The first chapter of P.P. Harrison’s ”Vesa” for free!

Chapter 1

As Vesa Runtunen sat at his kitchen table, staring blankly at the steam rising from his coffee mug, he couldn’t shake the feeling that today was going to be just like every other day. The monotony of his routine was suffocating – wake up at the same time, drink the same coffee, brush his teeth in the same bathroom, and trudge through the same mundane tasks until it was time to go to bed and do it all over again. But as he mindlessly ran his toothbrush over his teeth, a memory from years ago suddenly flashed through his mind – the time he had stepped on dog feces. The incident had been embarrassing and disgusting, and Vesa couldn’t believe that it still had the power to make him feel defeated all these years later.

As he stood in front of the bathroom mirror, his grey, balding hair combed over his shiny dome, Vesa noticed the sweat beading on his forehead. He reached into his shirt chest pocket and retrieved a small tissue, which he used to swipe at the perspiration. Vesa had always been a bit overweight, and his sedentary lifestyle and lack of physical activity had only exacerbated the problem. But it wasn’t just his appearance that was causing him to feel down. The dog feces episode had left him feeling depressed and defeated, and it seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t shake the feeling of failure. As he prepared to start another day in his cramped three-room condo in Soukka, Finland, Vesa couldn’t help but wonder if things would ever change for the better.

Vesa Runtunen stepped out of his front door and was greeted by the sight of his trusty old car, a brown hunk of metal that was as ugly as it was loud. Despite its numerous flaws, Vesa had a soft spot for the ancient vehicle, and as he climbed in and turned the key in the ignition, he couldn’t help but feel a sense of familiarity and comfort wash over him.

He pulled out of his driveway and onto the highway and noticed the trees that lined the road. The end of summer had brought with it a chill in the air, and the leaves were just starting to turn, their green hues giving way to a riot of oranges, yellows, and reds. The morning was already dark, and the streetlights cast a warm glow over the motorway, casting long shadows across the pavement.

Vesa was a plumber consultant, which meant that he didn’t actually do any plumbing himself, but rather offered his expertise to other plumbers as they went about their work. It wasn’t the most profitable business, and Vesa often found himself taking on side gigs for a man named Boss Makunen just to make ends meet. As he drove, Vesa listened to the weather forecast on the radio, his thoughts drifting to the day ahead and the tasks he would need to complete.

Eventually, Vesa arrived at his workplace, a small office where he had been hired as the office coffee maker, much to the amusement of the other employees. Boss Makunen seemed to enjoy nothing more than belittling and demeaning Vesa, and the office women often whispered and giggled about the time Vesa had stepped on dog feces. Despite the constant humiliations and disrespect, Vesa tried his best to keep his head down and focus on his work, hoping that one day things would improve. As he stepped out of his car and made his way into the office, Vesa felt that today was going to be just like every other day – long, tedious, and filled with endless drudgery.

Vesa was greeted by two of his coworkers, Kaarlo and Simo, who were leaning against the counter, chatting and laughing. The two men seemed to take great pleasure in Vesa’s misfortunes, and as he approached, they greeted him with sarcastic smiles and mock concern.

”Hey there, Vesa,” Kaarlo said, his voice dripping with false kindness. ”How’s the consulting business going? Sold any gigs lately?”

Vesa sighed and shook his head. It seemed like no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t catch a break. His consulting business was barely keeping him afloat, and the constant humiliations and disrespect he faced from his coworkers and Boss Makunen only added to his feelings of inadequacy.

”No, not really,” Vesa replied, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice. ”It’s been a bit slow lately.”

Simo chuckled and elbowed Kaarlo in the side. ”Looks like we’re going to be stuck with Vesa as our coffee maker for a while longer,” he said with a sly grin.

Vesa’s cheeks burned with embarrassment and anger, but he knew there was no point in arguing. Instead, he forced a smile and turned conversation to coffee making.

”What can I get you guys?” he asked, trying to keep his tone as neutral as possible.

”Two espressos,” Kaarlo said, winking at Simo. ”And make sure you watch where you step this time, huh? We wouldn’t want any more accidents.”

The two men burst into laughter as Vesa fought to keep his temper in check. He knew they were only trying to get a rise out of him, but it was hard not to feel embarrassed and demeaned. As he went to prepare the espressos, Vesa sighed and wondered when, if ever, things would get better.

