An Exercise in Storytelling Pt.1

 One of my favourite books is the Green Mile by Stephen King. Storyline dia ok, watak-watak dia ok, pacing dia ok, semua ok. Ok saajaaa...Tapi, aku tetap addicted bila baca buku tu. Kenapa? Well, sebab buku tu guna format serial novel. One book, but pecah into five parts. That's what made it so gripping. Jadi macam cerpen kat Berita Harian tu pulak. So, dear readers, yang tu yang aku nak cuba sekarang ni. I won't finish it before posting, but I'll write it as I go along; My first Serial Story. No title yet, but perhaps I'll give it one at the end.

 I won’t lie to you, I don’t take myself to be someone who is easily surprised. Though I’ll admit to experiencing one of those moments. You know, when someone comes into your life so fast that they get in your face; it forces you (yes, myself included) to rethink their personal definition of surprise. You could personify it as how the night vanishes so suddenly just before the dawn.
What? Dear, I’m rambling now.
 Anyways, back to the story. We haven’t begun, you say? Good, we can start fresh then. Once upon a time.
 My day had been awful. The only comfort I could find in it before I would collapse into bed was dinner. ‘I deserve a treat,’ I thought. So, it wasn’t just any dinner. Tonight, I was headed for the kopitiam near my place, which had the best curry puffs I will ever know; fist-sized packages of sweet and spicy joy. Of course, a pleasure this heavenly is the reward of persistence, as the line that spanned the curb into the tiny store would tell me. I was tired, late and hungry. And it was getting dark. But by hook or by crook nothing would keep my away from my curry puffs.
 I cut through the park, taking in the sights that were a luxury to me nowadays. The birds chirping as they flew in formation, parents calling for their kids to come home in the face of oncoming dusk and the tops of trees gossiping madly in the gentle breeze. I couldn’t hold my hunger down any longer. I spotted a vacant bench a little ways to my right, and claimed it as my throne, taking in the verdant air before tearing into my meal.
 Ripping open the plastic bag like some starved alley cat, I took up one curry puff like the treasure it was. Before I could take my first bite though, I felt the uncanny sensation that I was being watched. Which I was.