Chapter 1

The clashing sounds of rusty broken down machines have lingered over this location for years, but this time it will no longer be a nuisance to the public residents traveling near this condemned junkyard, for old man Jerkins who worked there for seventy-seven years was finally laid to rest.

He was a tall and skinny wrinkled old man, his hair was grey and it was slimy from all the oil he gathered under the hood of his truck, he always wear this brown mechanic jumpsuit whenever he would tinker his stuff in the garage, and his spotted greasy red handkerchief would always be hanging halfway down behind his right cheek pocket, every single day around his house and he would usually forget wipe his work boots every time he would go to the kitchen for some ice cold beer his muddy shoes a large amount of mud all over his floor.

Slowly but surely this will make him mad but sooner or later his temper will settle down and he would just take his boots off and gets a mop and start cleaning up his mess with some help from his pets cleaning became more of a leisure activity rather a chore, Mr. jerkins has this unique pair of spectacle that he is personally handcrafted from other stuff he got in the junkyard. He often saw adjusting his eyeglasses to clearly see certain objects that at times can become very tedious to even see. It has these sets of different types of lens that he just places on top of each other to enhance his blurry vision, it even has that feature that could let him see at night. This was a big help at work and whenever he would go out to patrol around his field from unwanted guests.

He has often seen the people as a grumpy old man that wreaks havoc on broken down cars and other junk that the city accumulated throughout his life living there, the junkyard was located in the far south of the city of liberty bell near the abandoned steel mill half a mile from suburban homes that was forced to close many years ago by a group of environmentalist that constantly protested that the factory was destroying the air and contaminating there water supply. After the steel mill was lock and forgotten the junkyard remained open for this land was owned by Al Jerkins. Years passed by and the cities grew and establish new buildings and shops to accommodate their increasing population, leaving the south end district to rot and finally fall from decay including Al Jerkins.

Rumors have it that he was formerly married and lived a luxurious life as the steel mill manager, but after the mill was closed he lost everything even his wife and only daughter, thus turning him into a diluted and nasty old man, scared little children named him crazy Jerkin for his solitary and ill-tempered ways whenever he would see them vandalizing his home, he would take out his crowbar and scamper out of his home and just constantly swing it to warn off intruders. urban legends about him were rumored and gravely spread to city school by a bunch of teens that he once scolded when they were about to set fire to an old car after using it as a hideout and get drunk from alcohol, the tall tale spread everywhere this made his life more intolerable as people would cast insults and taunting him out from there store and shops like a contagious freak of a man whenever Mr. Jerkins would step out of the junkyard to buy certain items from himself and his animal pets

This made-up story made him even irritable the made-up story states that whenever he would crush a broken car he would put a kid inside it and just squash the kid to death, and after pounding the kid to a pulp using the human remains to feed his rabid unseen dog named Rufus. Every Halloween his night would become a fiesta of laughter when his home would be bombarded with rotten eggs from all the scandalous teens from the area.

But now as sunsets and cascading shadow covers the cemetery where his body was finally buried, standing near his grave were three people, including the grave digger, on the right side was a medium size chubby medium tall bearded man wearing a black suit and was carrying a single long stem red rose, the other man was tall skinny like old man jerkins but a little younger he was wearing a torn up faded jeans and wears a rundown white shirt with a written statement saying '' if your stupid don't call me'' he was holding a vintage truckers cap with a design of a skull on his left hand and a bottle of ice cold beer on the right,. After everything has been dealt with by the grave digger went on his way and left the two standing alone over old man Jerkins's tomb.

''Goodbye you old cook'' said the skinny man and placed the beer on top of the tombstone and turned around and started to walk toward the cemetery gate with a sad expression on his face, he was Simon Randall a truck driver that came to Al Jerkins junkyard a couple of times to get his truck fix the two were supposed to be good friends, for one reason alone Simon was a delivery man for the Red devil beer corporation, and this particular beer was the strand that binds their friendship for years. as for the other man he walks and knell down and place the rose on top of the grave and in a low tone spoke ''I finally found them Mr jerkins' after that he stood up and walk away toward his parked red Cadillac outside the cemetery.

Two days later in front of the old junkyard, that same car was parked on the left side of the road; it was the same man standing patiently when a loud belching sound came out on the left side of the road it was a Simon Randall truck cruising fast and behind it was another van. The two-vehicle parked right beside the red Cadillac as the black man brush off his suit from all the dust that the two vehicles created, Simon came down from his truck with a grin on his face and said'' darn that old fool, he still making a big fuss even if his six feet under '' the black man stared at him with loath and suddenly answered back '' that old fool was you friend'' said the bearded man '' you're that guy from old cooks funeral right'' Simon was rude blabbering constantly about a summons he got from the court to proceed to the old junkyard of the late Al Jerkins on the second day at exactly ten am in the morning and being drunk made him more conceited when the bearded man took out his badge and slowly hang it in front of Simon, at that instant he stops mumbling.

