Into the Dark

 

It Was a Dark and Stormy Night

Bob ducked back into the doorway as fingers of ice rushed around him.  Further back into the doorway eased the grip of the icy wind as swirled down the street.   Bob pulled the collar of his coat up tighter around him to block the icy fingers.  The rain had let up, but the blasts of air lingered, seeking the nooks and crannies of Bob’s soul. 

 

With some warmth flowing around him again, Bob reached into his pocket.  Ushering a cigarette forward, a lighter followed, illuminating the cigarette.  Smoke rolled out from under his hat brim and the lit end of the cigarette glowed in the dark gloom of the night. 

 

Bob’s gaze returned to the street, drifting off the way, the glow of the all night station lights light up the dark.  At the other end, the marquee of the movie house was off, only the glow of the next show posters gleamed out of the dark.    The midnight horror show was underway.

 

The ever present glow of the diner across the street brought Bob’s eyes back into focus in the diner.  The waitress was sitting at her corner, rolling napkins.  Cookie was busy in the back, getting dishes ready for the next day.  At the other end sat Phil, nursing his coffee and has his conversation.

 

Phil had returned from the war all messed up.  His leg had been amputated because of a bomb explosion nearby.  His buddies nearby had taken the brunt of the explosion, protecting Phil.  Phil had survived, yet he hadn’t.  He was in a pile of dead bodies and or badly bleeding bodies. 

 

The horrors of that explosion left a mark on Phil that would not ease.  Returning home, Phil was withdrawn and kept to himself.  He would walk the town, shaking and with a distinctive of the wooden leg.  The town had adopted Phil and watched out for him. 

 

Tonight was one of those nights for Phil.  Stay up all night, so he wouldn’t have to face the terrors of the night.  

Into The Dark

 

Into The Dark

 

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob stood in the doorway.  Coat collar was turned up and hat drawn down against the slashing gusts.  His gaze would travel up and down main street, ending at the bright lights of the diner across the street.   This time his eyes focused on the little stream falling off the canopy over his head. 

 

The awning had been built in such a way, that the rainwater would flow across out off the awning’s edge.  Bob followed the drops across the canopy as they gather to form a stream rolling off the edge of the awning.  With a loud ker splat the rivulets spattered on the sidewalk, rolling across the walk to the curb and down into the gutter. 

 

Here the water droplets disappeared, the storm gutter was swollen with the stormy rain of the evening.  Bob let his mind wander and follow the storm water down the gutter to be swallowed by the storm sewer.  Bob let his mind’s eye gloat along with the water. 

 

Disappearing into the grate of the storm sewer, the splashes would give way to the roar of the micro flood in the sewer collector.    The water was racing down the h ill to get to the river first.  Bob watched the water traveling at breakneck speed.  Soon the drain would open up into a gully, for the rest of its journey to the river. 

 

The town was built on a rise overlooking the river, but the water flowed away from the river.  The gully took the water on a long journey to the river of over a mile.  Once the river swallowed the gully water, it was a U-Turn.  For now the water would flow downstream, passing by the docks just below the town. 

 

Bob’s mind eye wanders back up to main street, leaving the rushing water behind.  Through half closed eyes, the lights of the diner were a dim glow. 

 

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob stood in the doorway watching the street lights reflect off the shine main street.  

Into the Dark

Dark and Stormy Night

 

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob stood in the doorway, watching the wind ripple through the raindrops. Collar tuned up, hat pulled low, Bob peered out at the shimmering street, the street lights made small circular mirrors in the rippling water. 

Bob’s gaze roamed up the street, watching the ever changing shimmering of the tumbling water. 

Across the way, the all night dinner’s lights flickered off the shiny sidewalk in front.  There was almost no movement inside, Phil sat at station, counters corner, the waitress was the other end, rolling flatware into napkins, through the order window, cookie could be seen shuffling about the kitchen and the dishwasher was nowhere to be seen, probably out back grabbing a smoke. 

Bob turned back into the doorway, rustling inside his overcoat and pulled out a cigarette.  Out of the pant pocket came the lighter, hunched against the wind the flame could be seen flickering in the dark door way.  Bob retuned his attention to the street, cigarette cupped in his hand. 

Main street at night was usually pretty empty and tonight was no different.   Down by the movie house were a few parked cars.  Bob’s gazed rolled down main street, looking at the store fronts.   At the other end were a few parked cars in front a huge two story building.  This was the rooming house where Phil stayed.  It was also home to a few iterant workers, passing through town.  Day jobs could be found down at the river docks on occasion and there were other day jobs to keep the tramps busy but moving on. 

Taking a puff on the smoke, Bob’s eyes wandered down the street to the gas station.  The lights of the gas station glared into the falling raindrops.  Just beyond the gas station could be seen the highway.  Most of the headlights whizzed past but occasionally a car would stop and take on fuel and stretch their legs. 

It was another night in town as the glow from Bob’s cigarette lit his face ever so slightly.  Leaning against the corner of the doorway, Bob’s eyes returned to the diner. 

 

 

 

into the dark

 

It Was A Dark And Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob stood in the doorway.  His gaze roamed the darkness of Main Street, Pausing at the lights on the corner. The only other lights were in the all night diner across the street.  Bob’s eyes drifting across the dark landscape came to a stop on the sidewalk in front of him. The rain drops from the awning overhead, spattered on to walk in front. 

 

Joining the other drops of rain, a small course of water was formed as it scurried across the walk to join the stream in the gutter.    Ever onward down the hill the water flowed, splashing into the storm sewer at the far corner.  Bob let his mind wander on this stormy night with the water drops traveling down the hill.  Bob’s mind could hear the splashing of the water tumbling along in the storm sewer.  The roar of the storm water, raced through Bob’s thoughts.    In the images of the mind, Bob watched the water course its way to the river below the bluff.

 

Slowly Bob rolled out of his water journey and returned to main street to watch it rain.   His gaze returned to the diner across the way.

 

As his gaze traveled along the front window Bob could only spy three people.  The waitress sat at the end of the counter.  In front of her were buckets of silverware, a stack of napkins and a tub to put the rolled utensils into.  She sat there, mindlessly rolling the napkins and placing the finished ware into the tub. 

 

At the other end of the counter sat Phil, hunched over, telling a story to his cup of coffee. Cookie could be seen in the back, scrubbing down his grill.