Field Report

Sal was found holding down his usual spot on the corner, coffee in one foot, cigarette in the other, leaning against the wall like he's owned it for years. Nobody's ever seen him order. Nobody's ever seen him pay. The coffee just appears, and so does he.

He doesn't acknowledge passersby, doesn't flinch at traffic, and has never once been observed finishing either the coffee or the cigarette. Researchers suspect both are more prop than habit — evidence, perhaps, of a very specific reputation Sal is maintaining.