Jack couldn't understand why his world turned upside down. He was perfectly content not know where his long lost father lived. But the letter changed all that and had brought Jack to his God forsaken city. Mr. Evans sent Jack a letter a few months before he met his untimely death. In the letter, he pleaded with Jack to come to the city. He had finally realized that he missed his estranged son and wanted to make amends.
Standing among the spilled pots next to the ponds filled with debris, he surveyed the world below and thought of the irony of the whole thing. Lost father, now found, now dead before Jack could say hello or where the hell have you been, or give me all that child support you never sent.
He may have no choice now but to leave the roof and get supplies. He hadn't left the roof in what felt like years. As he looked out across the park, trees mixed with trash cans and people seemed to wander around in a daze.
He turned away, sighed, said aloud, "Alright, then," He paused at the rooftop door. "It's time I go below."
On the long walk down, Jack had a sinking feeling that Mr. Evan's death would go unresolved. Just as he turned the corner to pass the 5th floor, Mr. Bellman came hurrying-up the stairs looking furtively at Jack as he hurried by. Jack heard him mutter something about a box.
As Jack walked out of the lobby door, he headed immediately toward Grandma's Grits. There, he felt, there may be coffee to settle his nerves and maybe a bit of food.
As he sat waiting on his food, someone put money in the jukebox, and Jack faded in and out of listening "Oh, oh, oh, Call me Mr. Rattlebones..."
"Figures," Jack thought. "Mr. Evans bones are rattling around in my mind."
Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Friday, November 16, 2018
Post #2 - The Garden of
Jack didn't really have much work to do on the roof. Surprisingly, the main Koi Pond was in fairly good shape and someone had cultivated succulents in the various pots around the roof garden. So Jack spend most of time cleaning the pond, feeding the Koi, which were quite numerous and working on the second pond that wasn't functioning. He cleared the space between the two, cleared the second pond, replaced some plants and now he sat watching the koi move from one pond to another.
It was really quite pleasant sitting by the pond considering the rest of the town seemed lost in the details of their lives.
"That's it," he spoke to the koi swimming by. "It's time to bring the garden to the people, or the people to the garden."
So he gathered small seedling pots, and separated some larger plants, and transplanted them. He stood gazing over his projects.
For the rest of the evening, as the sun was going down, he labelled the pots for delivery to the residents. By 3 AM he had delivered to Anna, Arizona, and Brendan a "Flaming Katy"
to Caris, Cleo, and Joseph a "Panda Plant" to Letitia, Luca, and Pierre a "Crown of Thorns" he thought they all needed a little light and interest in their lives.
To Eliana, Marie, and Violet a Burro's tail because, well, he couldn't really explain why.
He thought Tyson, Don Tom and Apollo along with Ollie needed a bit of Aloe Vera.
Finally, Maple, Master Gooway and Violet would receive a larger sampling of Jade Plants. For some reason, Jack thought that they needed a Bonsai variation - they needed a hobby to calm themselves.
It was really quite pleasant sitting by the pond considering the rest of the town seemed lost in the details of their lives.
"That's it," he spoke to the koi swimming by. "It's time to bring the garden to the people, or the people to the garden."
So he gathered small seedling pots, and separated some larger plants, and transplanted them. He stood gazing over his projects.
For the rest of the evening, as the sun was going down, he labelled the pots for delivery to the residents. By 3 AM he had delivered to Anna, Arizona, and Brendan a "Flaming Katy"
to Caris, Cleo, and Joseph a "Panda Plant" to Letitia, Luca, and Pierre a "Crown of Thorns" he thought they all needed a little light and interest in their lives.
To Eliana, Marie, and Violet a Burro's tail because, well, he couldn't really explain why.
He thought Tyson, Don Tom and Apollo along with Ollie needed a bit of Aloe Vera.
Finally, Maple, Master Gooway and Violet would receive a larger sampling of Jade Plants. For some reason, Jack thought that they needed a Bonsai variation - they needed a hobby to calm themselves.
Monday, November 12, 2018
Deus Ex Machina
His day started at midnight. He stood on the roof amid the days which stretch out in both directions. Time was one continuous string. No beginning, no end, only now. He stretched his arms as far as they would go in each direction as if trying to be a part of it.
He began humming an old Patsy Cline tune, searching the sky for the Pleiades amid the patchy, ghostly clouds. 3,000 stars like 3,000 wishes he, with outstretched arms, was willing to bestow on this apartment building and its people.
"92 simple elements make up most of the known universe, " he said. "But everything seems so complicated here. Where do I begin? With whom? What does saving look like?"
He dropped his arms, looked around and saw that he had a place to stay for a while. "This roof will do," He said. Years had past and this place seemed forsaken. The death of Mr. Evans changed all that.
He arrived on this roof amid the stars of the Pleiades as they rose into the clearing night sky. The rain cleared the air. The brightest of them appeared. Jack lifted one arm to the sky, closed one eye, and pointed into the center of the cluster.
"There you go, Mr. Evans," he whispered.
The waxing gibbous moon appeared to his left, rising up against the building to light the roof. He wedged open the door to the small apartment now flooded with moonlight and disappeared into its depths.
He began humming an old Patsy Cline tune, searching the sky for the Pleiades amid the patchy, ghostly clouds. 3,000 stars like 3,000 wishes he, with outstretched arms, was willing to bestow on this apartment building and its people.
"92 simple elements make up most of the known universe, " he said. "But everything seems so complicated here. Where do I begin? With whom? What does saving look like?"
He dropped his arms, looked around and saw that he had a place to stay for a while. "This roof will do," He said. Years had past and this place seemed forsaken. The death of Mr. Evans changed all that.
He arrived on this roof amid the stars of the Pleiades as they rose into the clearing night sky. The rain cleared the air. The brightest of them appeared. Jack lifted one arm to the sky, closed one eye, and pointed into the center of the cluster.
"There you go, Mr. Evans," he whispered.
The waxing gibbous moon appeared to his left, rising up against the building to light the roof. He wedged open the door to the small apartment now flooded with moonlight and disappeared into its depths.
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