THE AMERICAN DREAM
Crouched silently in the shadows of the night, a small child ponders his fate, and draws tighter across his bony shoulders the tattered remnants of a shirt long since discarded by its original owner. The bitter cold winds of December, which rush through the alley in sporadic gusts, seemed but a minor irritant to the child. His entire being was concentrated on watching the late night Shoppers of the City. His eyes, large and dilated, glowed like wind stoked coals when illuminated by the headlamps of passing automobiles. His hair was shoulder length and beyond, shaggy and brown, and was blown into tangled masses by the wind, yet, the eyes never blinked.
Just then, one of the Shoppers noticed the child, and, being full of the spirit of the Season, he offered a hesitant, sympathetic smile. "And a Merry Christmas to you, my son. 'Tis a cold night, fit for man nor beast, and most especially for a child with no shoes." Stepping closer, the Shopper offered an extended hand which held a dollar bill. The child cringed deeper into the shadows of the alley, and the gurgling growl, animal like in its intensity, which escaped his lips caused a cold finger of fear to tickle its way down the spine of the would be Samaritan Shopper. "Well now, well now" he stammered, "a wild one that deserves to be in a cage he does." Quickly returning to the safety of the lighted street, the Shopper resumes his tour of the local Taverns, and gives an occasional shudder when the memory of the child pierces through his stupor.
The child snorts, and shakes his head, as if trying to rid his nostrils of the stench of bonded Whiskey and bottled Cologne, and creeps back to his vantage point at the mouth of the alley. The hour is growing late, some of the Shops are beginning to close for the night, and the child realizes that he might not eat this day, for there have been precious few opportunities offered by the Shoppers passing his alley. And, for the first time this night, a look of concern furrows his youthful brow, for the child knows that beyond the alley, amid the recent ruins of a Landmark, await two younger children depending on him for their daily fare. His hunger is an old friend. No longer do the crippling cramps of hunger cause tears to flow across his unwashed cheeks. Rather, now they are his reminder that others are depending on him, and an occasional wry smile is the only signal of the painful constrictions of his stomach.
Rising to leave, the child dreams of being warm, and of not being hungry. And, just then, the incessant barking of a mongrel sets off an alarm in his primitive mind, causing the child to hesitate. With the innate knowledge of all hunters, the child is immediately aware that a prey is near. Cat like steps take him back to the edge of the street. The unblinking eyes search for and find the mongrel, and thus, the child spies his prey. An old Shopper, bent with age and the weight of her packages, has stumbled. A bag from the Deli across the street lays torn at her feet. Its contents scattered upon the pavement about her. The mongrel is dancing stiff legged around the Shopper, desperately trying to win one of the scattered prizes for his own. Yet, even in his desperation, the mongrel is ever wary of the cane the old Shopper wields about her head, aiming to strike with painful force. Alas, she is too old, and not so nimble as to fend off the mongrel and gather her spilled belongings at the same time. At best, she can kick the nearest into a pile at her feet, for some have fallen too far to allow her to gather them without the danger of losing the ones closest to her now. The mongrel knows that if he is patient, the old Shopper will tire and, eventually, one of the scattered goodies will be his. He has sensed the helplessness of the old Shopper, and he begins to grow bolder in his dashes towards the spillings.
The child enters the street, and, as he does, the mongrel hesitates, the mongrel knows that a competitor has arrived. The old Shopper is forgotten, and the mongrel turns towards the child to protect what is rightfully his. The hairs on his back bristle, he crouches, growls, and warns the child that this is his prey, and he does not intend to share. Between the warriors, lying in the street, unnoticed until now, is a loaf of fresh baked bread. It's delicate aroma draws their attention, and each warrior decides that this is the prize they will win this night.
A first, cautious step by the child towards the loaf is answered with a tooth bared growl from the mongrel. Another step, the mongrel crouches lower, continuing to growl. Their eyes lock. A moment of frozen hesitation passes as each warrior considers his chances. The mongrel, belly flat against the pavement, the child, half bent at the knees, every muscle tensed. Then, with the blurring speed of a jungle predator, the child leaps with talon clenched fingers towards the loaf. The mongrel responds to the attack, and aims his own towards the naked wrist of the child. Needle sharp teeth sink into the tendons of the bone skinny wrist, yet the grip of the child upon the loaf remains firm.
Locked in mortal combat, the warriors are unaware of the impending danger directed at them. Then, at the last moment, the child turns, and his eyes are illuminated for a brief instant by the headlamps of the automobile going too fast to stop. The shrieking of tires, the sickening crunch of metal against flesh, the screams of not so callous Shopper, and the somehow peaceful sound of blood dripping on pavement are but a blur of sounds in the waning consciousness of the child.
Shoppers begin to gather, some other automobiles even stop, and they watch with gleeful anticipation, as the child tries to rise. His only thought is to reach the womb like safety of the alley, yet, even now, he knows he never will. Voices of Shoppers and Passengers alike fill his ears, his eyes will no longer focus, and the world he has known slowly begins to fade away. And then, falling back to the pavement, the child turns his sightless eyes towards the alley, and he smiles. For the first time, in a long, long time, he is warm, and his old friend hunger does not gnaw at his bowels: The child's fate is realized, his dream has come true.
The blue Uniform with the silver buttons, sparkling like rainbows in the lights of the Emergency Vehicles, stands quietly, confidently, over the lifeless remains. His confident air emits a power strong enough to keep the Shoppers and Passengers a respectful distance, half circled as they are, around the nights entertainment. Not a smile, nor a frown, no emotion is visible on the face of the Uniform. he merely stands there, completely in control, and everyone knows it. Not one onlooker dares to question his authority. The old Shopper with the torn bag from the Deli across the street, sighs, and turns to leave, forgetting the few scattered possessions still laying in the street, for they are not worth her challenging the authority of the Uniform.
Behind the crowd of Shoppers and Passengers, just beyond the flashing lights of the Emergency Vehicles, a mongrel with a half torn loaf of fresh baked bread clenched in his teeth slips into the shadows of an alley. Unnoticed by any and all...........save for two pair of eyes, glowing like wind stoked coals when illuminated by the headlamps of passing automobiles. Silently, they watch him approach, and they wait........
p.rehbein