Patrons' Eyes Only!

                  Rain pattered against Alan’s window as he spent yet another night alone in his room on the computer. He had been slaving away at a dead-end job and relied on games and the internet for any trace amount of joy ever since his girlfriend of five years dumped him several months ago. Her words continuously rung in his head: “ You’re almost 30 and you’re still not serious about your career or investing in anything…!” She would scold him like a mother would to her kid, but she wasn’t wrong. Alan had coasted through life up until this point, skating by with just enough money to pay rent and live reasonably well. It was difficult to feel motivated to do more than he was already doing since it had been working out for so long.                 Alan’s room was unusually cold that night, probably due to the storm outside. It didn’t feel too bad at first since h...

                      Against my better judgment, I went to the mall on an unassuming Friday. After losing my job a few weeks ago, I became paranoid about spending any money that wasn’t strictly necessary, and I’ve always had a difficult time in treating myself even before. But I really wanted the new Persona game. I walked around the mall for a long time, mulling over on whether I should buy it or not, and whether I even deserved it.                 As I finished a small meal at the food court, I caught a glimpse of one of the most beautiful Asian women I’d ever seen on the other side of the mall walking out of a clothing store. Her long flowing skirt teased her slim legs that looked incredibly long thanks to her high heels, and her tight midriff was complemented by her glistening bare shoulders that popped in and out from behind her black hair. ...

                  “Ready to finally get out of this dreadful town?” a young man named Arthur asked his brother Theodoric as he tightened his boots. “Ready as I’ll ever be,” Theo replied with a sigh, then continued: “You’re sure about this? Leaving mother and father to tend to the house and farm until this expedition is over and through?” Arthur laughed, scratching his short dirty blond beard. “You know they’ll be fine, brother! Besides, do you really want to stay cooped up in this tiny village when so much of the world is out there – unknown, and waiting to be discovered? And who’s to say we don’t encounter riches for the whole family along the way, aye?”                 Ever since Arthur was a little boy, he’d always dreamt of exploring the world, as he’d grown up in a small medieval village known for its agriculture. His brother Theo was timid by comparison, but wa...