Scribble
The Night The Galaxy Was Closed
The two girls stood on the porch of the small
yellow house. Rain was falling on the ground
around them, and their ears picked up the
sound of the drops hitting the shingled roof
over their heads.
"Look, Syd," the girl with the purple dye in
her hair said. "Just as we get out here, it starts
to rain."
Sydnie nodded. "Yeah. I just hope that
Tommy's home."
They skated down Dearborn Avenue, paus-
ing briefly to allow cars to pass. Sydnie heard
a train whistle, so they streaked to make it
across the tracks.
The rain fell harder.
The condition of the sidewalks and the slick-
ness of the roads due to the rain made skating
rather difficult, so the two walked in the direc
tion of their friend's house. Their conversation
ranged from the days when they had run bare-
foot downtown, chasing each other with squirt
guns, to how many orgasms their boyfriends
made them have.
Still, the rain fell harder and harder.
About twenty minutes later, Tommy's house
came into view. Both Wally and Sydnie's
breaths were caught in their throats. The house
next to his was boarded up. Evidently a fire
had occurred, for the areas around the win-
dows were burned.
"Fuck!" they both exclaimed at the same
time. "Tommy!"
Their hearts were beating rapidly as they
went next door and knocked on the basement
windows. Tommy had painted them black years
before to prevent much sunlight from getting
into the room. They knocked on the large oak
door with the brass door knocker.
No answer.
They tried again, this time knocking harder.
Still no answer.
"Shit Wally," Sydnie said. "Look, a time lock.
There's nobody here."
Both girls groaned.
"Maybe he's at the Galaxy," Wally said.
They walked off.
The rain was falling harder when Wally and
Sydnie arrived downtown. They were soaked
to the skin, and their bodies were sore.
"Dude!" hollered Sydnie as they skated
down the dark and vacant street. "I need
some coffeel"
"They'll have it at the Galaxy!" Wally shouted
in reply. The sound of their urethane wheels on
the wet concrete soothed their nerves and
plunged each of them into their own thoughts.
As they turned left onto North Erie Street,
fear struck Sydnie's heart.
"Fuck," she said quietly. "Aw, fuck. No!"
"What is it, Syd?" Wally asked.
"Fuck, fuck, fuck," was Sydnie's reply.
Wally's eyes opened wide with disbelief.
"Aw, fuck, man," she said under her breath.
All the lights were off and the chairs were
stacked on top of the tables inside the small
diner. The parking lot was empty, and there
was no one around except Wally and Sydnie.
The worst thing in the world that could hap-
pen, did.
It was raining outside, they were drenched,
Sydnie wanted her coffee, they were hungry as
shit, and it was cold out.
And the Galaxy was closed.
EPILOGUE
Sydnie and Wally skated to Burger King.
Taco Bell and McDonald's, hoping to partake of
chicken sandwiches since neither of them ate
beef, but only the drive-thrus were open. They
resorted to going to BP and buying junk food
and a two-liter of Mountain Dew. Then it was
back to Sydnie's house for Late Show with
David Letterman and sleep.
The End.
34
Paul Sharpe grinds close to the bush.
AD
-Sydnie
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