Sidewalk Scenes May 2025

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*** Featured from June till August: Reduce Waste *** 48h Neukölln: Biggest Independent Art Festival in Berlin *** Salty & Cara – Plant Light District 6 ***

Here’s the Outlook:

  1. From the beginning of June until the end of August, the Featured category will list a collection of current and new posts about reducing waste. Topics include food waste, packaging, and related issues. I hope you will find some inspiration on this important topic!
  2. From Friday, June 27, to Sunday, June 29, the annual 48h Neukölln festival will take place (48-stunden-neukoelln.de/en/festival). Not only is it the biggest independent art festival in Berlin, it’s also a spectacular chance to showcase this fascinating district. Take in the various art shows and events around Rixdorf, the historic center of Neukölln, with its romantic cobblestone streets and horse stables. While there, also explore the area’s rich food culture. I have already written about two of the most delicious places in this multifaceted district: [VUX] and [Café Botanico].
  3. Below, you find the sixth episode of ‘Plant Light District’ of the Salty & Cara adventures. A juicy fable based in a world inhabited by fruits and vegetables. Love and crime raw, but served hot. Don’t know, what’s cooking? Check [Overview and Table of Contents]

By Mag. M. Schaper

Salty & Cara – Plant Light District 6

Fourth story, sixth episode: The distraction works. The parcels are delivered safely. But then something unexpected happens.

Showtime

The red beetroot was in no hurry. It wandered through the narrow aisles of Plant Light District. Every once in a while, it stopped to bend down and check the display of the device it was holding, muttering directions to itself. Finally, it stopped at the corner of a busy plaza with shops and cafés. It took a close look at the sign above one of the shop entrances and went inside.

Shortly after, it came back out. The bag it had been carrying was now gone. But that didn’t seem to matter, as the round figure in a coat and hat continued to stroll through the streets. Every now and then, it stopped to look at a shop window or muse over the typical scenes of Turnip Town.

As the beetroot turned a corner, a snarling voice sounded.

“Clever cloak you’re wearing, Missy. I almost fell for it. But I’ve got you now.”

“Smasher, isn’t it? Were you looking for me?”

“Oh, slice off the fungus. You know very well that we’re looking for you.”

“We? I only see you. Where is your boss, the fighting eggplant?”

“He ain’t my boss. I don’t have no boss. Especially not an old fruit with a funny looking cape.”

“Hm, well. Anyway: I don’t have anything with me. I suppose that’s why you and the other darling members of your nice fruit and vegetable collection were on the lookout.”

“The name is ‘Mincing Five,’ Missy. You shouldn’t make jokes about that. We get paid serious Swallowtails if we take a job. Do you know why? We always deliver.”

“Like I told you before, there’s nothing to deliver.”

“I don’t care. The fruits are out to get the package. I’m out to get you. The contract is still open. This is where the streetlights turn off, Sweetie. It’s almost a shame to smash something so lovely. But I don’t give a damn. I’m killin’ you and collecting the reward from … The ones who want you dead.”

“Who wants me dead?”

“Oh, some really important fruit. It doesn’t matter. You’re sauce anyway after I’m finished with you. And this time, no big, bad banana is here to save you.”

“Since I’m minced fruit no matter what, why don’t you tell me who exactly wants me dead?”

Cara was trying to buy time so she could come up with a plan. She slowly took off the splattered, ruddy coat and hat that Alpha had lent her.

They had padded his costume from the previous Festival of Colors to make her look like a typical Turnip Town resident. It had worked; she was able to safely deliver the package to Hanano’s contact. Now, the plans were safely on their way to Big Valley.

Don Tomatoni had set up the diversion as promised. It was a masterpiece of a ‘Scary Bug Hunt’ involving multiple parcels that disappeared when one of the Mincing Five got in the way and demanded they be handed over.

Meanwhile, Alpha, Beta, and some of their friends had provided the background confusion. This was just in case anyone suspected foul play and was following them.

Joe had disappeared like only a Vegetarian Master could; and he managed to smuggle Lano the Aronia and Pete the ant engineer out of Turnip Town. He was able to do this by taking the same maintenance tunnels the old agent had used to get inside and down to the underground vegetable district. Yet, no one had anticipated that someone would still want to kill Cara. She had no idea where the others were, so she would have to handle this matter on her own.

“You know what?” she started screaming. “I’ve really had it with you! You stupid little bug.”

She raised her voice some more. “As if it isn’t enough that YOU MURDERED ROCKO OURBECK! Yes, I know it was you who killed him. Now, I am going to take down the KILLER OF ROCKO OURBECK.”

She started moving the way she had seen Joe move during the fight between masters, when Hanano’s friend saved her from the mercenaries in the old district.

Smasher was confused now. He had also witnessed the fight between Joe and Lord Veggiano. The crazy starfruit put on a pretty convincing show. She was quick and didn’t seem scared of him at all.

Cara used the extra time to turn up the ruckus another notch.

“What? Are you scared of me? Have you never seen a Vegetarian Master fight before? Last time, my apprentice took over. He needed the practice, you know. But this time, I am going to finish off the KILLER OF ROCKO OURBECK!'”

By now, quite a few bystanders had gathered and were talking.

“She caught Rocko’s killer. She’s going to finish him off.”

“We should help her. She’s just one girl, and that looks like one mean little bugger.”

“Yeah, let’s kill the creep! He must pay!”

Smasher was not very quick. He obviously had other obligations in the group besides acting swiftly. But then it dawned on him: “Wait! The Eggplant said there once were female Vegetarian Masters. That means there aren’t any now. You are just…”

He did not get to finish his sentence, though, because a mob was now running toward him. Cara graciously stepped aside and let them pass. Then, she turned and saw her friends in a corner of the street. They had just arrived with the others and witnessed the end of her show. Joe wore a broad smile. Alpha shook his head. Beta was laughing so hard that she was almost tipping over.

“Like I told you before, there’s nothing to deliver.”

“I don’t care. The fruits are out to get the package. I’m out to get you. The contract is still open. This is where the streetlights turn off, Sweetie. It’s almost a shame to smash something so lovely. But I don’t give a damn. I’m killin’ you and collecting the reward from … The ones who want you dead.”

All rights reserved. Copyright ‘Salty & Cara’ by Mag M. Schaper 2023-2025

Side Notes:

Needless to say, the stories about Salty and Cara are pure figments of my imagination. No resemblance to any person or place – present or past – is intended. But I am sure you have already figured that out 😉