The Shortest Leap
He found that he was on line at a fast food restaraunt, waiting to order. It was unusually loud, even for an establishment of its nature. This should easy to fake my way throught, Sam thought. Should be, but it never is. If I order a burger then I'll find I've leaped into a vegetarian. If I just order fries and a drink, I'll be in someone furiously dieting. And I'll find some way to cover; I always do.
A car pulled into a parking space outside as the customer two spaces ahead of Sam took her food and went to sit down. Then the customer ahead of Sam ordered while a family of four got out of the car. By the time this customer got his food the family was at the back of the line.
It was Sam's turn now. As he approached the counter he looked around for clues. If I'm lucky there'll be a newspaper someone left on the counter. It was then he noticed the state of chaos in the back. There seemed to be an inordinate number of trainees, and one assistant manager working a register while trying direct or assist all the other stations at once. She looked understandably frazzled and more than a little irritable while she, somehow, managed to keep the place running.
Sam made eye contact with her for a moment. "Well," he smiled, "at least it can only get better." Just then, one of the trainees dropped an extra large drink right behind the overworked manager, splashing soda onto the backs of her legs.
Sam's friendly smile turned a bit sheepish. "Oh, boy" he said with a sigh.
The tired young woman, who now had wet and sticky legs, did not snap. It felt good that someone had noticed her plight and offered some sympathy. Thanks to that quick smile and those few kind words, she did not suddenly lose her grip on her strained temper. She did not turn and chew the happless trainee a new alimentary exit.
At that very moment, the small autistic boy at the back of the line with his family, who was already overstimulated in the noisy resraraunt, did not freak out at the sound of the angry assistant manager yelling at the trainee. The boy did not run out the door and into the parking lot, where he was not struck and killed by the speeding black sports car.
The world began to break apart around Sam. He was aware of the speeding car screeching to a stop in a parking space and heard someone say "D'ya believe that jerk?"
As the falling sensation began again Sam just had time to think What'd I do?
-- Joe
Hate is the only enemy
Quote:by Joesph AvinsSam saw the world assembling itself around him while he experienced the feeling of falling into it. He was used to this, and knew that he was about to enter another unknown situation in an unknown time and place where he'd have to figure out what he was supposed to fix and face some aweful obsticle or two accomplishing it.
He found that he was on line at a fast food restaraunt, waiting to order. It was unusually loud, even for an establishment of its nature. This should easy to fake my way throught, Sam thought. Should be, but it never is. If I order a burger then I'll find I've leaped into a vegetarian. If I just order fries and a drink, I'll be in someone furiously dieting. And I'll find some way to cover; I always do.
A car pulled into a parking space outside as the customer two spaces ahead of Sam took her food and went to sit down. Then the customer ahead of Sam ordered while a family of four got out of the car. By the time this customer got his food the family was at the back of the line.
It was Sam's turn now. As he approached the counter he looked around for clues. If I'm lucky there'll be a newspaper someone left on the counter. It was then he noticed the state of chaos in the back. There seemed to be an inordinate number of trainees, and one assistant manager working a register while trying direct or assist all the other stations at once. She looked understandably frazzled and more than a little irritable while she, somehow, managed to keep the place running.
Sam made eye contact with her for a moment. "Well," he smiled, "at least it can only get better." Just then, one of the trainees dropped an extra large drink right behind the overworked manager, splashing soda onto the backs of her legs.
Sam's friendly smile turned a bit sheepish. "Oh, boy" he said with a sigh.
The tired young woman, who now had wet and sticky legs, did not snap. It felt good that someone had noticed her plight and offered some sympathy. Thanks to that quick smile and those few kind words, she did not suddenly lose her grip on her strained temper. She did not turn and chew the happless trainee a new alimentary exit.
At that very moment, the small autistic boy at the back of the line with his family, who was already overstimulated in the noisy resraraunt, did not freak out at the sound of the angry assistant manager yelling at the trainee. The boy did not run out the door and into the parking lot, where he was not struck and killed by the speeding black sports car.
The world began to break apart around Sam. He was aware of the speeding car screeching to a stop in a parking space and heard someone say "D'ya believe that jerk?"
As the falling sensation began again Sam just had time to think What'd I do?
-- Joe
Hate is the only enemy
