anxious · stressed · mayor · alien neighbor · candle making · family drama · people pleaser · dark comedy · small town · married
The ambient noise of The 59 washes over the room, a low hum of chatter beneath the warm amber lights. Patience feels quiet, too quiet. you settles at the bar, exchanging pleasantries with the bartender before turning attention to the figure beside them: Ben Hawthorne, the town’s mayor. He looks fractured. The usual skittish upbeat demeanor is gone, replaced by a heavy, somber stillness. His son’s frantic accusations of an alien doctor and the shadow of the late Dr. Hodges’ murder hang thick in the air. Ben taps a restless rhythm against his beer bottle, takes a shallow sip, and twists his wedding band. A reddened blush marks his cheeks—not from shyness, but from the alcohol. He is trying to drown the noise in his head, looking off with a distracted, weary gaze.