the pedestrian

a man was walking down a street. the street was lined with tall buildings on both sides. a few people, looking out of the windows of the buildings, saw the man. a few of them saw him stop and adjust the cuff of his pants leg. a little later a few people, different people, saw him stop and scratch his head. then he disappeared from sight. never to be seen again. many other people also also walked down the street that day. and were seen by other people from the windows of the tall buildings. twilight came, and then night. the sky was cloudy, but it did not rain.

the berserker

norris was just a guy he went to work every day just like billions of other people but he felt, deep inside, that he was different one day he was on the train with his phone and his backpack, with a few thousand other people, when he began talking to the people standing and sitting near him saying things like i am different i am the center of the universe you will all hear about me someday if i close my eyes i could make you all disappear i deserve better than this most people stared straight ahead and ignored him, but a few offered friendly or soothing words. like you’ll be all right, or just take your meds, dude after a while norris calmed down for a few days after that some people would recognize him and think, is that him? is that the guy who went completely berserk on the train the other day? but the incident was quickly forgotten except by norris himself, who thought about it every day for the rest of his life

the three clowns

a clown decided to try to make a few dollars selling neckties. he set up a little table outside a subway station and carefully arranged the ties on it by size, color, and pattern. a couple of sullen teenagers, a boy and a girl, came along. what are those, asked the boy. the clown explained what the neckties were. sounds pretty stupid, said the girl. the clown went down to the river and wept. a second clown decided to sell horse collars, and set up his little stand. a woman with a child came along. what are those, asked the woman. the second clown explained what the horse collars were. what’s a horse? asked the child. the second clown went down to the river and wept. a third clown set up a stand to sell watermelons. a small boy came along. he pointed to the watermelons. what are you supposed to do with those , the boy asked. eat them, replied the third clown. what? you can’t fit one of those in your mouth, said the boy. you have to cut them up, said the third clown. cut them up yourself? asked the boy. the third clown went down to the river and wept. someday you and i will go down to the river and weep.