01-29-2018, 04:17 PM
<style type="text/css">.moggett_container {position: relative;z-index: 1;width: 440px; /*frame width*/padding: 10px;background: #101010; /*background color*/border: 0px solid #000; /*border size, style, and color*/}.moggett_container p {margin: 0;}.moggett_image {border: 0px solid #000; /*image border size, style, and color*/}.moggett_message {text-align: center;font: 12px 'Helvetica', serif; /*message font size and face*/padding: 15px 0;color: #dddcda; /*message font color*/}.moggett_name {text-align: center;font: 30px 'Helvetica', serif; /*name font size and face*/color: #545453; /*message font color*/padding: 0;}.moggett_quote {text-align: center;font: 12px 'Helvetica', serif; /*quote font size and face*/color: #b2b1b0; /*quote font color*/padding: 0;}</style><center><div class="moggett_container"><img class="moggett_image" src="https://s10.postimg.org/gfgt6qosp/6c302abccef72f811257181eb030579e_1.jpg">;<p class="moggett_message">“Hey man, what do you think you’re doing in here? It’s almost 2AM dude! Come with me.”
The man was large with muscles bulging out of his blue uniform, but the sight of a small, middle-aged man with disheveled salt-and-pepper hair tumbling out of (what he was sure had been) an empty row of books had left him visibly shaken. Nevertheless, the security guard picked the much-smaller man up by his ragged black leather jacket and wheeled him towards the exit. He was used to finding homeless men and women in the library’s nooks and crannies after hours, especially in the colder months… but he had secured the building twice already this shift and there had been that weird POP noise that just didn’t seem like it belonged to the building or the man. Undeterred, the guard grabbed the carabiner of keys from his belt loop and unlocked the door and pushed the intruder out before locking the door behind him with gusto.
Outside now, in the harsh artificial light of the street lamps, Moggett stands confused. He looks down and sees the two legs, the dangling limbs, the strange clothing. He had been transformed into one of the aliens he had met in his previous nightmare. He shivers despite the warm summer night air. What had he done to deserve this? Looking up and down the street he can see no forest to retreat to, no building with fresh hay either. Just long stretches of pavement lined with tall buildings on either side. Confused and scared, Moggett crouches down at the base of the steps that lead up to the building he had just been removed from and hugs his knees into his chest, hoping to become as small as possible.
Daylight gives him some relief from the strange orange lights, but more and more of the alien creatures come and go around him now. They all seem to be busy, or to have somewhere they are going. Moggett watches warily from the base of the steps, but no one seems to notice him. He is beginning to wonder if he had actually turned invisible when he hears a sigh from behind him and he turns to see the large man in blue from the night before. “It’s open now, you can go back in. But I better not catch you in here again tonight, you understand me? This may be a public library, but it has hours of operation. You can’t sleep here.” The security guard says all of this while walking down the steps, clearly frustrated and tired after a long shift.
“Where should I sleep?” He asks meekly, realizing that he is very tired after all. The guard shifts uncomfortably, not wanting to face the human aspect of homelessness (he didn’t get paid enough for this, he decides). “I don’t know man, just not here. I think there is a list of shelters and stuff at the info desk if you need it.” Then he hurries off, hoping that his next shift will be much less alarming. Moggett watches him go and then looks back up at the building behind him. In the light he can see letters carved into the stone above its doors: “Library”. He wonders for a moment what that means before getting himself up and heading inside.
