an old broom and a shovel they started to remove the corpses from every room, put them in a envelope they closed hermetically.
Then, finally, they brought in the baggage and begin to clean their home from the dust and unwanted residual of the dead creatures.
After one hour they were finally done cleaning. A bit tired, but happy, they observed the now crystal clear pavement as they placed the wet mop on the corner near the hallway door.
“Finally... this place looks a bit more decent now” Lambert thought, then their mind started traveling to all the other things they would have done: their clothes and personal objects should be moved in the closet, the food in the fridge and the terrace needed to be cleaned as well. Then, job hunting.
In that moment, their stomach started rumbling. They sure needed to eat before doing all of this.
So, they rushed to open their bag and took the sandwiches their mother prepared for them: it was soft, white and filled with cream, strawberries and blue raspberries.
Lambert smiled at that sight, their mom always knew they were a sweet tooth.
After few hours, they were almost done with all the tasks of the day. Their clothes were carefully placed in the closet, the food was now stored in the fridge and all the other objects in the place where they belonged. Now the sheep was removing the birds corpses by placing them in another bag with the help of the scoop. Lambert knew they were 'just' skeletons of dead animals, but the fact they weren't giving them a proper burial but simply throwing them in the trash was just sad and unfair to them.
When they were done and cleaned the pavement from the dust and the stains with the help of a broom and a mop, they noticed that their terrace was really close to the one of their neighbor. In fact, less than a meter was distancing them, and it would have been easy for Lambert to effortlessly enter the other's habitation with a simple jump.
That terrace was clean enough and deprived of dead animals. Also, there was a open beach chair close to the border next to them.
The sheep assumed a pensive expression while looking at that chair.
“I wonder who lives there...” they thought.
Now there was only task left: they would have looked for a job.
After they finally took a cold shower and wore clean clothes, including their favorite shirt, Lambert left the house with their pouch filled with copies of their CV.
That sunny afternoon many stores were open, but sadly no one seemed interested in hiring Lambert that day. Many owners shook their head with a displeased expression, saying their team was already complete, while others walked away from the counter and never reappeared until the sheep left the location.
After two hours of walking, the pouch was still plenty of CVs. They were able to deliver them to a bakery and a flower store, but they weren't sure if those didn't end up in a garbage can.
The sun was slowly approaching the horizon as the sheep was adding the check on the upteenth line on the list of places they were supposed to visit that day.
There was only one left.
Lambert lowered the smartphone, looking at the last place they were about to visit: it was an old café, its sign was saying the name, “The Red Crown Café”. The logo of a black, two-pointed crown with a crimson closed eye was painted on the transparent door, which gave a glimpse of what was hiding behind the glass.
Lambert approached the entrance, which was flanked by two big white vases for flowers, but they were empty. They looked at the missing decoractions with a hopeless expression: it was hard for them to hide their disappointment and they weren't feeling so optimistic after all those rejections.
Anyway, before entering the coffee shop, they took a deep breath and manage to smile slightly, then they pushed the door of glass with both of their hands.
A fragrance of coffee and warm sweets was in the air.
The inside of the café was incredibly more cozy and pleasant than the outside: the walls were cream-white with a brown stripe on few of them. In the empty room there were six dark round tables surrounded by chairs of the same color.
Behind the caramel colored counter there were two people: a yellow starfish was scrolling his smartphone with an absent expression, while a old rat was speaking to his phone with a pensive and a bit tired expression.
The sheep shyly walked towards the figures, and they could see the old man's detail: with surprise, they noticed his left eye was closed by a scar, and one of his ears had a little cut. For a moment they frowned a bit unsettled, worrying about what unfortunate event took away the eye from that person.
Probably it was the result of a terrible accident, or maybe... something else?
Unlike the starfish, who was too focused on their smartphone, the rat noticed the presence of Lambert and, by showing the palm, he signed them to wait. The sheep did so, but couldn't hide the anxiety and sadness they were feeling: that coffee shop was their only hope, at least for that day, but after being rejected so many times the same day, they couldn't help but feel discouraged.
Being unemployed for longer than a month would've mean leaving the city just to come back to their parent's home, and it was something they didn't want to do. They wanted to do something by themselves for once, without having to count on someone else, without depending on others, and the fact they may prove themselves again that they were unable to be independent was frustratring.
