Mysterious Package

My street is very strange tonight.

Sitting at the archipelago, I could hear a live band that sounded like Arcade Fire. Now, I assumed that the Arcade Fire was neither practicing on my street nor playing a show at the fairly small cafe at the end of my street. Gone are those days, which I actually remember reasonably well.

So I went out to inspect who exactly was playing where.

When I poked my head out, there were flashing lights and yellow tape. Did someone faint because of the syncopated rhythms and the heartfelt whoa-oh-ohs? I moseyed on down the street to find out.

When I got to the corner, there were about 10 fire vehicles and 5 cop cars blocking the block. Hazmat and Decon, mostly.

It may say something that my first thought was "They have a deconstruction van?"

Ponder that for an entertaining moment.

I tried to puzzle it out a bit. Seemed to involve the fast food chain on the corner. Though might have been something at the gas station. Not an accident: no one hurt, no yelling, no dented metal, broken glass, no pale faces or blood on the road.

On my way back home I stopped at the open window of a white city-owned pickup. There was a very shiny bald man in there watching the band across the street.

"So, uh. Hi? Excuse me?"

He turned his head to look at me. Cocked an eyebrow.

"Um, what's all this?" I jerked a thumb back over my shoulder.

"When I got here an hour ago, they said there was a corrosive package at the Pizza Pizza."

His lips twitched. My lips twitched. I wrapped my arms around my waist to keep in the giggles.

"Hazmat? At the Pizza Pizza?"

"Yep."

Maybe he was pinching his thigh to keep his in.