It’s time once again for The Unicorn Challenge
where we are asked to respond to the photo prompt
by writing something brilliant in 250 words or less.
In exactly 250 words, this is my response.
The first half of my morning commute was always quite pleasant. I’d buy a muffin and a freshly brewed cup of coffee at Britain and McCain’s, then hop on the Metro North New Haven line. The 7:18 train was brightly lit, clean, and the seats were suitably arranged, making for a comfortable ride. I’d always see the same faces, fellow suburbanites with their briefcases and newspaper tucked under an arm. A nod or a wave was all that was necessary; it was all quite civilized. Arriving at Grand Central Terminal, I’d hustle to catch the subway; once inside, all masks of civility were discarded. It became a jungle, survival of the fittest.
Finding a seat on the subway was a continuous battle. Any shred of human decency was stripped away as people trampled each other in the hope of securing a place to sit or, at the very least, a spot against a wall on which to lean. If you were unable to find neither seat nor wall, you’d have no choice but to position yourself in the aisles where you could hang onto the hand straps suspended from the ceiling or stand shoulder-to-shoulder like disgruntled sheep crammed in a stall with no place to go. If anyone should stumble and fall, God help them because no one else would! Livestock on their way to the slaughterhouse. No wonder so many people were frustrated and disillusioned, dragging themselves to jobs they hated in conditions not fit for man or beast.
NAR©2024
250 Words
This is the Beatles with “One After 909”
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