High Alert
by anon
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Last week after hearing constant reminders that we should be on high alert but go about our normal lives I made my way to the F train for my morning commute with no thought of being alert.
When I got to the station it was packed- not normal rush hour packed but wall to wall people looking around asking, "Where’s the train?" packed.
Shortly the G train arrived and it seemed I was the only one who decided to do the G to A transfer. I was a bit concerned so I would say I was on mid alert. When we got to Hoyt- Schmerhorn the uptown A train was arriving. I did the cross over to the uptown platform and made it just as the train’s doors closed. I stood by the doors hoping they would re-open- they did. I jumped on the train satisfied with my crafty commuting. At this point I was congratulating myself and had forgot about my earlier alert state until I up at the faces of the other passengers and their eyes quickly led mine to the disturbed man standing right in front of me. He had been spouting of and this is where I came in; "Yesterday was Halloween. Today is the day we take off our masks. Today is the day of the truth. I know this because I am a messenger. A messenger of the truth and this is the message."
He then opens his bag. Now I was on high alert- the highest of high alerts. In a few seconds I resolved the fact that this man had a gun and I was the first thing he would see through the scope. I was relieved when instead of a weapon he pulls out of his messenger bag a child’s book titled "The Earth". He sat down and began to read the book.
He was quiet for a long time but then he would look up from his book and give us more "messages". There was something about the sun and how we should enjoy it, something else about he hadn’t ‘messed’ with the ladies. I decided when a guy with a turban boarded the train and he shouted, "Don’t come crying to me when the US gets your ass. I’m from Jamaica and we have our own wars." that it was time to check out the next car.
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