SHORT STORY: Shorts Stories

My Humble Beginnings

I was born today; well not necessarily born, but created.  I would say hours of labor, but it seemed relatively quick and simple, as I was made along with many others.  The process was interesting and it tickled a little; at some points they had me in stitches.  I almost felt like I was undergoing acupuncture, but it was more exciting then it was relaxing.

After the whole process, even among all the others I felt isolated.  I could never understand how a pair could feel so along, but I digress.  There I lay, in an uncomfortable stack, for what seemed like days.  It was a dark and dreary warehouse, filled with crates with an assortment of shipping labels, and hardly any windows.

After more days passed I was given a bath in an unusual way, I overheard one of the workers refer to it as stone washing, but despite the name, it was actually quite refreshing.  After the bath I was returned to the warehouse to sit and wait some more.  I am getting use to it, but I was not use to what happened next.  I was collected and brought to a room, presented before a man for inspection.  I am not sure what I was getting inspected for, but I feel violated.  I was poked, pulled, prodded, and hands were shoved in places they don’t belong.  To top it off, when I was done, the inspector put his number in my pocket, as if I was ever going to go back to him; the nerve of some people.

My First Job

After my stay in the warehouse I was given the opportunity to travel.  I boarded a plan to destinations unknown and took to the air.  I feel like I traveled halfway around the world, the flight was so long and there was no in-flight movie.  I just had to sit and wait again, but I am a professional with all the time I spent in the warehouse.

Once I landed, I caught a ride on a truck and headed to the commercial district.  I was in search of a new beginning and all the bright lights and commotion about I was bound to find it.  I am a very realistic individual and know that I do not have too much to offer in the skills department, so I was banking on getting by on my looks alone.  My plan worked perfectly as I was almost immediately picked up and landed a modeling job.  I would pose in windows of stores to attract customers, and sometimes I would hang out with the mannequins to make them appear more lifelike.  I hate to boast, but I was doing a great job, and pretty soon I got a promotion to a spot on the floor.  There I was able to interact with the shoppers themselves.  It was mostly good, except for the occasional visit to the back room where the customers would do unmentionable things to me, but it was all part of the job description.  I knew what I was getting into.

Things were going fine, until one day a new opportunity presented itself to me.  A man came in to my store and was draw towards me.  He gave me the quick look over and picked me right up.  He did not even want to take me into the back room; he just knew I was the one.  He took me to the owners of the store and bartered with them for my services.  I was trying not to eavesdrop into their business, but I do believe money was exchanged for my services.  I left the store that day, never to return as an employee, but from time to time I returned with my new boss.

My New Life 

My new life took some adjusting.  I was use to lots of interaction with different people, but now I sometimes go a few days without seeing anyone, just sitting and waiting amongst the others employed by my boss.  I am not sure what his business is but he only takes one of us out at a time.  Since I have not much to do with my time, I have paid close attention to his habits and have noticed patterns.  I usually get picked to work on the weekends, while those bigger than I usually work on the weekdays.  I am not sure what the reason is for this, but I will try to figure it out.

Another interesting part of my new life is the cleaning.  Every couple of weeks I get hoarded into a vat with some of my co-workers and we are lathered up and rinsed.  Not my ideal situation for hygiene, plus it completely strips me of privacy.  There is also and uneasy aspect to it beside the close proximity to the others, and that is I am sometimes sent to be cleaned with money.  My boss slips money in my pockets and I go to get cleaned, and when I am done, the money is missing.  I hope I am not aiding and abetting a money laundering operation.  I keep telling myself that my boss forgot he gave me the money to hold, but I am not fully convinced.

When I do go out with the boss it is always something new.  I learn so much about life, I go for runs, I go to the movies, and unfortunately I learned of a term called commando.  Last weekend we went out and played football in the park with some others.  It was an aggressive game of full contact tackle, and I think I tore something.  I tried to cover it up so the boss does not think I am weak, but I feel it is very noticeable.

A State of Confusion

The weather was getting colder outside and all the times I have been going out with the boss it is only for a short while and he returns home and takes one of my co-workers instead.  I hope it is not because of my injury.

Then one weekend when I was expecting to join the boss for an outing, he instead took me to another room in the office.  I was with some others in a confined space, but the boss left us in the dark.  We waited for days without seeing him, so we decided that the best thing to do to conserve sanity was to hibernate.

I am not sure how long we slept for, but the boss eventually returned and things got weird.  He grabbed me, along with some others and forced us into body bags.  We may have been asleep, but by no means could we have been mistaken for dead.  He then loaded us into his trunk, in broad daylight, and drove us to some sort of drop off.  Cramming us into even tighter spaces he drove off.  He abandoned us, he abandoned me.  I thought I was doing a good job, I thought we had something special.  I was wrong.

Things took a turn for the worst at that moment for me.  I was again feeling alone, and I could not seem to hold a steady job.  I felt like I was just being used and passed around.  I eventually took to the streets where I because friends with another, a man who also had no family or shelter.  We spent plenty of days together, until he to left me.  I am not sure why, but one day in an alley he just shed me along with my only friendship left.

A Short Lifespan

As I lay there in the alley it was apparent my life was coming to an end.  An article like me only has a reason to live if there is hope that someone will want me again.  In the recent weeks I have undergone too many stresses that have compounded my previous injuries, and I feel like I am fading.  No one will want me now.

As I lay here to pass on I can not help but think about my life up to this point.  Have I lived life to the fullest?  I feel like I have just been used and worn by all those around me.  I feel like I was nothing more that a fashion statement to others, and they would sooner sit on me that take time to get to know me.  But this is the life I was born into.  This was my life.  I have no regrets.