Saturday 10 AM. The sky is clear and the sun is out. All I want to do today is sit indoors and watch old movies. Roommates feeling under the weather so I’m going to leave him be. Comfy shorts and a vest, the living room is mine. 60-inch TV, my dad’s DVD collection. Going to grab a glass of water with ice. The view from my kitchen window Surprises me with kids running past ball in hand looking to seize youth, or at least have a kickabout. An ice-cream van rolls past playing its happy tune.

That would be nice. I grab my wallet off the table, slip on my red crocs. The doors locked, where’s the key? I check in the fruit bowl; the sofa, tv stand. I run upstairs and check my bedroom; the side table, in my jeans from the day before. No use there not in here. A gentle knock and a shallow voice through my roommate’s door, “hey mate, you know where my keys are?”. I hear him sit up and walk towards the door with soft muted pats. The door creaks open a little. Multiple layers with a nightgown on top with tissues up his nose. “yeah, they’re in your coat, you going out?”. I glance to the coat rack; my hand hits my head.” The ice cream truck is outside you want anything?” A short pause and a shorter answer “twister”.

I grab my keys and head out down the garden. Could cut the grass later it’s getting long. I raise my hand and shade my eyes. Scouting from my gate the ice cream truck is nowhere to be seen. Took too long, the shops probably got twisters. I take a left from my garden and walk nearly losing my croc on the first step. There’s quite a breeze out, should’ve brought my coat. With a hop, skip and jump I make it over the root’s cracks on the corner. Heading left I have to make a quick spin right after to avoid some dog shit. Today is my day nothing can stop me. The shops on the right at the bottom of this road.

Entering in, I walk past the drinks in the front. Head to the back, past the magazines and cat food. The freezer section is cut off. Wet floor warnings. Empty shelves. “freezers out” the old man shouts from the front behind the till. I flash him a smile and head back to the entrance. “Sorry about that, nothing important I hope” he could see my frustration. “No, only ice cream.” I leave the shop and hear a familiar tune. Excellent I follow it to the right. Right around this corner.

Eight young boys with a ball and a Bluetooth speaker. Can’t let them think they got me. I walk past without glancing at them. There’s a Tesco’s at the bottom of this road, I think. Don’t remember this road being so long but there must be at least twenty trees evenly spaced out. A Tesco Extra, perfect. I head straight to the freezer wall at the back. Ice; frozen pizzas; oven chips; chicken Kiev’s and ice cream. It’s all mint. They’re all mint. I go to the front, “hey have you got any other types of ice cream? It’s all mint”. With a calm expression “no, sorry. There was an ordering mistake. The next delivery will be at 10 PM. So if you come back tomorrow there will be all the different flavours”. What a sight she must be seeing bright blue shorts, white vest, red crocs double fisting pints of mint ice cream. I grab one while I’m here.

Head down I leave. The breeze has gone. It’s just hot now. I hear the song again far in the distance the way I came. I want to look up but to be had again dissuades me. What if it’s there, I take the bait. I look up the ice cream truck heading left around the corner it’s going back towards my place. I slip my crocs into sport mode, tuck my pint under my arm like a rugby ball. With my first step, the glyphs start igniting. The red crocs flicker to life. A line of arcane glyphs shoots down the soles. Accelerating my pace, I burst down the road in seconds. Shouting at the kids to “move!” I swing around the corner into traffic. The ice cream truck turns right, down my road. I pass the shop in a blur, running down the middle of the road. There’s a good gap between cars just wide enough for me. I sidestep through and I’m racing towards the corner. It’s right in front of me. I’m gaining on the corner. Blasting around the corner with the cracks. I lose traction. Skidding, a brown stain as my trail. Heading for the tree, I brace for impact.

I open my eyes. The light is bright but harsh. I’m tucked in tightly, laying on my back. My roommate asleep in a chair. I try to sit up but the pain is severe. My torsos covered in bandages. My struggle opens his eyes”. Ah your up, you slept all night. That’s good right?” he wipes his drool on his gown sleeve. “Some kids found you wrapped around a tree covered in ice cream,” his look of concern is pleasant. “Nearly made it,” I say with a giggle, his eyebrows don’t relax. “I was trying to get in front of the ice cream truck,” he hands me a pint of ice cream from under his arm. “Sorry, mint was all they had,” he whipped out to plastic spoons “don’t tell anyone, I stole them from the cafeteria,” I laugh at him but only a little my ribs seize my breath. I crack open the ice cream “ah minty soup, my favourite!”

“Shut up”

We finish the whole thing.