When the sheep lowered their chin the old man, with still the phone on his ear, noticed the note of sadness in their eyes and assumed a worried and curious expression. Then, after few seconds, he looked away and nodded twice.
- Alright, see you later after dinner.- he said, then ended the call. He turned again towards Lambert, carefully observing them with his black eye- Good evening, how can help you?
By looking at the worried expression of the rat, the sheep became aware of their sad expression and reacted by raising their eyebrows with surprise. Then, they shook slightly their head and tried their best to smile.
- Hi, I... huh... I was looking at the menu.- they said, moving their gaze to the bigger blackboard hanging on the wall behind the counter.
- Oh, I see...- the rat murmured, moving away to give the sheep more space so they could read the board's contents more eailsy- Well, take your time!
After few seconds, with surprise, Lambert noticed that the menu was bigger than what they thought: there were so many different kinds of coffee, lattes and teas, sandwiches, sweets, even cheesecakes.
There were so many choices, but for some reason the sheep decided to go for their usual choice.
- I want a cappuccino.- they said, pointing their finger in the direction of the blackboard.
The old man replied with a smile and a nod- Sure, take a sit!
The sheep sat on one of the chairs in front of the counter and waited with a nervous expression, caressing nervously the texture of the surface on which their CV was printed. The rat noticed Lambert's expression and he smiled slightly. He had an idea that could have brightened their day.
After less than a minute, he reached the sheep with the cappuccino in his hand and he placed it on the counter. Lambert's eyes widened when they saw the cup: soft cream covered in cocoa was floating inside the cappuccino, and in the plate there was a little chocolate folded in a golden foil.
- I...- they murmured with sparkly eyes- I ordered for a simple cappuccino, I wasn't expecting...
- No worries, I wanted to make it a little more special, but if you don't like it I can make you a normal one.- he chuckled, making the sheep genuinely smile.
- Oh, no, no... it's perfect! Thank you.- they smiled, placing their dark hands around the cup and bringing it to their face in order to taste the first sip. The strong and milky flavor of the cappuccino mixed really well with the sweet taste of the cold creme.
The rat smiled, happy to see that little gift lifting the costumer's spirits. Then, he begun to speak, a bit curious.
- Your face is not entirely new... are you a tourist?
- Not really...- they replied, cleaning their mouth with a tissue- I passed many summers here when I was little... Now I just moved.
- Oh, really? You live here now?- he asked with visible surprise.
- Yes! It's a beautiful place and it has so many meaningful memories- they replied with a smile.
- Sure it's a beautiful place, but I must admit it's not that lively once summers leaves...- he replied with a worried expression, moving his gaze towards one of the big windows of the café.
- Oh, it's not a problem!- they replied again, still with a cheerful expression- I love quiet places.
- But they can be quite lonely... unless you know someone who lives here. Do you have any friends here?
- Ehm...- the sheep frowned, smiling nervously- No...
- No one?
- Nope.
- I hope you didn't move in an apartment all alone, kid.- the rat frowned, while Lambert's eyes twitched for a moment. They thought moving to a new city to start over was a good idea, but the more that day was going on, the more the reality was trying to prove them wrong.
- I... did.- they sighed.
- Oh my goodness... I hope you'll find some good company in this town.- he commented, while the sheep nodded in nervousness, taking a big sip from the cappuccino.
- Sure I will!- they replied, once they finished the cup.
- I know the opinion of an old fossil like me doesn't count anything to you, I just know by experiences that seaside towns, especially during winter, it gets really gloomy and dark. I have seen people leaving this place for that reason... or fall into a vegetative state.- he said with melancholy in his eyes, as if he was remembering some painful event.
The sheep looked at him with sad expression, then lowered their chin. The rat noticed that reaction and cleared his voice.
- Tell me, what's your name?
- I'm Lambert...- they replied with a sigh.
- Nice to meet you Lambert. Even if this is the first time we meet, I can tell you're pretty smart.- the rat tried to encourage them with a smile, taking away the cup in order to clean it- I am sure you're going to find a way to adapt.
Those words really lifted the sheep's spirits, who returned to smile- Thank you... ?
- Ratau.
- That's a nice name!
They were already rushing to the wallet in the pouch in order to pay that cappuccino, but then their hand found the copies of their CV. That conversation made Lambert forget the real reason why they were inside the café.
So, after taking a deep breath, they catched the rat's attention- Ratau...