Vesa entered the office kitchen an saw his coworker Ulla drinking tea. Every day, he looked forward to the few moments he got to spend with Ulla, the shy brown-haired woman who was the only one in the office who seemed to genuinely like him. Despite her quiet nature, Ulla always had a warm smile for Vesa, and he found himself returning it with a smile of his own.

He ground the beans and prepared the espressos and imagined himself as a real coffee barista – his dream job. He could easily see himself working in a coffee shop, serving up lattes and cappuccinos to a stream of satisfied customers and that was his long term plan. But for now, he was stuck in this mundane office, pouring cups of coffee for his ungrateful coworkers.

Just as Vesa was getting ready to ask Ulla about her day, the door to the kitchen burst open and Boss Makunen stormed in, his face twisted with anger.

”What are you doing in here, you dirtbag loiterer?” he barked, his eyes narrowed with disgust. ”Haven’t you got work to do?”

Vesa’s heart sank as Ulla quickly gathered her things and made a hasty exit, casting a sympathetic look in his direction as she left. He knew that she was the only one in the office who cared about him, and the thought of losing her was almost too much to bear.

”Vesa, you lazy, slow-moving sloth,” Boss Makunen sneered, a cruel grin spreading across his face. ”You’re nothing but a loiterer and a wasteman, always lazing about and never getting any work done. You’re a wasteman poomplex, a true peasant. And to think, I actually believed that you had the potential to be a productive member of this team. How wrong I was.”

After his daily rampage on Vesa Boss Makunen left the kitchen smiling.

Turning back to the coffee machine, Vesa finished preparing the espressos and carried them out to his coworkers, who again greeted him with sarcastic grins. The rest of the day was business as usual: a blur of endless coffee cups and demeaning comments, and Vesa couldn’t wait for the workday to be over.

The office emptied out and the lights were turned off. Vesa found himself alone at his desk, staring at the open drawer in front of him. Inside was his dream – a set of plans for a coffee shop called ”The Plumber’s” a place where he could finally escape the drudgery of his current life and be his own boss. Vesa had been saving every spare penny he had, hoping to one day turn his dream into a reality.

He closed the drawer and gathered his things to leave and felt determined. One day, he would escape this life of endless coffee cups and insults, and he would finally be free to pursue his dreams and ask Ulla out on a date. Until then, he would keep saving, keep dreaming, and keep hoping that things would get better.

He climbed into his car at the end of the workday. It had been a long and tedious day, filled with endless coffee cups and insults from his coworkers and boss. All he wanted was to go home, kick off his shoes, and relax for a bit before starting it all over again the next day.

But as he pulled onto the highway, Vesa’s relief was short-lived. Just a few miles down the road, the car sputtered and came to a halt, smoke billowing from under the hood. Vesa groaned and banged his head against the steering wheel, feeling frustrated and defeated. Great, just what he needed – another expense he couldn’t afford.

Sighing, Vesa gathered his things and began the long walk back home. As he trudged down the road, his thoughts turned to his dream coffee shop and the woman he had come to care about – Ulla. He couldn’t help but feel angry at his coworkers and boss, who seemed to take pleasure in belittling and demeaning him. He remembered the time he had accidentally poured coffee into his coworker’s ass crack, and how he had been made to sit in the corner wearing a white dunce cap that said ”moron.” The humiliation had been almost too much to bear.

As he approached his neighborhood, Vesa’s thoughts turned to his dream coffee shop, ”The Plumber’s”. He knew it wouldn’t be easy, but he was determined to make it happen, no matter how many obstacles were thrown in his way.

Just as he was lost in thought, Vesa nearly stepped on a pile of dog shit, narrowly avoiding it at the last minute. He laughed at the irony – just when he thought things couldn’t get any worse, he nearly stepped in poop. But as he laughed, Vesa felt somehow lucky. Maybe things weren’t so bad after all.

He finally arrived at his front door and couldn’t wait to kick off his shoes and relax for a bit before starting it all over again the next day. But as he unlocked the door and stepped inside, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was different. The house felt…weird. Vesa couldn’t put his finger on it, but something was off.

