This Is It

Mike was just waking from a well-deserved nap on his flight. He glances out the window to see the land. He knew he was close to finally landing. These eighteen-hour flights were starting to take a toll on his sleep pattern, as well as his overall health. Flying from one end of the world the other every other week sounded like a fun idea when he took this job. But now he could see why the position was so difficult for the company to fill. As the plane landed in Thailand, Mike could not wait to get to his hotel and relax in a real bed. He looked at his cellphone to see what day it was as well as the time. 11:04 PM. "Was that local time?" he thought. "Can't be. The sun is still up." Mike looked around and waved down the steward. "Excuse me, what time is it?"

The stewardsmiled and answered, "11:05, sir."

"What? It can't be."

"AM, sir," the steward answered with a laugh and walked away.

Mike knew then that he needed to get some rest and get his bearings. He did not know the time or day. He was all screwed up.

When Mike got off the plane, he headed to the baggage pick-up area. He was expecting to see his last name on a piece of cardboard with one of the drivers there to pick up their clients. The company usually sent someone to pick him up and Mike was very thankful for that. Especially today when he just felt out of it.

As he approached the baggage carousel, he took a quick look around to see if he saw his driver anywhere. He did not see anyone and thought that maybe the driver was waiting for him outside. He picked up his luggage and headed to the pick-up area to find his ride. (Your turn... Finish the story.)

Alone

An old orange short-haired cat walks the street of the town he has always been part of. For the past year or two - he cannot remember the exact time frame - he has been walking the streets, eating the scraps in the garbage that he could find. Fighting with other cats for food and territory. Lucky for him, he made his claim in a small alley behind a deli/bakery. There always seemed to be some scrap of food that he could survive on. But it was not always like this. He grew up in a house on the west side. He was a birthday present for a five-year-old girl who just adored him. He would get his daily pets and scratches. He would lay in bed as the sun shined through the window

in the afternoons. He had a great life back then. So, what happened? How did he turn from the once loved cat of the household to a common stray in the alley behind a deli? He would often wonder if the girl was still looking for him. Did she miss him? Did she care that he was gone? No bother thinking of that. His life had changed, and his focus was now on daily survival. He could not waste his time thinking of the past. His focus had to be on the here and now. On this day, the cat, we will call him Sammy (that was the name the little girl would call him), was wondering the street in front of the deli. It was his daily patrol to look for intruders and hunt for scraps that a human may have dropped while walking by. Sam noticed the deli had not opened like it usually does. By this time of the day, it would have its lights on, and the humans would be inside drinking their coffee and talking. But not today. Today it was empty. No lights. No people.

Sammy walked into the alley in the back to see if his normal scraps were left there for him to munch on. There was nothing. "What happened", he wondered. “Where were the scraps? Where were the people?” Sam let it go and hunkered down for a nap in his usual place in the alley. He would awaken later to do his routine again. Maybe then there will be his scraps, he hoped. A few hours later, Sammy was woken up by some banging noises coming from the front of the store. He went to investigate. When he turned the corner to see the front of the deli, he saw two men with large boards. They were covering the windows of the store. "Is it possible?" Sammy thought. "Is the store gone?"

Sammy would find himself having to find a new territory to survive. He relied on the deli for his scraps. Now it appeared that the store was gone. To survive, he would have to find another place to live.

With is tail hanging low, Sammy lowered his head and slowly started to walk back to his sleeping spot in the alley. (Your turn... Finish the story.)