Finally, I have your utmost attention, Mr. Simon Randall, let me introduce myself I am Agent Tom Sinclair you are now here because of a certain obligation to whom I have to strictly uphold, for you have been mentioned in Mr. Al jerkins last will and testament, we all know that due to your long-standing quarrels with the law this is the only we could achieve your participation in this matter.

Simon said nothing his disgust for cops became alarmed for he had a long list of offenses due to his drunken behavior and vulgar harsh attributes in bars and dine-in restaurants along his delivery route, he just stood there and tried to gain control over his drunken condition. Soon the door van next to the truck opened from what they could see three persons came out, yet another man in a black suit walked toward them black and that unusual design for his necktie it had a cartoon cat that somehow resembles a famous cat and mouse duo grab Simons thought. On his side, he was accompanied by a young man about four foot two in height with black hair with brown eyes, and a dimple on his left cheek he was showing a slight grin on his face sign of weariness and doubt as he was walking toward two adult

He was wearing a grey shirt top with a dark blue polyester hooded jacket and wore down khaki pants. he looked like about fourteen years old or maybe even more, but this was just an assumption base on what Simon saw and the boys were not alone on the left side was a little shy girl who was around seven years old standing three and a half feet tall with short blonde hair same brown eyes and wearing a red hooded jacket that was matched with black pants. She was hugging a teddy as they leisurely walk in the direction of the junkyard gate, the other agent shook hands with agent tom and Simon, as he present the two children'' this is Link and Trinity Jerkins the grandchildren of the late Al Jerkins and they are the new sole proprietor of this junkyard, and you Mr. Radall are their guardian as stated in this testament,

Simon Randall's eyes became wide open with shock and his cheeky smile became an angry grin as he blurts out a shocking and loud response '' what the hell'' but before he could say another word the other agent took out an envelope and hand it over to Simon it was filled with money amounting to five thousand dollars,' 'this is what you shall receive every month for taking care of the two children until they turn into legal age'' Simon took the money and suddenly hug the two kids saying '' come to uncle Simon kids' the two were silent and have this distressed look on their faces but what can they do for they were homeless and have no place to go.

Agent tom went over to the other agent and whispered a secretive conversation as Simon was busy counting his money the two walked in front of the closed junkyard gate and started catching their breath '' this is better than sleepy on the streets again'' said Link, they were looking at their new home not noticing that a couple of lingering eyes was staring at them hidden among the broken cars and jumbled truck parts, the two agents went on to talk to Simon Randall and explained the regulations concerning Al jerkins testament

But Simon wasn't even paying attention, he was just waiting for them to stop and just leave them so he can ditch the two and finally have a deserving easy life.

After a seemingly pointless conversation with Simon, agent Tom took out a key and unlocked the gate, and accompanied them inside. it took them about five few minutes to even set foot there new house, agent Tom bend down and started talking to Link and said that by law Simon is now their legal guardian until he turn eighteen and the money they shall be receiving every month will cover all of their personal expenses including fixing there broken down home. The link was a bit confused, about what was actually happening, questions began to drift in his mind like how can an old-run isolated junkyard earn so much money in the first place.

Agent Tom said nothing and just took the boy's hand and shook them after that he reached out to trinity and rub the young ones' hair and said '' take good care of the place kid'' then without another word Simon stood up and just walk away with the other agent. The three stood in front of the house a bit bewildered from what just happened until the two agents were completely gone from their sights.

Simon Randall was so eager to leave the two but he knew he had to wait for that perfect opportunity to run the hell out of there, for now, he had to face and convince the two that he was a responsible adult until they get distracted and an opening to dash like the wind, this was not unusual for him to do, he did run away from his nagging wife six years ago and without a single penny in his pocket .and now he has five thousand reasons to do it again.

Simon gradually open the door to the house and told them that it was a suitable place to live in it has clean running water and all of the old man's working appliances, the house was as gloomy and had that stingy smell of rotten tomatoes still lingers inside the room, it has remnants of wore down bluish paint on each side of the wall leading toward the kitchen and sleeping area it looks more like a tool shed or a small barnyard rather a real home and luckily it had two rooms but for unknown reasons as Simon explain that the second room was made into a supply room, and the only available room was on the right side facing the comfort room it had this an old un even bed and a small wall cabinet about two steps from the bedroom door was the rest room, like any rest room it has a shower and a peculiar shape for a bathtub it was shaped like a dog bowl.

