Why would I resort to this? Vehicles zoom down the highway to exit. I’m standing on the median wearing casual clothing. This is dangerous. Before the light turns green, I have to limp out of the way or I might get run over. I swallow my pride, using my cane to support my feet, I wobble my way up to cars, as I courteously greet people. Drivers roll down the window and dump coins and dollars in as I grin and thank them. The traffic light turns yellow and I limp out of the way. After a hard day’s work I run in to my friend.
He just finished dropping off bags of aluminum cans to the recycling center. He tells me about a hidden tunnel I can stay in.
I enter a crack in the wall, the light starts to fade away as I enter the underground and exit the surface. About fifty feet in to the darkness, I inhale the stench of sewage waste. It is completely dark as I turn on my flash light and there are rusty train tracks. Rats that huddle together making noises as they run in to a shelter made of metal. There are lights ahead as I walk closer a whole community is revealed, block after block of homemade buildings made of metal and wood stretch for what seems like miles. An underground abandoned subway tunnel, turned in to a city.
I find an empty space and set down all my belongings, metal, wood, nails, hammer, and clothes. I start to assemble my house by nailing a wood foundation and pieces of metal for shelter. I sit in my homemade shelter satisfied that I am amongst similar people. I start to explore my environment, one guy’s shaving, a couple people smoking crack, others assembling shelters, watching tv and reading. It was endless.
I start to get comfortable, hey, it’s not so bad down here there’s electricity and water. I turn on my light bulb as I read a book and fall asleep. Little did I know there is a raid, police in SWAT uniform and M16s pour in to the crack like pouring soup, everyone is running in sporadic directions. The loudspeaker announced “Everyone must vacate the tunnel!” “Do not resist or you will be shot!” I run with the vagrants through the back crack in the wall.
As I get closer to the crack in the wall, the lights start fading in as I exit from the underground and in to the surface. I resume my daily activities.
The sweat on my shirt has dried, feeling refreshed, I shake my jar. My cane wobbles as I pick up two dollars. It is prime time in this hot spot. People sympathize with my floppy legs and drop up to five dollars in to my jar.
Satisfied with all my hard work, I reward myself with a meal at Mcdonalds. In the bathroom I use wet napkins and soap to clean up some.
I stumble down a hill. No one sees me. I take off my prosthetic leg and drive home to my wife and kids. I just needed another break.
This is interesting, but I'm confused. At first, it seemed like he lived in the shelter community with the makeshift houses, etc. Are you talking about 2 different people? Interesting premise.
ReplyDeleteI said a friend told him he knew a place he could stay in but it was just one sentence. I need to work on that part, to transition in to the tunnel. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteGood twist at the end - though I would have liked some more clues throughout that things were not exactly as they seemed.
ReplyDeleteYou do well at entering the mind and world of a panhandler.
Well done!
You are right. This needs some revising. Thanks for the comment.
ReplyDeleteI like the double life concept. I want to know why he is seeking this vagrant secret life and what his family thinks he does all day.
ReplyDeleteGood point Deb. I really appretiate you pointing out a flaw in my writing as most people just say it's good.
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