Vesa walked through the living room, and was startled to find a hand-written note on the coffee table. Who could have delivered it to his home? Who could have had access? It was from Ulla, and it said that she had decided to move on and explore other opportunities. She wrote that things were broken beyond repair. Vesa’s thoughts darkened as he read the words, and he felt betrayal and sadness. Had he been so blinded by his own problems that he hadn’t noticed that Ulla was unhappy? Had he been too caught up in his own dreams to realize that the woman he cared about was slipping away?

Vesa sat on the couch, staring at the note in disbelief. He had lost the one person in his life who had seemed to genuinely care about him, and he couldn’t help but wonder if he would ever find someone like her again.

The minutes ticked by and anger began to rise within him. He wasn’t going to give up on his dreams, and he wasn’t going to let Ulla’s departure define his future. No, he was going to work harder than ever to turn his dream coffee shop into a reality, and he was going to show everyone who had ever doubted him that he was more than just a plumber’s assistant. He was Vesa Runtunen, and he was determined to make a better life for himself.

With a sudden burst of energy and anger, Vesa stood up and strode over to the trash can. Without hesitation, he crumpled the note in his hand and tossed it into the bin. He wasn’t going to let this setback hold him back. He was going to move on and focus on the things that mattered – his dreams and his future.

Vesa grabbed the trash bag and headed out the door, determined to get rid of the physical reminder of his disappointment. He made his way to the community waste house, tossing the bag into the bin. As he walked back home, he tried to assure himself that things were going to get better. He didn’t know how or when, but he had a feeling that the future was bright, and that his dreams were finally within reach.

Later that night he tossed and turned in his bed, unable to fall asleep. His mind was racing with thoughts of Ulla. He felt that something was off about the note he had received earlier that day. How did the note end up in his home? Vesa had always been a skeptic, and also something about the handwriting on the note just didn’t seem right to him.

As he rolled in the darkness, an idea suddenly struck him like a bolt of lightning. He remembered a note that Ulla had written weeks ago, which he had found in the office elevator. The note had simply stated that the elevator was broken, but Vesa had kept it because he couldn’t resist the opportunity to have something that belonged to Ulla. And now, as he lay there in bed, the memory of that note came back to him with crystal clarity.

Vesa sat up in bed, his heart racing with excitement. He remembered that Ulla’s handwriting on the elevator note had been very distinctive, with its graceful loops and elegant curves. And he was almost certain that the handwriting on the note announcing her departure was completely different. Could it be that the note was a fake?

He knew he had to see the note again and confirm his suspicions. Without a moment’s hesitation, Vesa jumped out of bed and threw on his pyjamas. He knew that he had to go back to the community waste house. It was a strange place to go at this time of night, but Vesa was desperate to solve this mystery. He raced out of his apartment and walked to the waste house, his mind racing with excitement and anticipation.

Vesa Runtunen was known for his clumsiness. He has a tendency to trip over his own feet and knock furniture over, much to the amusement of his coworkers. In fact, Vesa’s clumsiness is legendary – once, he even stepped on a pile of dog feces while out for a walk and had to go home and change his shoes, but that wasn’t even the episode that his coworker’s were mocking him for.

Vesa entered the community waste house in search of Ulla’s note. He knew he had to be careful not to make any more clumsy mistakes, especially in his pyjamas at such a late hour. However, Vesa’s nerves got the best of him and he collided with one of the wheeled waste bins, causing it to tip over and spill its contents all over the ground. Vesa winced as he looked down at the mess, feeling embarrassed and frustrated with himself. However, he knew he had to keep moving and find the note no matter what. So he straightened up and continued on his way.

He quickly located the newer note and held the two notes up to the dim light, examining them closely. His heart skipped a beat as he confirmed his suspicions – the handwriting on the two notes was indeed different. The note announcing Ulla’s departure was a fake, and someone had gone to great lengths to make it look like it was from her.

Vesa’s mind was racing with questions. Who could have written this fake note, and why? And what did it have to do with Ulla’s departure from the company? Vesa knew he had to get to the bottom of this sinister plot, no matter what it took.

Vesa suddenly tripped over a waste bin that had rolled over onto the floor. Losing his balance, Vesa stumbled and with a few awkward steps, fell into a nearby stack of waste bins. The bins began to fall like dominos, crashing to the ground with a loud bang. Vesa let out a startled yelp as he fell to the ground, surrounded by filth and garbage.