And their new living room was just a few feet from their kitchen but link noticed that it was unexpectedly bigger than the rest of the rooms inside the house. And their grandfather had two huge vintage refrigerators as he opened the first one was filled with food and vegetables and the second one was stacked with bottles of fruit juice and beer, they were placed side by side in the right corner of their kitchen as for the sink and stove was directly seen from the living room area they had a back door of the left side but the wall divider was blocking the living rooms point of view toward that corner and that same turn near the back door it was left vacant .then Simon pointed them items for preparing, cooking, and serving food. He actually elaborated that they actually don't need money in staying here even the electric and water bills are taken care of by the same lawyers who worked for their late grandfather for they already have all everything that they will ever need

"that old cook might look cheap and grumpy but he was a well-prepared grouchy old cook," said Simon.

Simon stridden toward the kitchen area and opened one of the refrigerators and saw it was still full of leftover food, he grab a beer and drank it right there and nod his head, and gave out a slight chuckle he was familiarizing with his old cook's place, for a number of times he usually goes there and asks Al Jerkins to have some beer, after finishing his beer he shuts the cold box door and placed the beer on top of the dining table and snatch the nearby chair the haul it toward the living room, where the two were sitting silently side by side in an old dusty lazy chair that Al jerkins used to sit on until he falls asleep.

Simon, asks Link if he can cook and take good care of his sister, for he was old enough to do that and he still needs to deliver his beer every day, Link answered yes in a low tone. He took out that same bundle of money that just receive from the agent and pulled out a hundred dollars and said to them that this was to be their allowance for a week, after that he will return and give them another for supply and so on.

Simon was too eager to get away from the two he didn't even consider other important matters like their personal safety and education, he wasn't even a good liar in front of the two he just randomly spoke out things that were confusing and worthless, but the two were already used to this kind of treatment for they did receive the same reaction when their parents died in a car accident, they stayed in an orphanage for a year and saw it was a cruel place to live in so they decided to run away but sadly ending up in a much more worst situation at that time they had to sleep under a bridge for a month with a dozen of street outcast occupying the area. A scoundrel is still a scoundrel wherever they go, this is what he learned during their life turning change, but they did endure the harsh streets and became smarter and wiser, but they never resort to stealing for food.

he worked as a trash boy in a local small diner that was owned by a couple of old folks that took pity on them, and work as a shoe shine boy with the help of same old couple they were introduce to their blind friends that where member of street entertainers in the east coast subways this where the two matured and saw the world in the eyes of the less fortunate and became more nurturing understanding to their friends and their own personal stand in life, sadly after half a year they had to say goodbye once again to their friends when certain situations that link notice and accidentally overheard that a group of people in black suites where acquiring certain information about a pair of kids with their similar identifying marks while they were under the subway, the two regretfully left their home and wander the harsh streets but even with all their hardship and adversity the two always stick together and have smartly eluded the men in black suits for a months until they were captured and was introduce to their new life

he was staring at Simon with a wandering mind, they just want him to leave and stay far away as possible and they would even take that chance once again to live alone with then stay with a drunken scoundrel like Simon Randall. He knew that it doesn't matter if he takes off with all their money, he made it a point to work for his food and never mind that he was poor, he just want to protect his only family. It took Simon ten minutes just to explain his idiotic ramblings to Link and Trinity,

After an unsatisfying dinner, they were too tired and exhausted to even care, they could hardly keep their eyes open sadly this was the perfect time for Simon to elude them, Link was aware of his plan but decided to just let him do whatever he wants, he carried his sister in his arms and steadily stroll over there bedroom and place her gently on that un even bed and took out a sheet of the blanket and gently place it on top of his sister and kissed her on the forehead and said '' tomorrow I will cook for you'' trinity smile and fell asleep,

Link went back to the kitchen and saw Simon was gone, relieve that was no longer there, he could hear the loud screeching sound of his truck as it rapidly drove away. Link just gave out a gasp it was a sign of relief and just finish cleaning the table and wash the dishes and stack the plates on the side of their sink and went out of their front door to close the gate, the moon was shining so bright he no longer needs to look for a flashlight to see his way into the night. He just pass a few broken cars and end up right in front of the junkyard gate, with a big heave he closed the gate and lock it from the inside and went back to get some rest he sat on that same chair and fell into a deep sleep forgetting to even turn off the lights in their kitchen and living room. In his dream he saw a dog a bunny and a turtle walking right in front of him, and they were all walking upright, and the three were about two feet tall, and what was uncanny as they are all wearing human clothes and could speak fluently and from what he could hear they were well-mannered and had fascinating personality, the dog was wearing a white t-shirt top with a biker jacket and pants. The bunny was wearing a mechanic grey jumpsuit and carrying around its waist was a tool belt filled with assorted equipment, and lastly, the turtle was wearing a tuxedo and smartly wears a spectacle.

he knew it was just a dream so he just smiled and let them be, Rufus sniffed him with its huge nose and spoke in a loud voice "you smell like him ay'' and chuckled.

