The October Elderly Neighborhood Secret Society was being organized by Simon Belcher.

He had neatly trimmed grey hair and a pair of square glasses gave him a knowledgeable air. He was dressed quite elegantely, with a black tuxuedo and a red flower attached at its upper left side. His deep green eyes looked on at venue from the door.

He choose a familiar place to hold the gathering. It was an old villa where he had showcased some of his pieces a decade back. The peculiarity of this villa laid in its curated garden, which could be glimpsed from the back hall, where he had placed all of the refreshments.

Flower arrangements decorated the hall, while the enormous table full of food occupated the far end. Behind the table the garden view could be seen. The red autumn leaves of the trees gave warmth to the scene.

At the center of the table, was a woman statue made out of fruits. Looking straight from the door, the majestic twin trees that were the original centerpieces of the garden, looked like the fluttering wings of the statue. It looked as if an angel descended upon the hall.

Proud of his work, Simon let out a satisfied sound. As his first time as an organizer, he wanted everything to be perfect.

Compared to the other members, he was the youngest, both in age and membership. He was as young as 71 years old and he was introduced by a now deceased member about four gatherings ago, in June.

Simon Belcher always had an artistic disposition. He liked to look at beautiful things and creating them satisfied him even more. That’s why he dedicated himself to the art of craft. Even the most ordinary objects could be turned into a piece of art.

It was simply a matter of knowing how to look. Just like this masterpiece of his.

To show the other members his vision, he fought tooth and nail in the previous nomination game to gain the opportunity to lead this gathering.

Thanks to his quick wit and luck, he managed to grasp this chance. For him, being the organizer was an immensurable honor.

Thinking that the location of a couple of the flower vases wasn’t quite right, he passed the next hour just to find the right angle.

As he was putting the finishing touches, he heard a boisterous voice from behind “The place is decorated quite nicely!”

Simon turned around, the muscular newcomer in his line of sight. One would assume that the elder’s most flashy charateristic would be his bald head with a twin snake tatoo on its back, but couldn’t help but to frown at the sight of his attire.

A silver chain adorned his neck, a cross inlaid with diamonds handing from it. He was wearing an old style gray suit wide open, a yellow hawaian shirt right under it. There was to say, Simon didn’t appreciate his tastless style. A few smaller chains decorated the sleeves, and a pair of sunglasses was hanging from the suit’s upper pocket.

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And this crime against fashion didn’t end here. The guy’s big strides only accentuated the bright leopard-skin pants and the white snake print shoes. As he widely opened his arms to give him a hug, the suit’s sleeves couldn’t help but reveal the expensive Rolex on his left wrist and the numerous metallic bracelets on his right.

Reluctantely, Simon let himself be hugged “Hahahaha, it’s a pleasure to see you, Simon!” the baldy gave him an energetic bear hug, and he almost thought that he was going to be squished to death.

It didn’t take long for the bald man to release him from the friendly hug and without letting Simon go, he started slapping his shoulders while laughing.

Looking at anywhere else but the man to relieve his eyes, a frustrated tone escaped from his lips “Diego you’re still lacking in taste”

“Don’t be like that! Are you angry because I didn’t come at the last gathering?” The burly old man finally let Simon go, and he felt a pang on his heart at the sight of the messy tuxuedo.

Patting it everywhere, he tried his best to straighten it up “As if. My eyes were blessed instead” his angry grumbling, unfortunately, were promptly ignored by the thuggish man.

“Last time I couldn’t come because of an emergency. My boys had a problem and I had no choice but to mediate the conflict with the other party…” the man kept going, but Simon didn’t bother to listen.

Diego Maverick. His thuggish look wasn’t just for show. The man ran a proper gang. He always insisted that it was a completely legal business company, but Simon had his doubts. He just hoped that the police wouldn’t break in during the gathering with an arrest warrant for the guy.

Just the thought was enough for him to get an headache.

Sensing something, Simon took a glance to the table of refreshments and there saw a trembling small old lady with a fancy cap and purple dress reaching out for the fruit sculpture at the center of the table.

His eyes spranged wide open and he shoved aside the burly old man as a shout escaped from his mouth “Wait!”

The trebling old lady stopped and looked at him with a complaining gaze. Simon quickly rushed to her side, guiding her hand towards the plate full of sandwitches “Lady Margot, please. You can have a taste after everyone is here”

Lady Margot’s gaze reluctantely left the fruity artwork and looked for something else on the table. Seeing how she easily let go of the matter, Simon was relieved. His masterpiece was saved.

Gripping her walking frame tightly, she returned to her hunchback stance. Her curved back made her appear smaller than what she already was. With a daunting height of aproximately one meter, she turned around and headed towards the plate full of jellys on the other side of the table.

Each step looked like her last, but contrary to all expectations she kept going without pause. Simon looked at her, her speed was one step per minute. He wanted to help her out, however the crunching sounds from beside him forced him to turn around.

Diego was munching on some crackers that he had prepared in advance. The sight of his messy eating habits was enough to make him roll his eyes. Every time he tells him to mind his manners, and each time the guy does what he wants.

Tired of repeating himself, he looked back to Lady Margot. He couldn’t believe his eyes. The lady was already at the other side of the table, her mouth already full of jelly.

He lifted his glasses and rubbed his eyes. When he looked again Lady Margot was already in front of a different plate.

Diego noticed his beliwered gaze and looked at the old lady stuffing her face “First time seeing her?”

“No, it’s just… The other times she was just sitting on a corner” it was a shock for him to see her like that. He had never paid her much attention since she never really stood out in the previous gatherings.

All of those times, she simply stood still and slept till the end. She didn’t even properly partecipate in the last few games of the day.

The bald man put a fistful of crackers inside his mouth “Think of it as her running whenever you’re not looking. It’s easier than any realistic explanation” he stopped snacking for a moment, his brows frowning “From what I heard from the previous members, she had been here for a long, long time, even before they joined” he looked at Simon straight into the eyes “And this was said by that old guy that died at the age of 121”

Looking at the uncanny seriousness in his expression, he wondered the Lady’s real identity. There was no way someone so old could move so fast in the span of mere moments.