Of Love and Discord

Chapter 1

        It is not fair to say that this tale of lovers and lovemakers was a myth created by soothsayers. Nor is it fair to just call it a story of immortal and mortal beings that have lived in our world of technological advances ever since the dawn of time. It is however, right to call this a chance encounter arisen from the power of attraction, and a deep emotion for someone that will possess the limits of mortality. If love is everlasting, then its origin begins here. By an unheard voice silent to mortality, but present in the chaos and discord she will bring to this day in Spring.

 As cars waited in traffic on the morning of this city called Liberty, people raced by on the sidewalk rushing to work, oblivious to each other's existences other than a mere background. The tall buildings that house day-to-day work, covered the denseness of fumes coming from garbage and the combustion of automobiles. There were horns and trolley tings, followed by yelling that filled each street block. It was here that on one of the buildings on high lay a little Scottish Terrier dog that watched mortal life go by. As he waited with his master, he noticed a police officer walking down the street in a proud but tight uniform swinging his baton casually near a butcher shop.

"What have we here?" said his master, "go Mayhem, let's have some fun with our usual today."

 Immediately, the little dog descended and followed the officer from a distance on his patrol. The officer was a heavyset fellow who took pride in his job in keeping order in this district that was not far from Park Central, Liberty City's finest and grandest park. Nodding to the people who passed by him in his menacing tight blue uniform, he puffed his chest and caressed his "Teddy Roosevelt," mustache, all the while swinging his baton authoritatively. When he came by the florist at her shop, he looked at her as she prepared her flowers for a special customer that was coming in today.

 While the florist continued arranging the flowers, the officer continued to eye her with a glare as if he was waiting for her to acknowledge him. When she looked out from her window, she finally noticed him and was silent until he uttered a sound.

"Ahem," the officer coughed, with his mustache wiggling. His hand then went up to his badge, slowly stroking it.

"Why hello, Officer Frank," the florist said, realizing that she had forgotten how much this bumbling cop often wanted some form of acknowledgment. Officer Frank then nodded, accepting her supplication as he continued along his patrol. Making his way up the street, he saw the butcher laughing loudly as he escorted one of his customers out.

"Alright my friend, enjoy the lamb. I'll get more tomorrow so please stop by again," the butcher said in a foreign accent, gesturing his farewell to his customer. Officer Frank came by the corner of the block and stopped close to the butcher. He looked at the sky idly with his narrow eyes twitching beneath the sun's glare, waiting for another acknowledgement.

"Oh, good morning, officer," the butcher muttered.

"Fine day isn't it?" Officer Frank declared.

"Yes, every day is a fine day. Especially when you, officer, are around," the butcher replied, trying his best to please him.

"Yes, precisely," Officer Frank concurred. He then continued his patrol back the other way. This time, however, the Scottish Terrier stopped following him, and was now eyeing the meat he had smelled a block away, inside the butcher's shop.

"Shoo shoo, you mutt! Get away from my meat!" the butcher yelled when he spotted the dog inside his shop sniffing at some sausages hanging from the table. The butcher quickly approached the dog with his broom just as he took a bite from a sausage. Startled, the dog scurried away through the meat shop, prompting the butcher to chase after him around the splattered floor over table legs and crannies. At a moment's haste, the dog made for cover after he leaped to the top of a table that had pounds of stacked meat and a severed pig's head. Squeezing between them, he had knocked it all down.