Park Street

Sometimes I ate the candles when I was really hungry.

StoryKettle » GRANNY » Park Street

Copyright © 2024, Michael M Wayman

At one end of Park Street was a little park with a pond. It was clean, it made one happy to be there.

I tried to find time to go there, a half an hour would have been great. But I usually had no time, there was always work to do, more to pack, then more work.

At the other end of Park Street was the Woolies and the Whites. Also where I worked. Everything at that end of Park Street was unclean, shabby, dirty, unhealthy.

Where I worked was especially unclean, shabby, dirty, unhealthy. There was a big dirty bench, it was dark, there was an electric bulb-holder hanging from the ceiling, but without light-bulb. Sometimes I ate the candles when I was really hungry.

I wrapped up everything, in wooden boxes, paper envelopes, plastic bags, old tea chests, rope, string, glass. There was no end of things to be wrapped. And every customer wanted more. And every customer wanted something different. There was always something to be done.

The owner of the business took the orders, took the money and I did the work. I got scraps of food to eat; and I slept under the dirty old bench. I did not get time for anything else.

It was that time of the year, the days were getting longer, it was getting colder. The rich people went to the Woolies and bought something nice like they always did. The poor people went to the Whites and bought a can-full of paraffin with the hope that it would keep them warm through out the winter. The Whites always stank of paraffin.

I didn’t go anywhere, I collected old newspapers and stuffed pieces of paper into the cracks round the windows with the hope that it would keep out the cold, cruel wind and keep me from freezing to death in the winter.

One day in January was so cold, there was no work, perhaps the owner was ill. I went to the park and walked on water. The little lake had frozen over and many people were slip-sliding on the ice. The rich had real ice-skates.

CRACK! The ice cracked. Everyone got off the ice. It was dangerous. A big tugboat pushed its way up through the ice and used its tow-ropes to uproot all the trees.