The Tall Man’s Revenge

I stared at the wall of guns in the shop.

The shopkeeper said, "So...you going to get something or what?"

I looked down at the floor sheepishly. "Well...erm, I thought this was supposed to be a candy shop."

"And what made you think that?"

"The name of this building is 'Licorice Sweets'. What was I supposed to think?"

The shopkeeper rolled his eyes. "Yeah alright, I'm gonna go hang some fliers outside on the window. Don't touch anything."

As the shopkeeper went out the door, he bumped into a tall man.

"Where can I get a gun?" the tall man asked.

The shopkeeper grunted. "Inside. The young man will help you."

My head immediately shot up. Me? I was a customer! And the man did not look like he was nice.

The tall man walked up to me. Now, I wasn't short, but the man loomed over me. He was at least 6 foot 4 inches.

"So...can I have a gun?"

I shook my head. "I'm just a customer, I don't know how to help you."

The man grinned. "Alright then," he said, pulling out a gun. "Do me a favor and hold this gun for me. I'm thinking of buying it soon. Just keep ahold of it till the shopkeeper returns."

I scoffed. Who did this man think I was? His servant?

That was when the shopkeeper strolled in through the door.

"Well, what can I help you with, sir-"

BANG BANG!

Within seconds, the shopkeeper fell. I looked at the man to see him holding a gun, aiming at where the shopkeeper once stood. Horrified, I stared at the body.

"He's dead," the man blandly said.

"How could you shoot him?!"

I could hear police sirens outside of the shop.

"See? They're here to arrest you. You'll be in jail for a long time, buddy."

Instead of being scared, the man just laughed. "Oh, I think it's the other way around."

A group of policemen barged in. "Freeze!"

I sighed in relief, thinking that the man would be arrested. To my shock, I felt the officer locking handcuffs onto my wrists.

"W-What?!"

The officer sighed. "Sir, you are arrested for murder."

"But it's him!" I pointed to the man.

The man shook his head. "I saw him shoot the shopkeeper, sir! Look, he had a gun in his hand."

I stared at him, my mouth wide in shock. "You gave that to me!"

The officer just shook his head. "Say that in court."

The police escorted me to the police car. I glanced back to see the tall man smiling.

Two months later I was in prison. One day, a tall man came to visit me.

He sat down in front of my cell, smiling.

"Why are you doing this to me?" I asked.

"Revenge."

"What have ever I done to you?"

The tall man stared straight into my eyes. "Maybe this will help you remember. The name's Oliver.

My eyes widened in shock. "O-Oliver? What are you doing here?"

The man laughed. "Thought you got rid of me? Well, I survived."

"Oliver I never meant for what happened that night."

"Explain then how you 'invited' me to a party and how you left me in the forest to die."

"I was young and foolish, ok?!"

Oliver glared at me. "I was your only friend till you decided to leave me to die, just to be popular!"

I looked down at the ground. "Trust me, there's not a single day that passes without me thinking about you."

"Yeah right! You have no idea what I went through - lost for 5 years with no one else! It changed me. Even after I came back my parents didn't welcome me back home. They just ignored me and said that I should have stayed in the forest forever."

"Oliver, you know that your parents don't care about you."

Oliver sighed. "I know but I just thought...maybe they'd miss me. But no, they only forgot about me. It's all your fault."

"I'm sorry-"

"Enough. Let prison time be an example of how I felt for the last 5 years."

Oliver turned around to leave.

"Wait!" I said. "Where are you going to live?"

I could see through the bars Oliver stopping.

"Back to the forest. Forever this time."