Postcard
- Welcome to Venice of the North, or Amsterdam. Jacob arrives in the city full of bridges and canals and doesn't really know where to go, so he crosses the canal and finds a charming café to hang out in.
- Jacob might not know it yet, but he's ready for an adventure. What seventeen-year-old isn't, though? He's excited to be in a new city with lots of new things to explore.
- While he's waiting for the server, Jacob meets a friendly chick named Ton. The two start chatting about the usual stuff: where they're from, what he's doing here, and where he is (we told you he was lost).
- It turns out this is Jacob's first time to Amsterdam, and he's staying with some family friends. The pair goes on chatting and flirting, teasing each other about their English and Dutch… or lack thereof, since Jacob doesn't know any Dutch.
- Soon, Ton has to go, but before leaving, she takes Jacob's hand and puts it on her crotch. Jacob's in for a big surprise when what he feels certainly isn't a biological woman at all—he's pretty surprised and confused. Ton kisses Jacob goodbye and heads off, but not before leaving Jacob a little present in his pocket.
- But that's not Jacob's biggest surprise of the day, because moments after Ton leaves, someone steals Jacob's backpack with all his stuff in it.
- Immediately, Jacob goes running after the guy who stole it. The thief is wearing a red cap and isn't too far ahead of our tourist, and every now and again, it almost seems like the thief wants to be caught. He almost waits for Jacob to get closer to him before taking off again. Why would someone do that?
- When Jacob finally gives up on catching the guy, he notices that he's got a condom and a cardboard box of matches in his pocket that he never remembers putting there. Perhaps the pickpocket left a little gift, but why?
- Inside the box of matches, there's a little scribbled note: "Be ready niets in Amsterdam is wat het lijkt." We can tell you that this roughly translates to something like: "Be prepare. Nothing in Amsterdam is what it appears to be." But Jacob doesn't know that yet. Um, okay.