“You have to get up.”
I jerk awake as a man’s voice like to have scared me to death. He had a huge broom and a bucket for trash. “It’s not safe for you to sleep right here.” His eyes are full of sympathy as he holds out a five dollar bill. “Go get you some breakfast, kid.”
I don’t know what it is about me that makes everyone think I am a little girl. At twenty three years old, I have decided to take advantage of it instead of getting offended. It has helped me get to this place in one piece, I’m sure. Of course, there are still plenty of sicko’s out there, looking like a very young teenager has also brought the attention of people who are into rapping young, helpless girls. Lucky for me, I am not weak, or helpless.
“What time is it?” The man’s eyebrow lifts at the age in my voice. He glances at his watch, “Almost five, about four minutes ‘til. The sun will be up shortly.” He pushes the five dollar bill towards me again. “Take it.” His smile reaches his eyes.
“Thank you.” I say.
“What’s your name?” He pushes his broom but doesn’t step away. Small piles of fine sand and a napkin gather under his feet. When I don’t answer right away, he looks at me again. “No worries, child. I am not going to hurt you.” He stops and held a hand out for me to shake. “Jonas Hill.” He says, smiling still.
“Christian” I say, shaking his hand. “Thank you for the money.” I fold it and push it deep into my back pocket. Stuffing my make shift bed into my saddle bag, I pull the strap over my head and let it rest on my hip. “One day I’ll pay you back.”
“You do that, kid. You do that.” Jonas didn’t say another word as he whistled “Sitting on the dock of the bay” by Otis Redding.
Walking towards the fence that encloses the restaurant, I remember Jacob. I pull the umbrella out of my pocket and twirl it around as I walk towards the main road. I stop and watch a crab walk across the sidewalk and into a small bush. I can’t help but smile. “Now, I just have to figure out how to catch them, and cook them.” I whisper.
There is people everywhere on the road. A man dressed like Batman came running towards me, “Do you want to be my sidekick?” He reeks of alcohol, I smell it before he reaches me. I almost fell as he grabs my bag and tries to pull it off. With my right arm, I grab his hand and pull it straight up and back. A sickening cracking sound fills his ears, his screams of pain fill mine. I let go and he quickly pulls his arm to his chest holding his wrist tightly. “You broke my wrist you little bitch!”
I don’t bother arguing, instead, I hold my bag and run to the left of Mallory Square. Three blocks down, I take the first road I see. I stop running after two miles or so. The sight of an Iguana the size of a small dog, every bit of fifteen pounds or more, and sitting on the sidewalk had me dead in my tracks. It has a bright orange spot on its neck. He looks old and reminds me of something that would have been here with the dinosaurs.
Behind it, there was a huge cement platform. I step closer and I see that it’s marble. A huge gold compass is on the right, bottom corner. The rest is a map. It looks as if someone had taken a huge globe and painted it over the marble slab. Small ships, whales, and the sun setting in the west, helps to make the map look realistic. Every country had a red or blue gem locked into the marble. Squatting, I touch the blue one on Australia. It can’t possibly be real, can it? It would be worth millions, surely.
“Beautiful isn’t it?” I turn to see the red head, Jacob’s volunteer, standing with her arms crossed over her belly. She is wearing a dress, a long thin dress the wind is throwing around her legs. Her shoulders are bare, showing several of her tattoos. There is a sun and moon on her left arm. On her right, vines that wrap all the way around with huge thorns. Butterflies and small flowers of different colors seem to follow the vines up her arm to her collar bone. “How long have you been here?”
