Assignment 4: Post Here!

[Bibbin]

The boy ran along the road, jumping once in a while. There were no shadows in his sight and the sun was shining brightly. He saw and heard the bluebirds and robins building nests or flying while singing. There was no traffic in the street and except for two or three cars, there were not any others. The trees were saying back and forth, the sun making the leaves on the trees branches light up, and be almost
See through.
He skipped along the sidewalk looking in the window of a store that cars and smiling at the two hundred forty thousand dollar price tag of a shiny, blue and red striped, van, which looked to be new. Then he looked at a house that was new, and he saw on it was a sign saying it was on sale for two hundred fifty thousand dollars.

[Ironsword]

The streets were busy and it took a lot of concentration to avoid people, something which can be difficult if your eyes continually seek the floor whenever they can. It’s not that I’m evading the world, rather the inevitable questions that follow chance meetings with old friends, besides I had other things to concentrate on.
I knew this road well; I had trodden its pavements for many years, never thinking anything of it, believing the grey asphalt to be eternal, as my youth had felt. It was unrecognisable as the semi-bucolic lane from my childhood, its old decaying heart ripped from it, before it could fester. The skeletons of new mid-rises stood dark and grey against the blue sky, plastic sheeting that hung from those concrete bones fluttered gently in the wind.
I kept trudging toward my destination, determined to be prepared before the end, the grimy sidewalk matching my demeanor. On the corner was the first Presbyterian Church. Its old crumbling façade needed more than the twenty dollars at Sunday alms to stop it from falling apart, and I in turn, needed the church to stop falling apart.
I was broken from my reverie, by a woman that pushed past with a broad grin on her face, unaware of how fortunate she was. I just stood for a while and watched her go. At least I’d provided for my daughter; I hoped she’d enjoy her life more than I had.
The gentle humming of the neon cross slowly brought me back to myself. The lurid pink crucifix had never been to my tastes and even now I did not have the heart, or even one decent lung, to forgive it. It seemed to say ‘Worship outlet here’ amidst the burger bars and boutiques. Even this sanctuary had to change with the world, beyond though, I was glad that its great green churchyard remained steadfast. It stretched away scattered with granite and marble stones; one destined for me. It was the last link to that childhood boy who’d walked up and down this street. At that moment and for the first time in my life, I was looking at the past, present and future simultaneously.

The town had finally become my playground and full of promise. The worn pavements, whilst not made of gold had a lustre that yesterday would have been impossible to see. I had a skip in my step that belied my good mood; the inheritance lawyers had cleansed all my doubts and gloom.
The old had been swept away with the beautiful possibilities of the new and the street reflected that. There were developments everywhere, the futuristic glass and steel gave the road an element of a new frontier where the long encrusted grime was replaced by hi-tech cleanliness. It was exciting and now I could be a part of it.
The retail outlets all shone their signs at me as I walked, enticing me to part from my new found wealth. I had a strange urge to get a pedicure, a new haircut and a pair of killer heels. Finally, I felt as if I could look as good as the all the pretty girls who stared seductively from their advertising boards.
I wanted to be all the things my dad could never achieve, he’d spent his days walking these streets, however, despite their new allure, I could set my hopes further. The TV world of designer flats and luxury holidays would be my credo and I harboured dreams of moving uptown.
I came to the soot stained church where my father was interred and I paused to think of him, the man who’d deserted me and made me faithless had left me a horde of my new god, lucre.
The granite edifice hadn't evolved and a property developer had posted huge billboards outlining their view of a new dawn for the acres of green space at the back. The churchyard was being moved wholesale to the suburbs, ironic that in death my father would finally be in the neighbourhood he’d aspired to. The tacky pink cross was blinking on and off at irregular intervals, the sign was coming to the end of its days, as was the church. I was just beginning mine.

[flyd]

Even though it was nearly noon, it was still fairly dark. The sun and the sky were obscured by low, grey clouds. Although the pavement was still mostly dry, it had started to rain. The people on the busy sidewalk scrambled to deploy their umbrellas and don their hoods. A man wearing a long, brown coat stepped out of one the buildings adjacent to the street. He stood there for a moment, put his hands in pockets, and began to walk down the street. He was not looking ahead, but down at the pavement, with his chin buried in the coat, and sinking deeper with every gust of wind. He walked slowly. The people walking in the same direction as him seemed to pass him no slower than those walking in the opposite direction. Though the sidewalk was busy and he was not looking ahead, he did not bump into people. The mass of people parted before him and closed behind him with perfection. As he came upon a small street, he began to cross without looking, and stepped in front of a yellow taxi, which was forced to brake hard, locking its wheels and skidding on the slippery asphalt. The man did not notice until the taxi driver honked at him, and began yelling obscene language out of the open window. Other people barely took notice of the incident. The man then came upon a bigger street, and stopped as the traffic light was red. A woman stopped next to him, and their eyes met for a moment, but both quickly glanced away. The light turned green, and the man started across the street, though with a half-second delay compared to everyone else. Across the street, the man came upon an entrance to the subway, and walked down the stairs, slipping below the surface.

***

Even though it was still raining lightly, patches of blue could now be seen through the overcast. Some of the people on the busy sidewalk began to stow their umbrellas and remove their hoods. A man wearing a long, light brown coat stepped out of one of the buildings adjacent to the street. He stood there for a moment, looked up at the sky, and then took off his coat and extended his arms. After a moment, he slung his coat over his arm, and started walking down the street at a quick pace. Wearing just a light sweater, he was drawing the attention of most of the passers by, who were all dressed in heavy coats and gave him looks of confusion, though most with smiles. He picked up his pace, and often nearly bumped into people, more than once doing that awkward dance that happens when you can't agree with a stranger on which side of each other you should pass. As he came upon a small street, he nearly stepped out in front of a yellow taxi, which began to brake, as the man quickly hopped to his side and behind the car, allowing it to pass by unimpeded. The driver gave him a quick wave as he merged onto the main street in front of a slow-moving bus. The man then came upon a bigger street, and stopped as the traffic light was red. A woman stopped next to him, and they looked at each other.
She smiled at him, and asked, "aren't you cold?"
"No! Why would I be?" he answered with a smile.
"Well, it's --" she was interrupted as he put his coat around her shoulders, even though she was already wearing a coat.
She laughed, but before she could say anything else, the light had turned green, and he was already halfway across the street. On the other side, he came upon an entrance to the subway, but as he walked toward it, a nearby bar caught his attention. He stopped, looked at his watch, shrugged, and walked into the bar, followed by the woman who had his coat.