The Bar Sinister (sample) Marcel Admiraal Beneath Dark Waters The Bar Sinister (sample) “Evening!” Edward said heartily, but the bartender just nodded slightly, his face serious and hard. As Edward came closer, the bartender leaned forward with his fists on the bar, watching his new visitor come closer. “Good evening,” Edward repeated more softly as he reached the bar. “Evening,” the bartender said unenthusiastic, still staring at him directly. “What'll it be?” “A beer, please,” Edward said without hesitation, trying to shake off the uncanny feeling that someone else was watching him beside the bartender. The bartender nodded and grabbed a short, thumbed glass from behind the bar and started pouring the beer. As the beer ran into the glass, the bartender sometimes glanced over to Edward who had laid his notebook and pen on the bar. “You're on holiday here?” the bartender said, rather demanding an answer than asking a polite question. “Oh no,” Edward said. “I just moved back here. I grew up around here and my parents still live in the other village.” The man nodded again as he brought the beer over. “Thought you looked somewhat familiar, yes,” the bartender said, examining Edward closely as if he tried to remember him, licking his lips as he did so. As he took the beer, Edward noticed that the barman only looked at him with his left eye. The right one stared off into the interior of the bar somewhere. The man wasn't cross-eyed, it seemed, the right eye just didn't seem to move at all, fixed in one place, unable to see anything. “Well, sometimes it's good to remember what it was all about in the beginning, I guess. Sometimes we loose ourselves on our path.” “Is that so?” Edward said, a little uneasy with the sudden philosophical statement. “Some people do,” the bartender said and shrugged. Edward took a sip of the beer and was pleasantly surprised with the good, hearty taste and its freshness.
The Bar Sinister (sample) Marcel Admiraal Beneath Dark Waters
“Nothing like a cold one on a warm day like this, eh?” the barman said with a grin that only incorporated the cruel mouth, not the one eye. “It's very good, yes, thank you.” All of sudden, Edward became aware of a presence on his right side and as he turned his head, he stared directly in the ruined face of an old man. The eyes seemed to be drooping, the creases in the flesh were so pronounced they had become crevasses, the nose was red and displayed several sores. The mouth of the man hung open and some saliva was dripping from the lips. “You okay?” Edward asked despite himself. “Grmph!” the old man said, letting out a loud rattle of a cough. Edward quickly took a step back. The spell went on for a few moments and as the old man raised his face upwards, their eyes met briefly and Edward was left with a horrible feeling of bitter defeat and hatred as the old man straightened up and turned his gaze back to the darkness again. Full story available from Floating Robes as of the 1st of March 2011. http://floatingrobes.blogspot.com