While Olivier was confined within the café, the infinite universe didn't stop moving. Among an infinite number of living beings only a few could catch the attention of the Café of Dreams. Apart from regular customers like Benjamin and Emmanuel there was another type of client the café was serving. Soon, it was time for Olivier to learn about them.
In Bell Town the drumming of thick raindrops against the pavement woke up the sleeping citizens. Sam slowly opened his eyes thinking that a few more minutes of sleep would have been quite comfortable.
Well, now that he was already awake, he might as well stand up. Sam rolled off the hard mattress. A few muffled voices reached his ears through the thin walls. It seemed the neighbours above were arguing again. Just after waking up…
"This could have never happened to us."
The smiling face of Julia flashed through Sam's mind, and he felt a pang of pain in his heart. He cleared his thoughts and walked over towards a basin of water, washing his face with the refreshing liquid. Afterwards he changed his clothes. His closet didn't really allow much choice. A rough white shirt and thick brown trousers sufficed. One simple breakfast followed and then Sam could leave for work.
Sam lived in a large house together with a few other families. It really couldn't be called luxurious, but it was alright for workers like him. As he stepped out of the door two other men walked down the hallway. They conversed casually about the bad weather over the last few days as they left the house roughly at the same time every day.
Outside, the rain was still falling heavily. The sound of wooden wheels could be heard. The three men watched as a carriage drove past them, pulled by two majestic horses.
"Ahh, how nice that would be if we had our own carriage. What would I give to have a roof above my head now…"
"Dream on. Even if we work thrice as long, we would never be able to afford a carriage."
"Who knows. Sam might be able to craft one himself."
"Haha, even if I could craft it, I still wouldn't be able to pay for the material."
The three men joked as they hurried through the rain. At least they weren't alone. More people came out of the surrounding buildings, braving the rain as they made their way to work. Soon Sam and his two neighbours came across a roof where a small crowd of people had already gathered. At this point Sam's neighbours said their goodbyes. They joined the crowd, waiting for the horse-drawn bus which would arrive any minute.
Sam sighed lightly. He didn't have money to spend on public transport. Instead, he was forced to run through the rain. He observed the passing carriages, thinking how good life must be if one could afford such a vehicle. For someone like him this seemed like such a far-off dream.
But hey, at least he had a job now! Life was improving!
Hypnotizing himself Sam jogged the last few meters before he arrived in front of a large building at the edge of the town. This was Shelby's Carpenter Workshop, a successful business surviving for three generations. For a carpentry it was pretty big. Three others arrived simultaneously with Sam. He greeted them with a smile but only earned cold gazes in return. Sam smiled bitterly. He followed behind his colleagues and entered the carpentry. The humid breeze outside was immediately replaced by dry air brimming with sawdust.
Sam found his boss, Marcus Shelby. Despite his advanced age the boss was still working hard, always being the first to arrive and the last to leave.
"Morning."
"Sam! Morning! Oh, you are drenched. Damn this weather!"
"It's not that bad."
Sam felt a bit of warmth noticing the concern in his boss's voice. Mister Shelby was one of the people who treated him the best. After getting out of jail, Sam had serious troubles finding a job until he applied with Mister Shelby. Back then the man had given him everything he needed: a chance! Mister Shelby was the only one who was patient enough to listen to Sam's story. Sam was able to convince him that he was not a bad person and was finally accepted as an apprentice.
After a short conversation Mister Shelby assigned Sam his work and the apprentice began another day of hard labour. A whole truckload of wooden beams had to be prepared. Cutting, grinding, and oiling. Sam wasn't the only one assigned to the job. Two colleagues worked together with him. Thanks to Mister Shelby, they didn't alienate him completely, but Sam could feel their cold thoughts. And yet he gritted his teeth and pulled through.
"Sam!"
A familiar voice reached Sam's ears. He turned around to see a burly, black-haired man with a light burn wound on his neck. Sam smiled upon meeting another friendly face. This was Jacob. Like Sam he spent some time in jail and was afterwards generously hired by Mister Shelby. Jacob had been in the company for a few years and was better integrated than Sam.
"Hey, Jacob. What's the matter? Going for a break?"
Sam came closer, nodding at the other colleagues.
"Nope. Not a break. Mister Shelby has work for us. Now that the rain has stopped the stuff from yesterday needs to be transported to the construction site in Ale Street. Let's go."
"Allright. Coming."
Sam didn't dawdle and followed after Jacob. The rain had indeed stopped but there were still puddles all around. Sawdust stuck to the floor. But work had to continue.
The two men walked to the right of the carpentry where two wheelbarrows filled with tools, nails, and bolts, were placed under a roof. Mister Shelby didn't like to keep this stuff at the construction site overnight, fearing it could be stolen. This was definitely not an unfounded worry. The boss had years of experience after all.
Thus, Sam and Jacob each pulled a wheelbarrow and left the carpentry. Ale Street wasn't that far away. They would reach it in less than ten minutes. The two were walking side by side while conversing leisurely. Sam felt extremely thankful as Jacob encouraged him again, saying that even after getting out of jail life was not over yet. Everyone deserved a second chance.
Of course, the crimes of the two men differed greatly. While Jacob was only sentenced to jail for a series of minor thefts, Sam was accused of murder. Even serial murder. To his luck the murderous streak didn't stop after Sam was jailed and thus, he was set free after less than one year. Sam indeed didn't commit a murder that day. But this didn't mean that he hadn't at least tried…
Images floated through Sam's mind. A dark alley, a rainy day. He had spent a lot of time attempting to track his victim. And then he finally found her. Even though he only saw her back he would never be able to forget her. He had been prepared to kill. Even the knife had been sharpened. But before he could reach her, Sam witnessed the most horrifying scene of his life.
The woman's stomach exploded! Popped like a balloon! Blood sprayed everywhere, some of it landing on Sam's clothes. Guts scattered in the alley. And through the hole in the woman's stomach Sam saw… something. Even today he couldn't quite believe his own eyes. What he saw was a grotesque dog with sharp appendages coming from its back.
At that moment, Sam had known he was staring death in the eye. But his body had been frozen in shock. He couldn't move. Luckily, multiple footsteps approached. The gendarmery came from all sides. They already had a clue on the serial murderer beforehand and were ready to strike. But when they arrived there was no sign of the strange dog. Only Sam was left standing.
"Careful!"
A sudden shout brought Sam back to reality. Something heavily collided with his back. Sam was quite tall and sturdy but he was still pushed away, stumbling over the edge of the sidewalk. His hands and knees hurt as he landed on the floor.
"AHH!"
Before Sam could understand what was going on he heard an incredibly pained cry from Jakob. He turned his head and was greeted by a shocking sight. Jakob was laying on the floor, his lower legs twisted and bloody. Some distance away was a carriage pulled by crazy horses. The neighing of the animals mixed with the chaotic shouts of the crowd, hammering down on Sam's psyche.
Sam shivered. He was again remembered of that night. The horrifying scene. No! This time the one in front of him wasn't the woman he hated so much. Instead, it was his friend! The man who saved his life just now. Wait… saved his life? Really, if it wasn't for Jakob pushing him out of the way, the carriage would have crashed into him, potentially taking his life!
Chaotic emotions rushed through Sam's head. He felt dizzy, felt like vomiting. But he somehow suppressed it all in order to organize help for his friend.