A short story and a 4th of July inspired pic

The previous post was an assignment I did from a short lived writer's group.  The subject was "Ah ... Spring".  We tried to keep the assignments around about a page and weren't particularly concerned with perfection.  It was about putting ink to paper (or pixels to screen?).  Also, we were simply given a subject and no direction on how to manifest it.  That example, of course, was some loose, unpolished, poetry.

The next subject was "Just around the next corner" and is a non-fiction account of an event that happened to me (and is also somewhat unpolished).

The picture is unrelated and is from duel inspiration.  It is my friend's birthday, and he likes redheads.  Thus, I created a redheaded woman.  And, it is the 4th of July which is Independence Day here in the United States of America and thus the fireworks in the background.  It was put together quick, yet, I like it very much. 

Just Around the Next Corner

By: JameDawg

"Just around the next corner lies something better," I thought as I picked up my destroyed belongings. The flood had virtually completely obliterated all my possessions. I looked around my old home in disbelief, picking up the shards of memories that remained. Judging from the water lines on the walls, it had gotten at least twelve feet high in my apartment. Shaking my head, I looked around, wondering if anything was worth salvaging. I was not a rich man, in fact I was living in what could be called “the ghetto” of my small town, if small towns could be considered to have a ghetto. “At least it wasn't a house,” I thought, trying to find positivity in the annihilation.

I found my computer, stacked precariously on some books on the upper shelf of a closet, it appeared dry. A smile came over my face, “at least one thing of value can be salvaged,” I thought. I resigned to leave the rest of my drowned life in the the apartment. As ultimately, it would be his landlord's responsibility to clean it up. I walked outside, put my computer in my car and looked around. The decimation of the city was utterly amazing. Now I know I said it was a small town, because, a population of 50,000 is small to many, but, not particularly small to me, and it's certainly large enough to be in amazement looking at the destruction a deluge and a fire causes. It can be overwhelming, yet reality doesn't allow for long pauses. It was quite odd. In a city where a convenience store was less then five minutes away, no matter where you were, there was nothing of value anywhere. In fact, I was wondering where I was going to poop, as I kinda had to go.

A horn honked. I looked up. It was a Salvation Army vehicle. I approached the vehicle and the people greeted me warmly, they offered me canned water and a hot meal. They also informed me where I could find the nearest outhouse. I will never forget that. The Red Cross came out in force a few days later, and they were clearly funded for disaster, but, the Salvation Army was on the scene day one, when the help was needed most.

The help that followed was immense. An anonymous donor created a fund, called “The Angle Fund”, of which I received some help from. People world-wide from my company sent clothing. Most amazing of all, my company paid me for the time that I was displaced, as if I was working. The also sent employees to help each other and paid everyone for their time. It was truly amazing to see, and gave me hope for humanity, that I often lose sight of.

But for me, it gave me a chance to start again. It was truly a good start and made me wonder what was around the next corner.

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