From outside the waste house, the noise was deafening. There was a loud banging sound as the bins fell, followed by Vesa’s moans of pain. It sounded like complete chaos was breaking out inside the waste room.

Vesa lay there for a moment, trying to catch his breath. He couldn’t believe what had just happened – he had fallen into a pile of garbage, and it was all his own doing. But even though he knew he must have looked ridiculous.

So, with a determined expression on his face, Vesa began to push himself up out of the pile of trash. He was covered in filth and garbage from head to toe. But he didn’t care – he was on a mission, and nothing was going to stop him from achieving his goal.

But to his misery, Vesa collided again with waste bin after waste bin, causing them to fall over and spill their contents all around him. Garbage poured over him like a wave, and Vesa struggled to keep his footing. He fell over and over, landing in a mess of plastic bags, parcels, and cheese packages. Despite the chaos and mess, Vesa remained focused and determined. He knew that he was getting closer and closer to the truth.

Vesa noticed the various bits of garbage that had become stuck to him. There were pieces of plastic wrap and string caught in his hair, and bits of cheese and other food waste stuck to his clothes.

Vesa tripped again over an old parcel and went tumbling to the ground. He let out a loud moan as he fell, and before he knew it, he was stumbling headfirst into a bio waste container. The smell was overpowering, and Vesa gagged loudly.

Despite the chaos and mess and constant stumbling and falling, he managed to grasp the two notes tightly in his hand, focused not to let them go. He knew that these notes were the key to solving this mystery.

As Vesa collided with waste bin after waste bin, the chaos in the waste house reached a fever pitch. Garbage was flying everywhere, and it seemed like the room was alive with movement. Vesa couldn’t keep up with the rapid pace of his own movements, and he stumbled and fell again and again. But even though he was covered in filth and garbage and smelled like a bio waste container, Vesa refused to give up.

He collided with one waste bin in particular that caused a chain reaction of events. As the bin fell over, it knocked into another container that contained an open bag of watery dog shit. The bag flew out of the container and landed right in Vesa’s pyjamas.

Vesa let out a loud cry of disgust as he realized what had happened. He hadn’t stepped on a pile of dog feces earlier that night, but now he was covered in it. He couldn’t believe his bad luck.

Vesa suddenly heard a loud explosion and felt the ground shake beneath him. He looked up just in time to see one of the waste containers explode, sending dust and garbage in the air. The community waste house was turning into a war zone – war of clumsiness and garbage.

There was a loud whistle as a gas explosion rocked the community waste house. The force of the blast sent trash flying everywhere. To his amazement Vesa saw a gas bottle bursting out of a waste container and soaring through the air like a missile breaking the roof of the waste house.

Soon there were multiple containers exploding all around him. Vesa was covered in dog shit and crawling through garbage as he tried to escape the burning waste house. The fire was spreading quickly, and he knew he had to move fast if he wanted to survive.

As he made his way through the chaos, Vesa could feel the heat of the fire on his skin. Pieces of burning plastic bags were floating in the air and the noise was deafening. Vesa had never been in such a dangerous situation before, and he couldn’t believe that he had ended up in the middle of a garbage explosion.

He crawled through the garbage, dodging flying debris and dog shit and flames as he went. Finally, with a burst of energy, Vesa made it out of the burning waste house and collapsed to the ground exhausted.

Vesa suddenly realized that he had left the two notes behind. He had been holding them tightly in his hand as he crawled through the garbage, but somehow they had slipped away from him in the chaos. Vesa knew that he couldn’t go back into the burning waste house to retrieve the notes – it was too dangerous.

Vesa couldn’t believe it – he had been so close to solving this mystery, and now the clues were lost forever. He knew that he would never be able to figure out what was going on with Ulla and the fake notes now. Despair filled Vesa as he realized that all of his hard work had been for nothing.

Despite his disappointment, Vesa knew that he had to keep moving. The fire was spreading quickly, and he had to get as far away from the burning waste house as possible. So, with a heavy heart, Vesa pushed himself to his feet and began to make his away from the community waste house.

As Vesa walked away there was a large Hollywood-style explosion. The waste house shattered completely. It was like a scene out of an action movie – except he was covered in dog shit and garbage and had failed in his mission.