- Yes?- he replied, approaching the counter after he cleaned the cup. When he saw Lambert lending him their CV, he frowned in a confused expression, but accepted the documents.
- I am looking for a job in this town...- they said, nervously bumping their own index onto each other- I really like this place, so I would be glad to work here.
- Oh boy...- he sighed with a sad expression, reading the report of the sheep's documents. Then, he shook his head- I am so sorry, but even if you would make a good waiter, the team is already full and we cannot afford another worker.
The sheep smiled melancholic, even if they knew that was the answer they were likely to get that day, it still made them disappointed and sad.
- I see...
- I'm sorry, unfortunately the economy isn't great in this town outside summer...
Lambert looked down, but Ratau tried to encourage them once again.
- … But probably, there's some place needing a new worker.- he added with a smile, placing the CV on a shelf- If I find someone who may need you, I'll let them know that there's a new sheep in town that is looking for a job.
Those words filled the sheep's heart with hope: even if it didn't mean Ratau would magically find a job for them, they were grateful someone was willing to help.
- Thank you.- they sighed with a smile.
- No worries, kid!
Lambert was about to draw the money from the wallet when the transparent door were suddenly opened by a slim figure that they could recognize: it was the same three-eyed cat who mistreated them earlier that afternoon, and he was returning with an empty tray. When their gaze met, they both first reacted with shock in their eyes.
Then, the feline clenched his teeth and looked away with visible anger, taking long strides towards the counter, while the sheep frowned and looked at him with disdain. If on a side he was sad they didn't get a job in that café, on the other they were at least happy they wouldn't have to work with someone so impolite and rude.
The cat placed the tray on the counter, then turned again to Lambert.
- What are you doing here?- he asked nervously, clenching his fists- Are you a stalker?
- Are you serious? I didn't even know you worked here!- they replied with frustration in their voice, while Ratau was moving his gaze from Lambert to Narinder in confusion.
- Okay cool, then why are you here?- the cat asked again, crossing his arms.
- Because I live in here!- they replied with a snort.
- You live in our café?- he questioned with a sly smile.
- No, no! I live in this town!- the sheep answered, visibly angrier than before. At those words, Narinder widened his eyes in surprise, blinking twice. His anger seemed to fade for a long instant, leaving space to that little shock. Then, he frowned again.
- Really? Since when... ?- he asked, this time more calmly.
- I moved here today...- Lambert replied with a sigh.
After another long instant of silence, the feline shook his head and pointed his hand towards the sheep again- Then this proves my point, you're a fucking stalker.
- What the heck...- they brought their hands to their wooly hair. That cat's behaviour was really irritating, and they felt like all their patience was fading away. They didn't know what to say, how to react in front of those accusations. Thankfully, in that moment, the old rat decided to intervene.
- Calm down your tones, Narinder! You should not treat customers like that...- he scolded the waiter, who replied rolling his eyes and snorting.
- But he's the one who ran into me and made me almost fall with the tray!- Narinder replied aggressively, insisting on pointing the index against Lambert, who did the same.
- Are you serious? I literally fell on the ground and you told me to fuck off!
- Of course! You messed with my job and you even wanted me to hold your hand to help you getting up? I'll show you, stupid lamb!- he clenched his teeth, taking few steps towards the sheep. Lambert didn't know what he was going to do, but Ratau stopped the waiter in time by grabbing his right ear. Narinder meowed in pain.
- Meow, ouch, ouch!!
- Alright, alright, I understand there's bad blood between you and them, but there's no need to lose your tempers.- the rat said with a snarky smile.
- Tch, fine...
In that moment, the three could hear a scream behind the counter. They all jumped, taken by surprise, and when they turned in the direction of that voice, they could see the starfish barista observing his phone with his eyes open wide.
- Midas... Are you okay?- Ratau asked with worry, approaching him in order to see what happened. The blue starfish didn't move a inch, he kept staring at his phone. Then, after few seconds, he started laughing manically. The rat looked at him with a confused expression, Narinder did quite the same, while Lambert seemes unsettled from what he was seeing.
- Yes... YES... YES!!- Midas exclaimed with a big grin.
- What happened?- the old rat asked tilting his head.
- I'M RICH! I'M RICH!!- he replied, waving the smartphone in the air, after the other's surprised expression.
- Rich? What do you mean?- Ratau asked, again, while the cat rolled his eyes.