There are more creatures here now and all of the lights are on. The building hums with activity but is eerily quiet at the same time. Before him is a large circular desk which says “Information and Circulation” in big black letters on a sign that hangs above it. There are all sorts of papers, fliers, and brochures that line the surface of the desk and Moggett slowly moves to examine them, hoping the muscly man had been correct. As he tries to make sense of what he is looking at, a small female creature with her golden hair pulled up in a tight bun comes up to him with a smile. “Anything I could help you find today, sir?” Moggett flinches at her squeaky, cheery voice which seemed much too loud. “Umm, I just want to find a place to sleep…” His words barely leave his mouth they are so quiet. He keeps his earth-colored eyes on the sea of brightly colored papers before him, hoping that she will lose interest in him. Instead, she grabs a paper from the group and holds it out to him. Moggett reaches for it almost instinctively and when he takes it he can see that she has a sad look in her blue eyes. “The Bayan House is only a block from here, you could try there.” Her voice is much softer than before and she gives him a gentle smile before turning to assist another patron.
---
Finding the house had been a task, but he had managed and the kind people had provided him with a bed, blanket and pillow without asking too many questions. He slept deeply despite being surrounded by at least 10 other men, tired as he was from his exploits. When he woke, he stumbled upon a community room which was empty save for one little girl sitting at a table reading a book. Moggett moved into the room and sat in a large chair, trying to get his wits about him, but the little girl (perhaps 6 or 7 years old, with bushy brown hair and freckles) comes over to him and taps him on his shoulder. Moggett flinches, but the girl seems relatively harmless as she smiles, showing off a missing tooth. “Hey, can you help me read this?”
Moggett looks down at the thin book in the girl’s hands which she has pushed towards him. It has a colorful picture of a unicorn on it which makes his stomach tie into a little knot. “Erm, sure I guess.” He gulps and takes the book gingerly, but almost cries out when the little girl swings up into the chair beside him and nestles in. Over the initial shock, he realizes that he doesn’t mind this too much and he opens the book. Before he can begin reading, however, the little girl points at the picture of the white, sparkly unicorn and says in a near whisper “My friend Ashley says she has seen a unicorn at the library before.” Her face is taut in solemnity as she divulges this fresh piece of news to her new friend. Moggett looks at her blankly, unsure of what to say in response. She takes his silence as permission to continue. “I didn’t believe her, but then Valerie and Nikki said they had seen one too! I want to go see for myself, but Dad is really busy and Mom is still in the hospital…” Her words fade away as she seems to become lost in thought.
Moggett thinks for a moment and then says, just as quietly “I didn’t see any unicorn when I was at the library, but maybe we could go look?” Perhaps, if there were a unicorn, it could get him back to his original form and maybe even back home. It was worth a shot. Also, if he was with the girl there might be less of a chance that he would be kicked out by the muscly man in blue. The girl’s hazel eyes light up with delight and she clasps her hands together tightly in excitement. “I really want to go see! Miss Anne is taking me to the hospital tonight to see Mom… can we go tomorrow when I get back from school?” Moggett doesn’t know who Miss Anne is, or what a hospital or a school was, but he didn’t mind waiting until tomorrow to revisit the library. "Sure" he says simply. The little girl jumps up from the chair and grabs the book from Moggett’s hands, hugging it to her chest. “Ok! See you tomorrow!” She runs out the door but just as quickly pops her head back into the room to add “My name's Jenny by the way! What’s yours?” “Oh… Moggett.” He stammers, unaccustomed to the boisterousness of youth. Jenny smiles her gap-toothed grin and takes off once more.
---
The next morning Moggett settles back into the comfortable chair in the community room. There were more people today. Some read newspapers, others clicked away at whirring boxes that had lighted pictures that moved around, while others still just sat and talked. Moggett grabbed a magazine from the table to stare at, mainly so he wouldn’t be disturbed. At one point a woman came in and announced that there would be mock interviews being held in another room in half an hour for anyone interested. Much to his relief many of the room’s occupants followed this woman out. By about lunchtime Moggett was wondering if Jenny would be coming after all or if he should just go to the library without her. He decided to go get some lunch and then sit outside for a while to get a bit of fresh air. He took his lunch to a bench outside the house and ate, observing the strange world pass him by.
