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9/11 Short Stories

Decent Essays

“It’s here!!” Vernon shot up in bed and was expecting something to come creeping out of the shadows. The city always seemed to push the stars farther away from the world in the dead of night. Rain had begun to sprinkle downtown and it began to trickle across the top of the parked cars in the street. Vernon was sitting there silently listening to the drizzle outside that sounded like pebbles falling on a tin roof, still thinking about the dreams his been having. The Coffee Cup was like any other diner nestled between apartments and liquor stores. There was seven cut-up stools and behind them against the wall sat a cigarette machine and no smoking sign. The counter was worn from years of service. Two booths sat facing the storefront windows …show more content…

“Not bad,” replied Gabby, who had thrown her bag up on the counter and was trying to fish out a lighter, “just got off!” Both of her stockings had a run in them and flicks of discarded food stuck to the sides of her tennis shoes. Her dress was black and sparkling. Vernon could tell she worked at another diner the moment she got out of the cab. The waitress flipped over an empty cup and poured out what was leftover of the coffee. Gabby had lite her cigarette, inhaled a drag, took a sip, and exhaled out a thick cloud of smoke in one single breath. “Ended up pulling a double?” The swirls in the smoke seemed to actuate Gaby's words. “Don’t remind me!” replied the waitress, who had removed one of her flats and was rubbing her heel, “I’ve been on and off my feet since 9:30 this morning.” Gabby looked towards the front of the diner at the back of Vernon’s head and then back at the waitress. “Rough night?” “Nope,” replied the waitress, “he’s been coming in here late for the last month or so, keeps to himself.” They both could see that Vernon was moving his hands while he was talking to himself. “We still on for tonight,” asked Gabby. “Maybe,” said the waitress, “as long we can get a table.” The band aids on the back of her heels needed to be replaced with new ones. Gabby …show more content…

It’s moving, but how?” Vernon had pulled out a pen and was scribbling his thoughts over a napkin. “Ok…ok, so let me think. The dreams started eight days ago, and I’ve been coming to this diner for the last four weeks.” He had drawn a small calendar on the paper napkin, which was tearing apart from Vernon pressing his pen down too hard. “On Sunday I slept for three hours, Monday I did the same, and on Tuesday it seemed like I never closed my eyes.” Across the street, a liquor store clerk was pulling down an aluminum shutter tagged with names and abbreviations. The next block over, the lights on a street cleaner lit-up the alley in front of the diner for a moment as it drove by sweeping the gutters. His mind had stopped when she had swung around from behind him, sliding herself into the booth and throwing her bag onto the table. “Counting the days till Christmas,” asked Gabby. She had crushed her cigarette butt out in the ashtray at the end of the counter, but the smoke still seemed to follow her across the diner. “You can say that,” replied Vernon, who looked sideways at a couple of empty prescription bottles that were sticking out of the top of her purse, then back at her eyes which were beginning to turn black. “Don’t worry, it’s nothing that won’t kill me.” She had reached under the table and lifted herself up, pulling off the stockings that she was wearing. Vernon could feel that she had slipped off her shoes when she had brushed her foot against

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