Railway

At 22, he had been working for the railway in Limerick for quite some time.

Mr. Walsh ordered him to keep his eyes on the dirty, scrawny, boy who seemed to have appeared over night.

The kid just never left. He blended in with the bustle of passengers during the day.

During the night he slunk away and returned in the morning.

He had observed the child pick and eat crumbs off the ground. He charmed the women so he could get some sort of blanket or even a small hug.

Getting more and more concerned, he kept closer attention as the months went on.

The child was getting weaker and wasting away.

So every day after work, he snuck the rest of his lunch in the boy's usual corner.

And each night during his last shift he made sure to leave a cup of water.

It was this afternoon everything had changed.

Mr. Walsh ordered him to step into his office.

Standing there, his heart pounded. Was he in trouble? Did Mr. Walsh know he was helping the child? Surely he wouldn't be happy. Continuing to give him food was very likely the reason why he kept returning like a puppy.

Shuffling through papers, Mr. Walsh cleared his throat.

We are moving you to Dublin, John. I am appointing you to work at Kingsbridge in the Goods Office.

Smiling, he shook his bosses hand.

And on his way out Mr. Walsh spoke up again.

I cannot afford having that child around causing eye sores.

You'd best take him with you.

 

 

 

 

Reviews

[Charles Anthony Almanza]

Once again, I can note the minimalism in the tone and the content of the story, which is nice; it's very refreshing to not have to read through literary gymnastics. The one thing I will cede, however, is my disconnect with the actual speaker, the protagonist, the narrator. I have no idea who he is or what his motives/desires/wants are. I am interested in the boy, though, so I'll definitely want to follow the story as more entries come along. And still, I love how it reads as poetry almost. It's great how you weave words together so seamlessly.

[Annette Pisano-Higley]

Another chapter, well written! Conversation is believable and characters well-developed. Love this!

[Kathryn Smith]

Thank you again!! :D I am so happy you're enjoying this so far. I've had this story in my head for quite some time. I hope you like the rest. xx