Writing Resources from Fifteen Minutes of Fiction
Homeless at Christmas
by Josiah T.IMPORTANT NOTE: This is a piece of a longer writing project. You can view the entire project here: Homeless at Christmas
The following is a piece of writing submitted by Josiah T. on December 17, 2007
"Yeah, I decided to continue this. "
Homeless at Christmas II
I throw aside the newspaper and start looking for a place that might be reasonably warm. Walking down an alley, I spot a chimney that stands next to a building.The furnace must be in the basement, because the chimney is warm near the ground. I wrap my blanket tighter, and curl up in the corner between the chimney and the building. I'm warmer there than I've been in days.
I dig around in my pocket for the hunk of dried bread I saved yesterday. I find it and take it out. I'm careful eating it. It's so hard that my teeth hurt at the first bite.
The little light that is left begins to fade. As it does so, the wind begins to pick up, howling through the alley. I try to make myself as small as I can next to the chimney.
I wake up to find a light dusting of snow on and around me. The chimney is now cold, but the nook that I'm in still offers a little respite from the cold wind that is still blowing. Except now it's blowing snow everywhere, swirling in and about the alley, blowing to and fro, even in my nook.
I stand up and shake the snow off my blanket. I beging to feel a sneeze welling up in my nose, and soon it explodes out, the noise echoing around the alley.
A light switches on in a window just above my head. A woman sticks her head out the window and screams "Get away from my house!"
I move away as fast as I can before more lights turn on.
I turn down another alley, hoping to find another chimney that I can sleep against.
I don't find another chimney, but I do find the laundromat. I push open the door. It's warm inside, and I curl up on a bench and fall asleep.
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