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Authors: Paulo Lins, Cara Shores
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Land of the Souls so everything would run smoothly. His protector never failed him in his hour of need.
The matter was easily resolved. AluÃsio behaved as Niftyfeet had expected. When he said he was a friend of Hammer, Orange and Acerola, he received double what had been taken from him, along with the gangsterâs apologies.
Night made itself king of the hill. Moths clustered around every other streetlamp. Up Top, a gang of kids asked Bahian Paulo where the gangsters were. They wanted to celebrate their successes with the masters. That day, their eager little hands had made old people, pregnant women and drunks in the city centre feel their vulnerability. Theyâd also begged and shined shoes in São Francisco Square. Pipsqueak, the one who always got the most money, was the leader of the gang. He lied to his friends to win their respect, saying he had already sent more than ten folk off to meet their maker in the hold-ups heâd done alone. He looked up to Hellraiser, but adored Big, who was top dog in the
favela
of Macedo Sobrinho. If he managed to be like Hellraiser, soon heâd be like Big too: desired by women and feared by all. He considered Slick and Sparrow his best friends. When Slick was behind bars at Padre Severino, there were few occasions when his mother didnât take him money sent by Pipsqueak. When Slick got out of prison, Pipsqueak sung his friendâs praises, saying he was the wisest and toughest, the biggest gangster of them all.
Bahian Paulo had only seen Hellraiser in the morning. As for Hammer and Squirt, he hadnât seen them for some time.
âEven the guy who grassed on them is showinâ his face in the area again,â said the owner of the Bonfim, pointing at Francisco, who was drinking a peach cocktail at the other end of the bar.
The children went to old Teresaâs to score four bundles of dope in the hope of finding a gangster to share it with.
Then they headed down through the alleys. Night Owl went ahead, giving the rest of the gang the thumbs-up when all was clear around corners. If for some reason the police happened to appear, heâd continue on without signalling. Pipsqueak was the only one who carried a gun and he always kept it cocked.
Hellraiser was playing pool with Pelé and Shorty at Dummyâs corner bar. When he saw Night Owl he shouted his name as if calling to a close friend. He was even happier when he saw the rest of the gang. He decided to greet each of them with a handshake and told them it was time for children to be in bed. He didnât stop at shaking Pipsqueakâs hand and decided to hug him, slapping his shoulders not just in friendship, but also in admiration. After the reception, Pipsqueak said heâd come to let his friend in on a good one. He explained his plan. Hellraiser got excited and his excitement spread to Pelé and Shorty.
âWe can even do it today. We just need to get a car â¦â
âNo way, Pipsqueak! Saturdayâs better, âcos thereâs more people there. More dough for us, right?â
They arranged to hit the jackpot late Saturday night. That Friday night, Pipsqueak would take Hellraiser and the others to case out the place they were going to hold up. Theyâd check the exits in case the pigs showed and choose the best place to park the car ⦠The money would be divided equally between four. Pipsqueak would be included just for having tipped them off. The job would be carried out by Hellraiser, Pelé and Shorty. They celebrated the success of the operation in advance. Hellraiser said the thing was to think positively so everything would work out alright. Carrots, another kid in the gang, asked for a soft drink and three pool tokens. Out of habit, he accidentally called the bar owner âBahian Pauloâ, reminding Pipsqueak of the grass.
âWe just saw the guy who set the cops on you lot.â
âNo way!â said Hellraiser.
âYes way, man! He
The matter was easily resolved. AluÃsio behaved as Niftyfeet had expected. When he said he was a friend of Hammer, Orange and Acerola, he received double what had been taken from him, along with the gangsterâs apologies.
Night made itself king of the hill. Moths clustered around every other streetlamp. Up Top, a gang of kids asked Bahian Paulo where the gangsters were. They wanted to celebrate their successes with the masters. That day, their eager little hands had made old people, pregnant women and drunks in the city centre feel their vulnerability. Theyâd also begged and shined shoes in São Francisco Square. Pipsqueak, the one who always got the most money, was the leader of the gang. He lied to his friends to win their respect, saying he had already sent more than ten folk off to meet their maker in the hold-ups heâd done alone. He looked up to Hellraiser, but adored Big, who was top dog in the
favela
of Macedo Sobrinho. If he managed to be like Hellraiser, soon heâd be like Big too: desired by women and feared by all. He considered Slick and Sparrow his best friends. When Slick was behind bars at Padre Severino, there were few occasions when his mother didnât take him money sent by Pipsqueak. When Slick got out of prison, Pipsqueak sung his friendâs praises, saying he was the wisest and toughest, the biggest gangster of them all.
Bahian Paulo had only seen Hellraiser in the morning. As for Hammer and Squirt, he hadnât seen them for some time.
âEven the guy who grassed on them is showinâ his face in the area again,â said the owner of the Bonfim, pointing at Francisco, who was drinking a peach cocktail at the other end of the bar.
The children went to old Teresaâs to score four bundles of dope in the hope of finding a gangster to share it with.
Then they headed down through the alleys. Night Owl went ahead, giving the rest of the gang the thumbs-up when all was clear around corners. If for some reason the police happened to appear, heâd continue on without signalling. Pipsqueak was the only one who carried a gun and he always kept it cocked.
Hellraiser was playing pool with Pelé and Shorty at Dummyâs corner bar. When he saw Night Owl he shouted his name as if calling to a close friend. He was even happier when he saw the rest of the gang. He decided to greet each of them with a handshake and told them it was time for children to be in bed. He didnât stop at shaking Pipsqueakâs hand and decided to hug him, slapping his shoulders not just in friendship, but also in admiration. After the reception, Pipsqueak said heâd come to let his friend in on a good one. He explained his plan. Hellraiser got excited and his excitement spread to Pelé and Shorty.
âWe can even do it today. We just need to get a car â¦â
âNo way, Pipsqueak! Saturdayâs better, âcos thereâs more people there. More dough for us, right?â
They arranged to hit the jackpot late Saturday night. That Friday night, Pipsqueak would take Hellraiser and the others to case out the place they were going to hold up. Theyâd check the exits in case the pigs showed and choose the best place to park the car ⦠The money would be divided equally between four. Pipsqueak would be included just for having tipped them off. The job would be carried out by Hellraiser, Pelé and Shorty. They celebrated the success of the operation in advance. Hellraiser said the thing was to think positively so everything would work out alright. Carrots, another kid in the gang, asked for a soft drink and three pool tokens. Out of habit, he accidentally called the bar owner âBahian Pauloâ, reminding Pipsqueak of the grass.
âWe just saw the guy who set the cops on you lot.â
âNo way!â said Hellraiser.
âYes way, man! He
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