Human Being

Part 1

All he could hear was distorted sounds. Sounds like nails on a chalkboard. Scraping, squealing sounds. If these noise was words, not one syllable was recognizable. And they hurt. He thought his ears were bleeding but they never were.

He uncovered one eye to see two figures standing before him. Tall creatures. Most of them were tall when you’re lying on the ground. Red skin. Red glowing eyes. Out of fear, he covered his eye.

The big one was familiar. The big one brought him coffee. Coffee kept him warm. Alive.

That simple act of uncovering his eye lowered his body temperature, he estimated 2%. Shivering, he wrapped himself back in his nest.

“I don’t understand.”

With a huff; instead of saying, ‘you’re an idiot child’. Chuck softly said, “Wayne, he’s a human being.”

“But he stinks. In the heat of summer you can smell him ah mile away.”

“Wayne.” Chuck scolded. He bent over and placed a cup of hot coffee close to the bundle of rags under a weather beaten tarp.

“Why do you do that?” Wayne pointed at the cup.

“Why not?”

“Ah good cup of joe will cost you at least $3.00.”

“We’re cops. Coffee’s free.”

“But why waste good joe on,” he hesitated, pointing, “that?”

“Son, you’re young. You’ve gotta lot to learn.”

He could smell the coffee. He waited until they had left before he pulled it inside his rag cocoon. Ahhhh, coffee. Despite the bitter cold, it was still warm. Delicious coffee. He thanked God for the coffee. And asked him to take care of this nice blob. Was that right? It felt right.

He didn’t understand where all the blobs came from. There were small ones. Tall ones. Big ones. Little ones. Slender ones. But they all shrieked. They all were red with glowing red eyes. When he looked at his hands or feet, he didn’t look red. Why was he different? Is that why the blobs were mean to him?

Winter came and went. He was still alive. How? Why? Had he not paid for his sins, yet? Sin? What was sin?

Spring brought rain, storms, and wetness. Birds were singing. He opened his eye to see a woman sitting on the ground not far from him.

A WOMAN! Not a red blob with red eyes. A woman. He was numb. His mind recognized another person? This was a person? She was smiling.

“Hi.” With gentle motion, she placed a styrofoam box close to him. “Happy Easter.”

He looked at the box. When he looked back in her direction, she was gone.

The box was real. His stomach did summersaults as he inhaled deeply at its contents: ham, potato salad, broccoli casserole, rolls. A little bag of jelly beans. A couple decorated Easter eggs. A small stuffed rabbit. And a hand full of Bible tracks. He cried. Real tears. He couldn’t stop crying.

Blobs brought him offerings from time to time. He was a little afraid of the blobs. Many times he would let natures creatures taste it before he did. If the ants didn’t die; then he theorized, it wouldn’t kill him. He would brush the insects off in a pile, give them a hunk of whatever he had before consuming the rest.

But this offering was different. He wasn’t afraid of it. Plastic utensils were in the box for an Easter feast. What was Easter?

There were 4 Bible tracks. The pictures, he thought he understood. After opening one; a handful of the words were recognizable . The, I, Jesus, a, God. Words a child could read. The rest of the words were a mixed up mess of scribbles and symbols.

Every night he cuddled with the small rabbit. It reminded him of her.