After an hour or so children began to walk by, so he began to scan their faces for any sign of Jenny. When he finally spotted the bushy-haired girl he almost didn’t recognize her; she stood at the corner, bag hanging limply from her hand, as she watched another child her age cross the street hand-in-hand with what appeared to be their mother. The child was smiling and talking to the woman, who smiled in return. Jenny did not move until the pair turned a corner and was out of sight, then, as if on autopilot, she began to move mechanically towards the house. Upon seeing Moggett, her demeanor changed drastically and she suddenly seemed much more like she had the day before, despite the drawn look around her eyes. “Hi Moggett! Are you ready to go to the library?” He stood up and she grabbed his hand happily, skipping along beside him. Never having been around children (of this variety or his own kind), he was uncomfortable but he simply kept walking towards the only other building he knew.
When they arrived, Jenny let go of his hand and ran up the steps, throwing open the door excitedly. “Let’s go!” She encouraged and Moggett picked up his pace, not wanting to leave her waiting. When they got inside she seemed much less sure of herself. Moggett leaned down to her and whispered “Where should we look?” She looked around, and, having made a decision, headed off to the left. Moggett followed her lead and they began walking down rows and rows of books. Every once in a while, Jenny would take one off the shelf and examine it, as if looking for clues. For his part, Moggett kept his eye out for any large men in blue. After several minutes of this, Jenny finally tugged at Moggett’s jacket and showed him a book that looked much like the one she had yesterday. “I think we’re in the right section!” She whispered furtively and then continued her search. Intrigued, Moggett also began to look more closely at the books, pulling some off of the higher shelves that Jenny couldn’t reach.
A sudden gasp arose out of the girl and Moggett jumped to see what was the matter. Jenny was squatting, both hands on the ground, peering into the space a book had left open on the bottom shelf. A light was hitting her face as if she were looking out a window onto a bright sunshiny day. “Look!” She said quietly and Moggett knelt down and pushed his face next to hers to see a very familiar scene. It was the land he had lived in temporarily as a unicorn. He could see the others grazing peacefully in a field of golden grass and he felt the warmth of the breeze on his face. He was about to try to call out to them when movement nearby caused Jenny to quickly place the book back into its spot on the shelf and stand upright. Alarmed, Moggett turned to look and saw a larger woman in a dress running towards them. She grabbed Jenny in a hug and glanced apprehensively at the raggedy man on the floor. “Jenny, the shelter called and told me you hadn’t checked in after school! I was so worried. We need to go dear.” Jenny held her ground stubbornly for a moment. “I just wanted to go to the library to find another book to read. I didn’t go alone, my friend Moggett came with me.” Moggett, suddenly in the spotlight, turned red from embarrassment but tried to smile nonetheless. The large woman, obviously not pleased with this, grabbed Jenny by the hand. “We can talk about this later, dear. We need to go. Your mother…” Her words caught in her throat, but it was all she needed to say as the girl was suddenly bolting for the exit, having left her bag, her book, and any hope at meeting a mystical creature behind. The large woman followed hastily and Moggett stood and followed after both of them at a safe distance.
When they returned to the house Moggett could see that the woman was now crouching next to a man who sat on the bench Moggett had occupied not long ago. He did not seem to see her or hear anything she was saying; his head hung in his hands and he stared at the empty space before him. Jenny stood off to the side, arms hanging limply as she watched the scene before her unfold. She doesn’t react when the man suddenly stands and heads inside, yelling over his shoulder “I don’t know why you bothered to call me off work. How the fuck am I ever supposed to get us out of this hellhole if I don’t work? Nothing I can do here!" Incensed, the large woman stands and yells after him, her tone bordering on parental, “Your daughter needs you, John!” but he is already through the door. The woman moves to hug Jenny but the girl simply crumples to the sidewalk, a high-pitched wail rising from her small body. Moggett can hear the woman trying to make comforting noises, but they are consumed by the girl’s grief as she screams one word over and over again, her anguish washing over them like waves. That night, after Jenny had been carried away and Moggett had forced himself to bed he knew for certain that whenever he heard the word “mommy” in passing, for the rest of his days, he would be transported back to this night, watching her little form sob on the sidewalk in the orange glow of the street lamps. </p><p class="moggett_name">moggett</p><p class="moggett_quote">I’m a weight around your neck</p></div></center>
2,479 words
1) A frightened security guard
2) A children's book
3) An amazing rumor that turns out to be true.
