Death of a Bachelor

The friged winter blew on as a tiny James stood in a market place. The bright orange glow of the New Years lanterns illuminated his hollowed out cheeks and the dark bags hanging under his eyes.

The shadows of people swirled together to create an intricate dance on the shop windows and the snow covered ground. James’ miniature hands pressed against the glass window of a small candy shop.

“Look ma... mama?” When he spun around to point out an exceptionally delicious looking price of red velvet cake to his mother, he found himself alone. His bright blue eyes widened and he felt an overwhelming wave of panic and fear wash over him.

He pushed his way into the crowd and past a fiddler on the roof of a toy shop. The faceless figures danced around him, bumping and shoving their was past. He clenched his fists around his white button up shirt and turned down a alley to escape the chaos.

It wasn’t until about halfway to the othher end that he began to hear the faint step of someone trailing behind him.

‘It’s an alley way. There’s only one way to go. There’s no way he’s following me.... right?’ He tried to convince himself. James quickened his pace and so did the footsteps. The wetness of the snow began to some though his black dress shoes into his socks and as he ran, there was a squelching sound coming from his feet. James’ breath came in fast and urgent white clouds in front of his face.

Like an idiot, he tripped over his own feet and stun sled to the ground. He spun around, his eyes willed and his hair sticking out in all sorts of directions. Looming over him was an aristocratic looking man that couldn’t be over twenty. He had dark brown hair and wore a vibrant blue suit. The man reached down for James and a pitiful wimpier echoed through the alley.

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James jolted upright on his mattress that was placed on the dirty floor of an abandoned shopping mall and clutches the sheets tightly. He ran a hand through his sweaty brown hair and closed his eyes. He threw off his blankets and let his bare overweight feet touch the cold cement that sent a shiver down his spine. He reluctantly stood and made his way across the old Macy’s to a brown wooden chest full of dirty clothes. He changed out of his pajamas into the outfit that smelled the least like a fat homeless teenager. He stared at himself in a broken mirtor. His belly hung out over his pants, pimples and his nose took up 90% of his face.

Once outside, James shoved his hands in the pockets of his red and blue wind breaker and pressed the metal button, signaling the crosswalk. The person on the sign across the street turned green and James stepped out into the street.

Already halfway across, a bright purple sports car came driving down the highway clearly way past the speed limit of sixty miles per hour. The cool fall air was broken with loud screech and the scream of passerby’s. James’ heads stung immensely and the world around him swirled and disappeared into a dark haze.

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