On the subway...
For one of our writing sessions this week. We used this prompt from NY Times. The prompt was "Tell us a story, real or made up, that is inspired by this GIF". Here is what Room 13 came up with..
The London subway gets very odd sometimes.. from the dude in a Nike Tech fleece trying to shank you.. to the 80-year-old homeless man sleeping on a bench but I like London and home is home. One thing I hate about London though is the people on the train listening to music, it makes it too peaceful. One day I saw a man who literally looked like an egg so I yelled “HEY EGGMAN!” and ripped the cord out of his ear and cut it with some scissors. What I didn't realize is that Mr Eggman was a black belt in karate and I got the crud beat out of me and as a result, I'm writing this from my hospital bed.
Tommy Green
The black fur coat!
Everyday I sat on the same seat next to the same man. He always wore his unique button up top with a black fur coat over top. He would always doze off while listening to his podcast.
We never spoke although we oftened smiled at each other. I always got off before him which made me wonder where he ended up.
One day I got on and noticed the seat was empty. Days went by but still no sign of him.
He turned up days later “My wifes is gone” he says as he puts his ear phones on. A tear rolled down his cheek as I scoot over to comfort him. It turns out he always stopped at the station near the hospital to visit his wife.
Bella Tempero
So many people take the subway everyday. If it's getting to work or getting home. It gets used everyday. It was a Friday night and I was exhausted, I couldn't wait to get home. We were about halfway through the ride, when I noticed this old man sitting across from me he looked quite lonely. He had white wired headphones connected to his iPhone 4. I noticed a single tear stream down his eye. Me being a kind person, I tapped the man on the knee and asked if he was alright. He gave a single nod and said “this was my wife's favorite song”. He passed me an ear plug and was listening to “I love you baby” by Paul Anka. He looked at me and said. “It's been 1 year today, spending everyday alone without her” You can only imagine the feeling of waking up with someone everyday for 65 years and then never waking up with them again"
Darcy Tavendale
“Excuse me lad your headphones are falling out”
God I hate how mum makes me take the subway home! Theres a fifty percent chance I get mugged and when I do, mum gets mad. I'm so irritated, I'm trying to sit quietly but all I hear is the outcasts asking for shin battles and the lady infront of me laughing voilently at her book and then the ninety five year old man screaming to the imaginary kids infront of him to get of his lawn.
Finn Scott
I go on the subway everyday I see a lot of the same people like this woman who is always reading a book and she always has her circle glasses on. I also see this man who always has his earbuds in listening to music and always wearing his black coat, he looks really relaxed. I always hear the same noises like the metal wheels scraping the tracks. I hear voices echoing as well but then I noticed someone new, it was a man in a black coat basically all black clothes on but he looks really suspicious then in the corner of my eye. I notice he's a pickpocketer stealing peoples bright shiny jewelry and leather wallets. I call the police and tell them what he is doing. As we are going to the next stop, I hear sirens, police sirens. I see flashing red and blue lights then I see two police men come into the subway and take the man away. I felt joy running around in my stomach from my silent work. Then suddenly, all I hear is the metal wheels scraping the tracks again.
Liam Kettings
I'm awoken by the sound of the rumbling of a train, as I open my eyes I see I'm on a subway cart, and I have no idea why or how I'm here. As I'm rubbing my eye crust, I realize my surroundings. There are lot of people all different ethnicities and races, and as i get up to stretch, I notice 4 lights that pass by the train window every couple of seconds. As I look forward at the cart I see there's no exit but it seems to stretch on into infinity. As I fell back into my seat confused, I asked the woman sitting across from me “where are we?” and with a warm smile she says “You're dead" “What?!” I responded “Oh you dont know?, you're on the death train” then she goes back to reading her book. The last thing I remember is a set of lights and a car horn. As i'm sinking into my plastic subway seat, I a hear a voice say “Noww stopping people from 1902, please get out" and as a flood of people leave I realize it's going to be a very very long ride.
Callum Heath Glynn