Puff the Magic Dragon

Anna walks through the town of Cedar Point at night, dimly lit by the street lights and warm glows from the windows of residents and businesses. The police station that never sleeps is a bustle of activity with officers walking around inside talking to each other. She cranes to see if Tamela is on duty but there’s no sign of her. Instead she sees Angie Johnson barking at a beefy young bald cop who Anna recognizes as Cody Nault from Tams’s complaints about him. She chuckles to herself and keeps walking, rounding the corner now and heading to the door of the Mariner’s Pub.

She would dearly love to be going home to her bed and not to a second bar. She was supposed to meet her brother Lee at the Black Hole but it seemed they got their messages crossed and he had come here instead. She had waited for some time and run into Oshi and her friend Ruyko talking about some very complicated mathematics and model rockets. Anna suspected there might be a bit of a spark between the two of them and if it ignited, they would be perfect for each other. Partly due to the fact that no one else she’d ever met could talk about that much math for fun.

Anna pushed the door open into a sparsely populated beverage room. There were two old men in the corner Anna recognized at once; Hiroshi Yamada and Yuki Tanaka. Hiroshi, or Hiro as he was usually called, was Stephanie’s father and the long time beloved sushi chef of the town before he recently had to retire because of a heart condition. Hiro looked like and older version of Garrett but carried himself more confidently through age and experience. Yuki was the tiny man who ran the fish and chip stand at the docks. Yuki had run it forever it seemed, like a one man show of crispy oily goodness. He was a stocky little man with round wire frame glasses, a cheerful round face and a golf style cap. Yuki was known for speaking with his hands and was gesturing wildly in the air at Hiro who seemed to be replying with minimal words and facial expression. A moment later they both burst out laughing and Yuki smacked the table three times with his stubby palm down open hand. A half full pint almost careened over and Hiro just caught it in time, making both of them laugh even harder. They saw Anna and smiled at her, Yuki waving while wiping at his eyes and Hiro holding up what was left of his beer in a toast gesture. 

Anna shook her head and smiled at them and gave a little wave back before walking up to Deidre at the bar “You let those guys in here but my brother got kicked out? Geez…what did he do this time?”

Deidre rolled her eyes and grinned “Those two are harmless Anna, just a couple old goofballs reliving their glory days. I wish I could say Lee didn’t deserve it but he was kind of an ass to his date. They got in a fight and then she switched tables and told him to leave her alone and he wouldn’t. He slammed back quite a few rum and cokes. I would have kept count better but we were hopping in here and I don’t think he’d eaten anything before drinking. It hit him hard and fast and it wasn’t pretty. Mick from the flower stand held him back while the girl got in a cab and took off. Then he tried to pick a fight with Mick and just wouldn’t shut up so I told him to get out. Probably wouldn’t have taken as long if Eien was on tonight. I’m not very tough looking but I did tell him I’d call the cops next.”

Anna sighs “Ugh I’m so sorry. Was it that hairdresser girl? Where did he go…or which way if you saw…”

Deidre “Yeah the blonde…Candy or something right? I didn’t watch Anna, I’m sorry. He didn’t pay his tab either but I don’t care.”

Anna feels her face flush in embarrassment “It’s Brandy, the girlfriend…or ex maybe…I dunno. Shoot, let me pay it so you’re not out….” She pulls her backpack around and fishes her wallet out of the small pocket.

Deidre sheepishly digs out the bill “You can’t choose your family. This isn’t on you….but I probably have to make this disappear from my boss’s radar if it doesn’t get paid so I’ll take your money. It’s twenty seven fifty.”

Anna quietly nods and pulls out her debit card, wishing her brother had chosen to get wasted on beer instead. Tired and fed up now, she left the Mariner’s, stopping under the awning of the hotel to send a text to Lee.

Where the hell are you now? I just paid your stupid tab!

She held onto her phone and took a few steps down the side walk looking around the streets to see if he was out walking. Suddenly she heard someone yell her name from diagonally across the road. It was unmistakably Lee calling her.

“Anna I’m up here!”

Anna squinted in the direction of his voice, confused and then saw him leaning out of his former apartment window and took off running towards him “Jesus Lee! Be careful!”

She stood right under the window and Lee ducked back in so it was just his head sticking out, his black brown hair cascading messily around his face as he looked down.

“Can you believe that fucker changed my locks? All my shit is still in here!”

Anna’s eyes went wide “Oh my god Lee! What are you doing in there? You got evicted. You need to come out now.”

Lee waived her off like she was being ridiculous “Nah it’s fine. Come in, I’ll put on tea. “Now he descended into the ludicrous “Ave ye got any crumpets Governor?”

Anna curses under her breath and heads quickly to his door. She finds it open with obvious pry marks around the lock and cringes before bolting up the stairs “Lee, we have to go. This is breaking and entering. He could press charges for this. You could go to jail!”

Lee is in his kitchen holding a bottle of rum over his tea pot “So that’s a no on the crumpets then?”

Anna’s green eyes flash “Are you fucking hearing me? Jail! You have a kid and a job….Lee seriously! Let’s go!”

Lee shrugs and decides not to bother with the tea pot and instead takes a swig from the bottle before saying “Alright, but first you need to see my mural. It’s a legacy of my rental here, a beautiful fucking legacy.”

Anna’s expression shifts from anger to slightly horrified curiosity “What?!”

Lee takes his sister by the hand and leads her to the living room. He’s drawn and written extensively on a large section of the main wall with what looks like a black sharpie marker. There is a caricature of a cartoon dragon in a bathtub smoking a giant dooby with the words underneath saying “Be Kind Smoke Pot Take Baths”

Anna’s jaw falls open and she just stares at it for almost a full minute before muttering “Jesus Fucking Christ Lee.”

Lee takes it as a huge compliment and beams gleefully “I KNOW RIGHT!”

She face palms and then says exhaustedly “Pack some clothes, I’m checking you in.”

“Checking me in where?” Lee inquires.

“I should consider the nut house but for now, the B&B will do.”