Into the Dark

 

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob stood in the doorway.  Bob had moved further back into the entry as the wind had picked up and the rain intensified.  His had was cupped around his mouth and the glow of a lit smoke could be seen through his fingers.    

 

Smoke rolled out of the entry to disappear up into the canopy.  His eyes ever present focused on the diner across the way.  Ever so often the eyes would roll of to the light of the all night gas station down at the end of the town.  Rolling back the other direction, Bob’s gaze would stall at the diner.  As Bob looked the other way, he could see couples darting out of the movie house to their cars.  A few had umbrellas and were hustling down the street.  A few movie goers crossed the street headed for the diner, heads bowed and coats pulled up over. 

 

Into the diner they darted, brushing off the water and shaking out the moisture of the day.  A few sat at the counter, most went for the booths.  Across the street, Bob could see hand gestures, smiles and heads jerking from laughter.  Cars in front of the movie house had come to life and were slowly pulling out onto the rain soaked street.

 

Bob reached into his pocket, pulling out another smoke, lighter flashing, smoke floating upwards.  The cars had left to their homes and main street was quiet again.  Bob stared at the diner, the waitress was scurrying around, taking orders and setting them up for cookie.   Drinks in hand, the waitress placed them on the appropriate tables. 

 

Bob stood there in his doorway, taking a slow drag on the cigarette, smoke exhausting into the air.  The gaze of Bob resumed it course of traveling up and down the street.  The rain had eased up and was down a heavy mist that swirled in the light breeze. 

 

To his left, Bob caught the flicker of headlights.  Down main street, a dark green sedan rolled, coming to a rest in front of the diner.  Headlights flicked off, the motor went silent and two men exited the car.  Crossing the sidewalk, the two men opened the door to the diner, to a booth at the far end they strolled.

 

Bob tossed his half smoked cigarette down and began walking out of the doorway.  Skipping over the flooded gutter, Bob strode out on the street.  Turing his collar down and rearranging his hat, Bob moved across Main. 

 

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.  

Into the Dark

 

It was a Dark and Stormy night

Joe tilted his head to the side as he rounded the corner onto Main Street.  Here on the main drag downtown, Joe would have some protection from the swirling rain.  It a dark and stormy night as Joe marked his steps down the sidewalk.  

Across the street, the marquee from the movie house was dark.   In the light of the lobby, Joe could see the attendant cleaning up.  Soon the movie would be over and the movie goers would head out the front door. 

Leaning into the wind, Joe continued his journey down the walk.  At the corner he paused, glancing off to the left, he could see the line of streetlights marching off the end of town.  The headlights to his right caught his attention and he stood on the corner.  The lone car turned and headed for the lights of the gas station couple of blocks down the street. 

Crossing the street, Joe’s attention shifted to the diner across the way.  The lights of the diner, glared out onto the walk, producing a daylight look.    On down the street Joe walked, turning into a doorway.  Here Joe was out of the elements.  Glancing across the street at the diner, Joe fished a cigarette out of his shirt pocket.  A flame flashed in front of Joe’s face, revealing a cigarette dangling from his lips.  The flame disappeared, revealing a glow in the front of Joe’s face.  Smoke swirled out of the doorway to be blasted away by the stormy wind.  Settled into the doorway, Joe returned his gaze to the diner across the way. 

 

into the dark

 

Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob waited in the doorway.  His gaze was fixed on the all night diner across the street.  The misting drops, smattered on the blackened roadway.  Drops of rain spattered on the canopy Bob stood under.  In silence, Bob stood there, listening of the drifting drops of rain float down the awning onto the sidewalk and across to the gutter. Bob’s gaze moved up and down the street, eyeing the occasional passing car.

The movies house down on the next block had just let out and people were drifting to the dinner or their cars.  As the young couples wander into the diner, Bob shifted to the other side of the doorway. Reaching under his topcoat, Bob slipped out a cigarette, carefully shielding it as he placed it on his lips.  Using his hat to shield some of the moisture, Bob reached in to his pants pocket.  There was a flash of light and the cigarette was lit. 

Bob straightened up, his look returned to the diner across the way.   The couples from the movie house were seated and very animated in conversation.  Joe the local janitor sat at his end of the counter.  Soon he would go down the street and begin his job of cleaning the office building a few doors down the street.  Hal from the all night gas station sat a couple of seats away, having his coffee and pie before heading off to work.

It was a dark and stormy night as Bob huddled in the doorway.  The cold fingers of the wind would find it way into Bob’s doorway.   Shuddering a bit, Bob pulled his collar up, flicking his finished cigarette into the gutter.  Edging out of the doorway, the solitary figure glanced down the vacant street.  On this dark and stormy night, downtown was enveloped in silence of rain smattering off the buildings.