My Life in an Alley

I was just born and delivered along with my brothers to the home where we would live out our lives. We were placed in a circular basinette and laid down to rest, protected by a low, rounded ceiling. We lived along a long, smelly alley. It smelled of wax and dust. The dust filled my nose and I sneezed. The sneeze echoed through the dark and silent alley. It was always dark this early on Sunday mornings. But I wasn't scared. I was brave.

The morning came with dim light. As it neared noon the light became brighter. A half hour after noon I saw two men approach our alley. They were new to our alley.

We were having a gay time rolling around in our crib, when my youngest brother was picked up by a huge, menacing hand. He was lifted up into the air and thrown down the alley. I couldn't look.

And then I was lifted upward into the air by the hand; fingers dug into my sides. The hand was unmerciful. Slowly I was lifted upward into the dizzy heights. Height scares me, I know, because I was scared. But I was brave. I didn't even cry.

Wind whistled by my head as I was carried backward by the hand in a wide sweeping motion. For one second the motion stopped. Then, swiftly, it moved forward.

Like my brother I was thrown forward rolling down the alley. I was in luck. The trash had been collected Saturday night.

I was rolling fast, over and over. My mind was sent whirling. Over and over and over I rolled, till I hit something hard.

I dropped off the edge of the precipice and fell head-long into a hole. I dropped onto a moving belt and was carried up and down, and around and around.

I moved into a long, dark corridor. Silence was only broken by a crashing sound overhead.

I got panicky. Only darkness surrounded me. I was closed in a tight area. It was hard to breathe. I began to shake. I know that I was more than frightened. I was scared. Would I see my brother again? Would I see light again? Would I be crushed by the invisible forces of fear? The small cramped corridor terrified me. I'm not so brave.

Suddenly, a light glimmered up ahead. An opening! Oh, glory be! I'll be saved from being burned alive. Oh, halleluiah! Saved!

I came out after going up a slight incline. Gosh. In front of me lay my brothers, laughing and giggling together and having as much fun as if I had never been gone. And there was my youngest brother, laughing with them. Maybe, it suddenly came to me, maybe my fear was only of fear itself.

"Well, how about that," Joe said to the other man next to him. "Those babies are rocking back and forth. And I can hear giggling coming from one of them. That one, the one who's rocking the hardest."

"You're crazy," spoke the other. "Come on, that's enough bowling for tonight. Let's go home and have some beer."