Probably not as sad for those who haven't worked in human services, but was a doozy to write, lemme tell ya.
The man was large with muscles bulging out of his blue uniform, but the sight of a small, middle-aged man with disheveled salt-and-pepper hair tumbling out of (what he was sure had been) an empty row of books had left him visibly shaken. Nevertheless, the security guard picked the much-smaller man up by his ragged black leather jacket and wheeled him towards the exit. He was used to finding homeless men and women in the library’s nooks and crannies after hours, especially in the colder months… but he had secured the building twice already this shift and there had been that weird POP noise that just didn’t seem like it belonged to the building or the man. Undeterred, the guard grabbed the carabiner of keys from his belt loop and unlocked the door and pushed the intruder out before locking the door behind him with gusto.
Outside now, in the harsh artificial light of the street lamps, Moggett stands confused. He looks down and sees the two legs, the dangling limbs, the strange clothing. He had been transformed into one of the aliens he had met in his previous nightmare. He shivers despite the warm summer night air. What had he done to deserve this? Looking up and down the street he can see no forest to retreat to, no building with fresh hay either. Just long stretches of pavement lined with tall buildings on either side. Confused and scared, Moggett crouches down at the base of the steps that lead up to the building he had just been removed from and hugs his knees into his chest, hoping to become as small as possible.
Daylight gives him some relief from the strange orange lights, but more and more of the alien creatures come and go around him now. They all seem to be busy, or to have somewhere they are going. Moggett watches warily from the base of the steps, but no one seems to notice him. He is beginning to wonder if he had actually turned invisible when he hears a sigh from behind him and he turns to see the large man in blue from the night before. “It’s open now, you can go back in. But I better not catch you in here again tonight, you understand me? This may be a public library, but it has hours of operation. You can’t sleep here.” The security guard says all of this while walking down the steps, clearly frustrated and tired after a long shift.
“Where should I sleep?” He asks meekly, realizing that he is very tired after all. The guard shifts uncomfortably, not wanting to face the human aspect of homelessness (he didn’t get paid enough for this, he decides). “I don’t know man, just not here. I think there is a list of shelters and stuff at the info desk if you need it.” Then he hurries off, hoping that his next shift will be much less alarming. Moggett watches him go and then looks back up at the building behind him. In the light he can see letters carved into the stone above its doors: “Library”. He wonders for a moment what that means before getting himself up and heading inside.
There are more creatures here now and all of the lights are on. The building hums with activity but is eerily quiet at the same time. Before him is a large circular desk which says “Information and Circulation” in big black letters on a sign that hangs above it. There are all sorts of papers, fliers, and brochures that line the surface of the desk and Moggett slowly moves to examine them, hoping the muscly man had been correct. As he tries to make sense of what he is looking at, a small female creature with her golden hair pulled up in a tight bun comes up to him with a smile. “Anything I could help you find today, sir?” Moggett flinches at her squeaky, cheery voice which seemed much too loud. “Umm, I just want to find a place to sleep…” His words barely leave his mouth they are so quiet. He keeps his earth-colored eyes on the sea of brightly colored papers before him, hoping that she will lose interest in him. Instead, she grabs a paper from the group and holds it out to him. Moggett reaches for it almost instinctively and when he takes it he can see that she has a sad look in her blue eyes. “The Bayan House is only a block from here, you could try there.” Her voice is much softer than before and she gives him a gentle smile before turning to assist another patron.