- What the hell is he talking about now?- he murmured irritated.
- I won the lottery!- Midas announced, leaving everyone speechless.
- Really? That's amazing!- Lambert smiled and clapped their hands, while Narinder shook his head.
- Well, that's great! How much?- the rat asked with a little smile, relieved by the fact that scream was a cry of victory.
- Your Midas is a millionaire!- he replied with a proud smile, his eyes still open wide. His words made everyone in the café gasp at the same time.
- WHAT?!- Narinder and Lambert screamed incredulous, while Ratau didn't say anything. He just looked at the starfish barista with his mouth open.
- That's it! I'm milloinaire! I'm rich!! And you know what? I don't need that stupid job anymore!- he laughed manically, removing the apron and throwing it to the floor. Those words shocked everyone again, but that time for different reasons.
- … What.- the cat murmured again, this time with an annoyed expression.
- Why?- Ratau asked with a bit of shock, sweating slightly- I mean, I know you are rich now, but isn't it happening a bit too sudden? If you need a vacation or to take a break from the job, you can. You are free to take your time instead of jumping into conclusions so quickly-
- NO!!- Midas replied without changing expression- I am just so tired about this place! I was simply waiting for the first chance to get out of this crappy job! I will never come back!- he giggled, leaving the counter and reaching the exit with little jumps, without stop yelling the fact he was rich.
The three looked at the silhouette disappearing bewteen the buildings, and after a long, awkward silence, Ratau sighed covering his forehead with the hand.
- Uff...
- Wow...- the sheep murmured with a nervous smile- That was...
- An asshole, but I don't care.- Narinder snorted, shaking his head- Never liked him, I'm glad he left.
- I didn't like how he left us, but he was really a good worker, too bad...
- Ahem!- Lambert cleared their voice, capturing Ratau's attention and giving him a sly, but friendly smile. The rat moved his gaze to them and raised his eyebrows, understanding in advance what the sheep was going to tell him.
- I may not be as good and experienced as him, but my curriculum vitae is still up there!- they giggled playfully, pointing their finger to the shelf under the confused expression of the cat.
After one moment of silence, Ratau sighed and went behind the counter while the sheep was clapping their hands, excited. The rat took the paper from the shelf and look at it, with a slightly resigned expression.
- So... you really want to work here?- he asked, moving his gaze to them. Lambert replied nodding repeatedly with a big smile.
- Absolutely!- they replied.
- Have you ever worked as a waiter?- he asked, squinting slightly. The smile on the sheep's mouth died a little, then they shook their head.
- Not yet.
- Hmm... you know it will be hard especially in the beginning, right?- Ratau said with a serious expression- You will have to learn something you've never done before, start over...
- That's perfectly fine, I love learning new skills!- they smiled again, with determination in their eyes.
Ratau assumed a pensive expression and looked at Narinder with the corner of his eye: the cat was looking at him with shock, shaking the head repeatedly.
- Don't do it, old man...- he murmured aggressively. The rat replied with a dark smile, then looked at Lambert and nodded.
- Okay, you're in.- he replied, making the sheep smile even more.
- Thank you! I won't disappoint you!- they said with their sparkly eyes, while the feline turned away, mumbling something unkind- Can I try making some coffee?
- Not yet!- the rat replied firmly- Work starts tomorrow at 6 am.
- Aww, okay...- the sheep looked away a bit embarassed, scratching the back of their head. At that point Ratau sighed and gave them a kind smile.
- I simply think you need a bit of time for yourself. You just moved to this city and need to relax.
- Thank you, I will.- Lambert smiled again, their eyes full of light- Then I go, thanks again!
- Remember to not to be late. Not even a minute.- the rat warned them, while they walked away with a excited posture.
- I promise!- they giggled and left the place.
When they were away, Narinder shook his head, looking back at Ratau.
- Why did you just do that? Just to tease me?- he asked with a frustrated expression.
- You were unrightfully rude to them...- the rat replied with a sigh, folding the sheep's CV and placing it inside a drawer- Your aggressiveness keeps new costumers away and it damages the image of the café. It didn't even help your ex-colleague Midas, you stressed him out a lot and that is sure one of the reasons he decided to leave like that.
- So... it's a punishment?- Narinder clenched his teeth, while Ratau grabbed a glass and approached the tap behind the counter.
