The Dove for The Man

A Story by Perplexation

All around us are connections.

“The Dove for the Man”

I've had some dark nights of the soul, of course, but giving in to depression would be a sellout, a defeat. -Christopher Hitchens

The man always had to walk past that church. On that church, stood a Dove. That dove stood there every time the man would walk past, stalking the worth in front of it with it’s little eyes. Perhaps it had a meaning, perhaps it just likes the breeze of the wind in the summer time. Regardless, that dove was always mysterious in it’s own way, never the less, it meant no importance to the man’s daily life. The man would walk to work every morning with his briefcase, and smile upon the sun and his fellow neighbors. Almost like an ideal community, like the ones from the movies. You know, neighbors all leaving their houses in sequence as if part of some video game, waving at each other at the EXACT same time, each one getting into their automobile at the EXACT same time, each one driving away using the EXACT amount of gas… No. I am getting ahead of myself here. Let us focus back on the Man.

This man was quiet. He was your ordinary hard worker, and he respected his co-workers, along with his boss. That doesn’t mean he LIKED them of course, there is a big difference between the wordplay here. Oh yeah, he was no kiss up though! Make no mistake, the only butt he’d be kissing up is his wife's, but that’s another story for another time… Oh, by the way, did I forget to mention, this man suffers from depression? Yeah, he hates his own life. He hates his boss, he’s not paid enough, he comes home to kids and a wife who appreciate him of course, but they know little of his sacrifices and hardships through life. It’s a real shame, this man is what the world needs in every man.

I suppose we could say it was almost 11 at night, and the man was walking home. Now, I also suppose you could call this story short, but you know me, I like to darken the atmosphere a bit before I end it. The man is walking home now, the pavement is very smooth, almost as if God himself is questioning the man's perception on life to see if he notices or not. Let’s just say there was a… tree? Yes, this very tree would lead the man’s demise in emotional and mental well-being. Why, you ask? Because, at that very night, as he was walking home, this man was robbed. He was beaten and bruised. He was confiscated of his valuables. He was humiliated by goons who would not show their identity. The man knew his life could not get any worse than this. He went home that night, drinking away his sorrows, kids and wife asleep, unaware of what just occurred. He’s sitting on his roof now, reading to dive head first off of it onto his concrete pavement.

However, he does not. He looks up through the trees in front of his house, only to see the church bell almost at midnight. The bell chimes once the hand finally makes it’s final tick for the day. What does the man see? He spots the Dove. The dove is watching him, taking care of him, showing that it is there for him. The man smiles, and he climbs down from his roof.

Perhaps… maybe it wasn’t just the breeze of the summer air that kept the Dove occupied. He was a Guardian Angel for the man. He was a sorrow cleanser for the man. He was… the Dove for the man.