---
Finding the house had been a task, but he had managed and the kind people had provided him with a bed, blanket and pillow without asking too many questions. He slept deeply despite being surrounded by at least 10 other men, tired as he was from his exploits. When he woke, he stumbled upon a community room which was empty save for one little girl sitting at a table reading a book. Moggett moved into the room and sat in a large chair, trying to get his wits about him, but the little girl (perhaps 6 or 7 years old, with bushy brown hair and freckles) comes over to him and taps him on his shoulder. Moggett flinches, but the girl seems relatively harmless as she smiles, showing off a missing tooth. “Hey, can you help me read this?”
Moggett looks down at the thin book in the girl’s hands which she has pushed towards him. It has a colorful picture of a unicorn on it which makes his stomach tie into a little knot. “Erm, sure I guess.” He gulps and takes the book gingerly, but almost cries out when the little girl swings up into the chair beside him and nestles in. Over the initial shock, he realizes that he doesn’t mind this too much and he opens the book. Before he can begin reading, however, the little girl points at the picture of the white, sparkly unicorn and says in a near whisper “My friend Ashley says she has seen a unicorn at the library before.” Her face is taut in solemnity as she divulges this fresh piece of news to her new friend. Moggett looks at her blankly, unsure of what to say in response. She takes his silence as permission to continue. “I didn’t believe her, but then Valerie and Nikki said they had seen one too! I want to go see for myself, but Dad is really busy and Mom is still in the hospital…” Her words fade away as she seems to become lost in thought.
Moggett thinks for a moment and then says, just as quietly “I didn’t see any unicorn when I was at the library, but maybe we could go look?” Perhaps, if there were a unicorn, it could get him back to his original form and maybe even back home. It was worth a shot. Also, if he was with the girl there might be less of a chance that he would be kicked out by the muscly man in blue. The girl’s hazel eyes light up with delight and she clasps her hands together tightly in excitement. “I really want to go see! Miss Anne is taking me to the hospital tonight to see Mom… can we go tomorrow when I get back from school?” Moggett doesn’t know who Miss Anne is, or what a hospital or a school was, but he didn’t mind waiting until tomorrow to revisit the library. "Sure" he says simply. The little girl jumps up from the chair and grabs the book from Moggett’s hands, hugging it to her chest. “Ok! See you tomorrow!” She runs out the door but just as quickly pops her head back into the room to add “My name's Jenny by the way! What’s yours?” “Oh… Moggett.” He stammers, unaccustomed to the boisterousness of youth. Jenny smiles her gap-toothed grin and takes off once more.
---
The next morning Moggett settles back into the comfortable chair in the community room. There were more people today. Some read newspapers, others clicked away at whirring boxes that had lighted pictures that moved around, while others still just sat and talked. Moggett grabbed a magazine from the table to stare at, mainly so he wouldn’t be disturbed. At one point a woman came in and announced that there would be mock interviews being held in another room in half an hour for anyone interested. Much to his relief many of the room’s occupants followed this woman out. By about lunchtime Moggett was wondering if Jenny would be coming after all or if he should just go to the library without her. He decided to go get some lunch and then sit outside for a while to get a bit of fresh air. He took his lunch to a bench outside the house and ate, observing the strange world pass him by.
After an hour or so children began to walk by, so he began to scan their faces for any sign of Jenny. When he finally spotted the bushy-haired girl he almost didn’t recognize her; she stood at the corner, bag hanging limply from her hand, as she watched another child her age cross the street hand-in-hand with what appeared to be their mother. The child was smiling and talking to the woman, who smiled in return. Jenny did not move until the pair turned a corner and was out of sight, then, as if on autopilot, she began to move mechanically towards the house. Upon seeing Moggett, her demeanor changed drastically and she suddenly seemed much more like she had the day before, despite the drawn look around her eyes. “Hi Moggett! Are you ready to go to the library?” He stood up and she grabbed his hand happily, skipping along beside him. Never having been around children (of this variety or his own kind), he was uncomfortable but he simply kept walking towards the only other building he knew.
