Tale A Day: Eavesdrop

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A nosey barista bites off more than he can chew when he overhears talk of a terrible crime.

Act 01 – Set Up and Call to Action

Protagonist works a normal shift, listening in to conversations of the punters. Petty grievances, domestic issues, inflating prices. He makes coffee for three Russians, immediately sparking suspicion.

As he listens in, he overhears the next table over talking about a ‘big job’. He tells his manager who laughs it off as another one of his imagined threats to make the day go quicker. The big job, as the culprits are builders, is probably the skyscraper they’re building nearby.

Act 02 – Things Go Well. Initial Objective Achieved

Protagonist determines to prove he’s not just a gossiping tattle tale by collecting evidence of the potential crime himself.

The next time the workers enter the café, the Protagonist steals one of their hard hats. ‘Finding’ the hat at the end of his shift, he offers to return it to the site. He does so at night, while nobody is there. Or so he thinks.

The culprits are there, masked to hide their identities, they strip cabling and haul electrical hardware into the back of unmarked vans. Protagonist hides, finding a vantage point to take photographic evidence of the crime. He takes a photo, and the flash of his phone gives away his position.

Panicked, the criminals chase the Protagonist from the site, just managing to catch a look at his face as he escapes their clutches. Returning to the scene of the crime, they also notice that Protagonist has dropped his phone

Act 03 – Things Start to Go Wrong as Forces of Antagonism Gather Strength

The following day, Protagonist returns to work to again plead with his manager about the criminal goings on. The criminals, in their work attire, then enter the café accompanied by the police. They identify Protagonist as the culprit of the theft.

The police arrest Protagonist, who begins to panic when he overhears one of the officers talking about a watertight case and a long jail sentence.

Before they get to the car, with the police lulled into a false sense of security, the Protagonist bolts.

Act 04 – Things Go Really Badly Wrong

Now on the run, Protagonist is pursued from hideout to hideout, only staying ahead of the police due to his love of Hunted on Channel 4. He never uses his bank card, he stays away from public transport routes, and never uses a public phone. He does spot a TV in a pub televising a plea from his parents to come forward.

With Protagonist still out there, the gang are panicked, they’ve clearly bitten off more than they can chew going after the seemingly innocent barista. With him still at large, the police presence is also going to choke them, They don’t realise, however, that Protagonist is watching their every move.

He grows exasperated as they seem such a tight group, it’ll be impossible to get one of them to rat. He tries to find a weak link but all he finds is someone who is too trigger happy with their contactless payments.

Time is running out as the gang decide to pawn what they’ve got before it gets too hot. Protagonist follows them to the deal but gives his position away. The leader then sees a wonderful opportunity. He forces Protagonist to write a suicide note. In the morning, Protagonist will be found dead, surrounded by the stolen goods with a note declaring his own guilt.

Act 05 – Crisis and Climax

As he is forced to the chair to write the letter, Protagonist manages to slip his bank card into the pocket of the big spender. He then writes an unusable letter that incriminates everyone present. He writes another, shaking so much it is scrapped as well.

He asks for a drink to calm his nerves. A final request. The big spender is sent to get the drink. The gang argue about what to do with Protagonist. The leader is adamant that the letter is crucial to make sure the police go away after his body is found.

Big spender returns with the drink, complaining his card was declined. Protagonist then reveals his final letter. As he drinks, he hears distant sirens.

The leader reads the letter. Panicked, he demands Big Spender hands over his bank card. It has Protagonists name on it. Protagonist runs. He runs into the arms of the police. The gang are surrounded.

It’s over.