''Ay my name is Ruffus and you are our master and keeper'' another voice spoke out but in a lower tone and said "hello my name is Hermes nice to meet you sir" the turtle came up and tap the two on the shoulder and said "come he still has a lot of work to do leave the young master in his sleep"

the bunny was well-bred and soft-spoken as for the dog he was a bit vigorous and loud the two gracefully and silently march away as for the turtle he could not just leave without introducing himself to his new master, he took out a handkerchief and gently rub Links cheeks for it was dirty.

After he place the used hanky in his pocket and spoke in a mild tone "hello I am Ferdinand the third nice to meet your acquaintance young master" after that small introduction and a bow the turtle went back to the kitchen and vanish as they turned the corner toward the sink Link continued to dream and liked what he just saw it made him happy.

Meanwhile, under the earth where a dark tunnel was being illuminated by a handful of small lanterns a distinguishing sound can be heard, it was like a scampering noise with numerable voices having an argument and that commotion was echoing at the end of the hole was there ventilation shaft going through a large container that resembles a town community center

A large sounding stump made the argument standstill but after a few seconds they started to argue once more, Ferdinand the third was holding a very huge mallet "Order I say, this meeting is now in session' he said in a forceful but mild tone, four more loud stomps was heard but the skirmish was still overpowering his voice when suddenly a thundering growl made them tremble.

"SHUT UP!!!!!!!!" said Ruffus, everybody turned their eyes in his direction this gave them a good reason to stop talking and finally end their quarrel. Ferdinand expresses his gratitude and apologizes for his rude behavior and asks them to be sited for they shall finally start their meeting with another stroke of his mallet as a signal and symbol of his authority as their mayor

At the same time while the committee continued to debate on certain issues that may affect their small community Ruffus gradually move along the container side walls and decides to step out of the hall and unto the town proper for some recreational activity a, Hermes was sitting near the town hall door in an old rocking chair as Ruffus was stepping out Hermes looked at him and said "getting some fresh air eh" Ruffus answered in a sensitive tone" yup"

You could see the entire town from this hill, the two were looking over the town from that position they could see their own home that was perfectly placed under Al Jerkins's kitchen sink, and exactly in their town center stood a large spiral staircase standing twenty feet from the earth toward the ceiling walls above their head it was attached to a handful stone and wooded pillar that was evenly placed on every part of their municipality as a support to their ceiling wall that coincidently was Al jerkins floor covering,

The staircase could accommodate two full-grown human beings walking side by side either going up or down to their tiny town, it was fully ornamented by little lanterns interconnected by a long cable up to the very peak leading toward a gate to illuminate the path and the town itself,

but the case had a gate with spike-topped iron railings that ran around part of the staircase that was kept locked for good reasons and that was to keep the young ones from dwelling outside their town without proper adult supervision and it was Ruffus's job to make sure nobody was foolish enough to venture outside

The two walked down the stone path that led through a clutch of light posts heading toward a couple of establishments made from old vehicle parts as familiar inhabitants go on their lives and business, one particular place was on their mind and that was Mrs. Rebecca's delightfully delicious diner. Ruffus thought it was a peculiar name for an eatery, but having the best apple pie in the town he never cared much to even ask, they walked toward a small electronic shop that has a sign saying

"IF IT'S BROKEN BUY A NEW ONE HERE"

two more houses behind that shop had a boarded-up vacant lot that became a playground for the young ones and across the street of the corner left side was the Diner, they could smell Mrs..Rebecca's sweet apple pie was in the air as she was currently cooking the second batch of pies.

A clattering sound was heard as a young badger was hauling heavy metal garbage can outside across the street on the right side of the busted bus; it was Walton Mrs. Rebecca's son

"What's going on Walton" Ruffus grab the heavy garbage can and place it on the street corner with no effort at all "thank you Ruffus," said the young badger, as the three entered the diner they could hear some of the town inhabitants were having a light discussion about the two young Jerkins.

Ruffus and Hermes sat at the very end of the table counter and asked for that delicious apple pie, there was a handful of different animals that were inside Mrs. Rebeca's diner, a squirrel came up to Ruffus and ask if he have anything to say about the two, for they all knew he was one of those came up and personally saw the two young jerkins.

After swallowing the last piece of his pie he turned around from he was sitting and said

"The two are still kids and like their grandfather, they too smiled nice'' they were all relieved to hear that from Ruffus for one reason alone and that was his keen sense of smell was always right, Hermes agree with Ruffus's opinion and grab his glass of water and said " cheers"

"For a new beginning," said the two, as other animals followed with a big "hurray"