The Figure

A tough to describe story, but it involves a hooded figure, a homeless man, and a rich woman.

     The hooded man was walking down the street with his hands in his sweatshirt pockets, when he noticed a blur of motion from across the street. A woman was walking out of some fancy looking department store. She wore a fur coat, expensive shoes, and a scowl that proclaimed her superiority to everyone around her. She stopped as she noticed a small homeless man sitting in an alley right outside the department store.

      The homeless man had sunglasses on and several dismantled cardboard boxes laid over his waist. He was holding a rusted harmonica in one hand, and a cup sat at his feet. He stirred as the rich woman approached him and said, “that's a mighty fine perfume you're wearing ma'am. Would you care to hear a tune?”

      The woman surprised the hooded onlooker, who had now stopped to watch the events unfold, by saying, “yes, that would be lovely.” She opened her purse and took out her wallet.

      The blind man began to play a tune.

      The woman stepped over to the man's cup and reached down, taking all of the paper bills and putting them in her purse. She dropped a few coins into the cup. The blind man stopped playing for a moment to say, “thank you very much ma'am. God bless.”

      “You're welcome,” she replied. Before leaving the alley and going back into the department store. She went up to the clerk and yelled some things that the hooded man could not hear. A moment later she stormed out the front door, with a store clerk in toe.

      The clerk turned to the blind man and said, “sir, we've had some complaints of you harassing our customers, we need you to leave or I'll be forced to involve the authorities.”

      “There's no where for me to go but another alley, my friend. I have to be somewhere don't I?”

      “Yes, well, I have to ask you to leave all the same.”

      The hooded figure didn't hear the rest of the conversation as he began following the woman down the street. He followed her to the entrance of her next department store stop, but stopped as he noticed someone else running toward the woman. She turned, just in time to see the man running at her and she let out a scream. The man grabbed her purse and started to yank it away from her, but she clamped onto it for dear life.

      The hooded figure chuckled at the karma, until he saw the other man pull out a gun to get the purse away from her. The thief ran away with the purse, but the hooded figure pursued him, gaining speed with each second. He pursued the man down an alleyway and up a fence before the man even noticed he was being chased.

      The thief turned the gun on his pursuer, asking, “what are you? F*****g stupid or somethin'? I have a gun, if you don't leave I have no problem holing yo-” Whatever else he was going to say was interrupted when he thrust the gun toward the hooded man.

      The hooded figure grabbed the gunman's wrist and pulled it toward himself, so that the gun was over his shoulder, causing several missed shots to be fired. He used his other hand to hit the bend in the thief's arm, dragging him closer and putting his elbow into the shocked gunman's neck.

      The hooded man took the gun and disassembled it before picking up the purse, and leaving the thief choking in the alleyway. As he made his way back to the woman, he opened the wallet, peering inside. Half of the money was crumpled one dollar bills, while the other half was a large wad of twenty dollar bills. He took it out and put it in his back pocket, then he put the wallet back in the purse.

       After a few minutes of walking, he reached the frantic woman, right where he had left her. She was excitedly talking on the phone, “he was a tall, devilish man. He swooped down on me with a gun and stole my purse! I was terrified, I thought he was going to kill me or worse, please just send someone down here quickly.”

      She noticed the hooded man as she hung up the phone. “Oh my purse. Nothing had better be missing, I didn't ask you to get it. That's the police's job, don't think there's a reward in it for you...”

      The hooded figure tossed it to the woman without stopping his pace or even looking directly at her.

      “Don't throw it like that this purse is worth more than your life you simpleton!”

      The figure continued walking until her voice could no longer be heard. A gust blew his hood down, revealing a head of blonde hair and a neck tattoo of a small red-chested bird on his neck. Finally, he reached the blind man as he was packing up what remained of his possessions. He put a hand on the man's shoulder, then handed him the money.

      The blind man stumbled with his words for a second before saying, “sir, there's too many bills here, I can't accept this.

      The figure simply closed the man's hand over the money in response.

      “Thank you, sir. May God always walk with you.”

      The figure man began to walk away but stopped when the blind man said, “wait... I'm John, may I have the name of the man who helped me in my hour of need?”

      The hooded figure simply said, “Robin.” He then pulled his hood back up and began walking again.

Author's Note

First draft, as always any opinions welcome. I know I use the words "The figure" alot, but I'm not sure what to call him without spoiling the end. Also did you get what I was referencing with the story?

Reviews

[Mockingbird]

things go over my head so i don't recognize the reference. i did enjoy the story. it was fast-paced and riveting. shows how that cliche 'no good deed goes unpunished' is true. i guess 'figure' is okay, because if you just put 'the man' it would get confusing. i like the instant karma for that hoity-toity lady. and i like the hooded figure's altruism and bravery. excellent job.

[NoblePariah]

Thank you much, I'm glad you enjoyed the story. It was a reference to the legend of Robin Hood at the end.

[Marie]

Of course I understood what you were getting at. THis is a fine story...

[NoblePariah]

Thank you, I didn't want it to be overly pronounced, but I wanted it to be understandable for sure.