When they arrived, Jenny let go of his hand and ran up the steps, throwing open the door excitedly. “Let’s go!” She encouraged and Moggett picked up his pace, not wanting to leave her waiting. When they got inside she seemed much less sure of herself. Moggett leaned down to her and whispered “Where should we look?” She looked around, and, having made a decision, headed off to the left. Moggett followed her lead and they began walking down rows and rows of books. Every once in a while, Jenny would take one off the shelf and examine it, as if looking for clues. For his part, Moggett kept his eye out for any large men in blue. After several minutes of this, Jenny finally tugged at Moggett’s jacket and showed him a book that looked much like the one she had yesterday. “I think we’re in the right section!” She whispered furtively and then continued her search. Intrigued, Moggett also began to look more closely at the books, pulling some off of the higher shelves that Jenny couldn’t reach.
A sudden gasp arose out of the girl and Moggett jumped to see what was the matter. Jenny was squatting, both hands on the ground, peering into the space a book had left open on the bottom shelf. A light was hitting her face as if she were looking out a window onto a bright sunshiny day. “Look!” She said quietly and Moggett knelt down and pushed his face next to hers to see a very familiar scene. It was the land he had lived in temporarily as a unicorn. He could see the others grazing peacefully in a field of golden grass and he felt the warmth of the breeze on his face. He was about to try to call out to them when movement nearby caused Jenny to quickly place the book back into its spot on the shelf and stand upright. Alarmed, Moggett turned to look and saw a larger woman in a dress running towards them. She grabbed Jenny in a hug and glanced apprehensively at the raggedy man on the floor. “Jenny, the shelter called and told me you hadn’t checked in after school! I was so worried. We need to go dear.” Jenny held her ground stubbornly for a moment. “I just wanted to go to the library to find another book to read. I didn’t go alone, my friend Moggett came with me.” Moggett, suddenly in the spotlight, turned red from embarrassment but tried to smile nonetheless. The large woman, obviously not pleased with this, grabbed Jenny by the hand. “We can talk about this later, dear. We need to go. Your mother…” Her words caught in her throat, but it was all she needed to say as the girl was suddenly bolting for the exit, having left her bag, her book, and any hope at meeting a mystical creature behind. The large woman followed hastily and Moggett stood and followed after both of them at a safe distance.
When they returned to the house Moggett could see that the woman was now crouching next to a man who sat on the bench Moggett had occupied not long ago. He did not seem to see her or hear anything she was saying; his head hung in his hands and he stared at the empty space before him. Jenny stood off to the side, arms hanging limply as she watched the scene before her unfold. She doesn’t react when the man suddenly stands and heads inside, yelling over his shoulder “I don’t know why you bothered to call me off work. How the fuck am I ever supposed to get us out of this hellhole if I don’t work? Nothing I can do here!" Incensed, the large woman stands and yells after him, her tone bordering on parental, “Your daughter needs you, John!” but he is already through the door. The woman moves to hug Jenny but the girl simply crumples to the sidewalk, a high-pitched wail rising from her small body. Moggett can hear the woman trying to make comforting noises, but they are consumed by the girl’s grief as she screams one word over and over again, her anguish washing over them like waves. That night, after Jenny had been carried away and Moggett had forced himself to bed he knew for certain that whenever he heard the word “mommy” in passing, for the rest of his days, he would be transported back to this night, watching her little form sob on the sidewalk in the orange glow of the street lamps. </p><p class="moggett_name">moggett</p><p class="moggett_quote">I’m a weight around your neck</p></div></center>
2,479 words
1) A frightened security guard
2) A children's book
3) An amazing rumor that turns out to be true.
Probably not as sad for those who haven't worked in human services, but was a doozy to write, lemme tell ya.