- The term 'lesson' is more appropriate.- he answered calmly, filling the glass with water.
The cat assumed a nervous expression and then snorted with anger.
- I hate you, you know it... right?
- Yes, I know... and I want to remind you that I'd rather give a chance to an unexperienced, but humble person than to someone who has a great potential but throws it away acting like a child.- he replied coldly, starting to drink from the glass.
The cat snorted in frustration and turned away with a furious expression.
The night finally arrived, and Lambert prepared something simple to eat. A salad.
They got the pills he had to take everyday and looked outside the window. It was quiet, it was nice.
After the dinner they washed the dishes in the sink and decided to go on the terrace.
Once he was outside, he took a deep breath and smiled: now that the sun was beneath the horizon, the weather was more chill and less warm.
The first thing they looked for were the starts but, unfortunately, their smile disappeared when they noticed only few planets and brighter stars were visible because of light pollution.
“How sad” they thought, frowning with a melancholic sigh “I remember it being different when I was a child”.
The sheep placed their elbow on the edge, looking at the distant, foggy grey sky. They gaze met Jupiter, or at least they thought it was.
In that moment, they heard a noise from left. Thieves? Nah. It was from the terrace of their neighbor.
Lambert moved in direction of the sound with a surprised expression and they saw a skinny silhouette in the dark. On the chair owned by the neighbor was sitting an old, brown rat: his ears were pointy, his long beard grey and his pitch black eyes expressed tiredness with a glimpse of curiosity. That man never saw the sheep before.
Lambert was quite surprised by their discovery and smiled shyly, raising their hand in a sign of friendly greet.
- H-Hello...
After a moment of hesitation, the rat forced a little smile and replied with his hoarse, slightly high pitched voice.
- Good evening. Are you a tourist?- he asked politely, tilting his head.
- No... I'm living here, for now.- they replied calmly, surprising the old rat.
- Really? A young person like you in a lonely place like this one?- he asked, a bit worried, making the sheep almost roll their eyes. This was the second time they heard that sentence and it was hard not to admit it was quite of annoying and descouraging.
- Yeah...
The rat's expression didn't change for a long silence. Then, he smiled slightly.
- Well... I'm not an interesting person, but I hope I'll be able to give you a bit of company, even if it's just a small chat...
Those words heartened Lambert, who nodded with a genuine smile.
- Thank you, it means a lot to me.
- What is your name?- he asked with curiosity.
- Lambert.- they replied friendly.
- That's a nice name.
- Thank you! How about yours?
- Ratoo.
- Ratoo?- Lambert frowned, realizing how much that name was similar to the one of the person who hired that day. The name alone wasn't the only thing that the two had in common, and the sheep started connecting the dots- Do... do you live with your family?
- I lived with the woman who was my family, but one day she left.- he replied with a melancholic smile, turning to the opaque stripe of see in the dark of the night.
Lambert frowned as they realized what kind of event probably the rat was referring to. Their ears flattened while they were gazing to the horizon as well.
- Oh, man... I'm sorry.
- It's fine young one, it happened many years ago.- he sighed with a small smile, while his dark eyes were getting a little wet. Lambert looked at him with a sadness: they've always been sensitive and easily cried, but something about older people crying always... upsetted them. So, they tried to say something to cheer him up.
- Well, if you need anything I'm here, so we can give each other some help.
- Thank you kid.- the old rat smiled genuinely, turning back to them- What will you do now?
- I think I will sleep, tomorrow I have to wake up early for work.
- I see, I see. I'll do the same, but I think I'll keep looking at the sea a bit more.- he replied calmly.
- Alright, then goodnight... Ratoo.
- Goodnight kid.- he waved his skinny arm to greet him.
Lambert gave another smile to the old rat, then left the terrace in order to reach their room. When they arrived, they fell on the mattress. It always felt so soft after a tiring day.
They thought about their boss and neighbor and how much they were similar: were they friends, or even related? Their thoughts weren't linear and begun to fade, while they started to realize that they were too tired to think about anything.
So, after sending a goodnight message to their family, setting the alarm for the next morning and turned off the smartphone, the sheep closed their eyes and smiled serene.
It was sure, the beginning of an adventure.
The slumber was taking over their body and cosciousness when suddenly, they felt something crawling on their hand.
Something with many legs.
With horror, that night, the sheep realized that one of the creatures they fought that day, survived.