sam fletcher was a nice guy.
he was often seen sitting on the front steps of his building, strumming a beat up old guitar.
he always played happy tunes on the beat up guitar.
he did not play the guitar or sing very well, but he meant well and always had a smile on his face so most people who passed him by gave him a smile and a wave.
occasionally someone who passed by looked for a collection jar or some other receptacle to place money and some even asked sam if he had one, but sam always waved them off with a smile.
i ain’t looking for money, i am just singing my song, was his invariable reply .
things went on in this way.
a man named quinley davis moved unto the building.
after a hard day’s work doing nobody knew what, he had to pass sam by on the days, which was most days, when sam was singing and strumming on the steps.
quinley davis did not care for sam’s music,.
that is the worst singing i have ever heard in my life, he informed sam in no uncertain terms.
well, sir, sam replied with his perennial trademark smile, i am sorry if you do not care for it, but other folks express appreciation for it, and it keeps me happy, so what can i say.
i think you are a public nuisance and are polluting the air with your discordant sounds, and if you do not desist, i will report you to the authorities.
well, sir, do what you think you have to do, sam replied.
and with that, quinley passed sam on the steps and entered the building.
tessie adams, a long time resident of the building and one of sam’s staunch admirers, overheard the conversation and when quinley had disappeared into the interior of the building she expressed her sincere outrage to sam.
he must be the lowest skunk who ever lived, she protested vigorously to sam.
well, sam responded mildly, we can only wait and see what happens.
the next morning quinley did not report for work, the first time in ten years he had not done so..
the company sent one of their security personnel to the building and quinley was not in his room.
he was never seen again, and after a complaint from his company, sam and tessie were arrested and charged with his murder.
they were never brought to trial but spent many years without bail in jail waiting for one, until an earthquake destroyed the city and the jail, and no trace of them - or of quinley davis - has ever been found to this day.
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