UNKNOWN

X

Dale's wandering thoughts came to a rendezvous as the tone in Pablo's voice switched to a much solemn and serious one. Dale shifted his gaze from his furnitures to Pablo's face. All of a sudden the wrinkles on Pablo's face seemed more prominent and this caused his complexion to look haggard. The air around them seemed to be in a standstill until Pablo decided to go on with his story.

"It was a couple of months after you sent him to us. It was a Sunday, I remember, because the new stock of fruits were supposed to arrive that day. But they didn't. They usually send it here at around 10 in the morning but it was already noon when I decided to phone them. I couldn't get through to them so I called the company. Turns out they were dispatched at 8 in the morning and should be back by then. They waited another hour before sending out a few people to look for the missing truck. Turns out they did, and all of them said that they wish that they didn't." Pablo paused and sipped at his beer. His last five words sent a certain chill down Dale's spine. "The driver was found dead."

Dale's eyes widened as he scanned Pablo's face for any hint of humour. None was found. 

"The reason why the news never got out was because the company wanted to cover it up. No good for their reputation it seems. Some marketing mierda. They just shoved the case in the basement as the poor fella had no friends or next of kin. Only the company, me, and your tia knows about this," Pablo hesitated for a couple of seconds and Dale realised that for that brief moment Pablo lost the sternness in his eyes and instead looked sad, afraid almost. "At least that was what I thought."

"A few days later when I was tidying up the store room, Caleb came into the room with his favourite play toy. It was a Lego figure of a fireman. He adored that thing, although it seemed as old as me," Pablo smiled, but only ever so slightly. "He stood there while I shifted some things around. I asked him to play elsewhere but he just stood there. He seemed scared. I stopped packing and knelt down next to him and asked him what was the matter. He just looked at me. What happened next was so weird that I've never gotten the guts to tell your tia. Caleb's eyes, it went from a pair of timid looking eyes to...calm ones. In just a split second, it was as though he was falling asleep. Then he touched my face."

This shocked Dale so much that he almost choked on his drink. His mind spun in a million circles as he recalled Caleb touching his face earlier in the shop. He could still feel his stone-cold fingers on his face "What's the matter, my boy?" Pablo asked with a concerned look. Dale waved his hand in the air while pounded his chest with the other. "cough...no-nothing, tio. Go on. I'm fine."   

Pablo flashed Dale a questioning look before continuing. "He reached out his hand and brushed across my cheeks. Then I saw visions. I saw a crashed vehicle. It was blur but I could make out the company's logo at the side of the truck. It was the company which delivered our goods. And I saw the body in the driver's seat," Pablo gulped. "He was without his head."