Work.

 Hello again, readers!

This post is mainly for the purpose of communicating a general feel for a location within a story through tons of description and whatever dialogue seems to fit. I plan to do a few more like this, separating the place and characters from the story or whatever they're originally a part of and look at the paragraph or more by itself. This is just to practice communicating whatever vibe I'm trying to create for the reader to experience in my future projects. Enjoy!

  I woke up with a bad feeling hanging over me like a foreboding storm cloud. I swung myself from the low couch and stretched with my hands behind my head. The mirror directly across from me sat on the dresser top in a disapproving way. I grunted, ignored my scruffy reflection and went to the mini fridge on the floor near the wall. A half-finished beer was on the top of the machine, left-over from having Sophie over. I got a soda out and cracked it open over the sink. I took a swig and feeling electrified, hurried to shower and dress before the clock chimed 8:00. As I pulled an undershirt on, the phone came alive and I was suddenly nervous.

     “Hello?”

     “Alexander, where the h*** are you?”

     “Oh, thank God, it’s just you!”

     “What? Who’d you wanta hear?”

     “Well… never mind. What’s up Tip?’

     “I need you to get your smarta**down here ASAP. Jamie’s gonna have a fit if your late again. God, Alexander, how hard do you try to be late for the night shift?”

     “I don’t, you know that, Tip.” I smiled briefly and then told him I was on my way. Picking up my jacket from the floor where I’d dropped it the night before, I hurried away after sticking the ‘Please Clean’ sign on the handle. Not like the cleaning crew would see it this late though. I dodged the delivery trucks and loaded taxis leaving the circle in front of the complex. I prefer to grab the train to work to keep from paying overtime for traffic delays in a taxi. Besides, there were interesting people in the train, despite the general grimy aura the green lights and faded upholstery gave off... 

 “All passengers bound for Applegate, this is your stop. Please be careful of the gap between the train and the platform.”

 I felt the wheels churn to a back jolting stop and then the automatic doors opened. I jogged out and turned left, continuing along the train track until the stairs rose up from the platform and lead up into the crisp night air. I enjoyed the stroll from the train to work.

 It was safe enough and quite pleasant, at least during autumn, when the trees from the border of the park shivered with droplets and made the sentimental sound of a dog shaking or a street sweeper passing. I went ahead down Kenneth Street and finally reached the back door to the building. The building I worked at was not so beautiful or sentimental or generally a nice place to be. And it wasn’t because I worked with two of the world’s most foul-mouthed bosses either so…the Klein Brothers & Co. building was just downright unpleasant.

As always, constructive and instructive criticism is welcome!

dh