THERE WILL NEVER BE A RAINBOW

She screamed. With all the air in her lungs, with all the strength she had left, she screamed. Her wet hair, sprawled in all directions, draped across her face, in her eyes and her mouth. Water mixed with her tears and ran down her cheeks. Janine had no more fight left in her.

The man used his middle finger to drag the wet hair from her eyes. His face contorted, his eyes black in the night rain, ebbed in confusion. He stood. He raised his hands to his head and ran his fingers through his hair. Streams of water cascaded to his shoulders. Rain continued to pour from the black sky. The man looked one way, then another. He turned, and ran down the alley.

Janine laid there in the puddles of water where untold filth swirled around her body. Her dress clung to her. The light fabric felt as though it were made of lead, holding her, pressing her to the ground. The pelting rain had soaked her.

Her body shivered feverishly in the frigid night air.

I must go. I’ve got to keep going. She rolled over, and coughed, as the putrid water beneath her entered her mouth. She pushed her body up. On all fours, she lifted her eyes. The dark alley revealed little to her, but showed her there was no one near her. She climbed to her feet.

The soft light of the moon couldn’t show through the thick, rolling, black clouds. Only tiny silver edges showed the movement of the sky. Torrential rain continued falling. Janine could see small lights sporadically placed in the alley in front of her; the distance between them indiscernible. The black shapes of buildings on either side of the alley blended into the black at the center of the view.

There seems to be no end to this alley. Should I turn back? She laughed. Oh sure, lets revisit the friends we have met so far. Desperation had built up in her to an unbearable level. She would give anything to simply step out onto a busy street. Her tired limbs allowed her to walk forward at a slow pace. The weight of her soaked hair and dress made her slower. Will I ever get out of here?

The visage of the alley never changed. There were no markers of any kind for her to tell how far she had travelled, how far she had left to go.

Small trickles of blood joined with the rain to run down her arms and legs. Her elbows and knees had many scrapes, as did her shoulder blades. Her thighs were bruised, and her fingers ached from scratching at the men she had encountered. Every step brought pain from her feet, blisters had formed on both of them. Her sneakers, like the rest of her, were soaking wet.

I don’t want to die in such a place. I must keep moving. I must –

She heard a low growl.

The rain splashed on wood and metal, every sort of debris. It plopped into many puddles and streams that had formed. The noise from it all was loud. But, she did hear the sound just ahead of her, to her left.

A dog! There’s no way I can outrun a dog in my condition. I’m going to die! She held her breath as she stepped as far to the right as she could. Her shoulder scraped against a cold, brick wall. She couldn’t see the animal, but it growled again. A deep sound that surely came from a very large dog.

It sprang forward. Large teeth and wild eyes charged directly at her. The dog barked savagely, and shook its head side to side, as it bolted toward her. Janine had no option, no escape, she closed her eyes. The pain she was about to feel flooded her mind, she bit down hard and held her breath.

The dog yelped loudly, and Janine opened her eyes to see that only a few feet in front of her stood the huge black animal. It took a moment for her to see the thick chain that held the dog.

The furious animal shook in all directions, snarling and barking, pulling against the chain. She wanted to run. Still holding her breath, she watched the long sharp teeth that tried desperately to reach her. She couldn’t move. Will the chain hold? Will I survive this?

She looked left, then right, seeking a weapon. A pipe, even a 2x4, something. There was nothing in sight that could be used as a weapon.

Shoulder muscles bulged as the dog lunged forward. Its paws slipped a little on the wet ground, but they found a foothold. The black beast bore down and applied all its strength to the pull. Through the sounds from the rain and the deep growl of the dog, Janine heard the slight creak of strained metal.

I have got to move! She lifted her right foot and stepped forward, her shoulder still pressed hard against the wall. Her left foot followed. The dog didn’t look up, its eyes were closed as it pulled against the chain.

Janine stumbled forward. She had no strength to run. She walked as quickly as she could. The dog howled a mournful sound and barked again. This last bark, less violent, an acceptance that his dinner had gotten away. It was a distant sound. Janine had no idea how long she had walked or how far she had gone.

One brick wall after another passed. A trash can here, a box there, bottles and cans scattered across the alley. Her feet drug across the gravel and dirt as she continued walking.

The rain slowed, then stopped. The sky remained unyielding darkness. Head bowed, shoulders drooping, eyes half shut, Janine walked.

“Well, hello there.”

While it was soft, it was the voice of a man. Oh no, not another man. Please, not again. Overcome with anguish, Janine fell to her knees.

“Come now. Talk with me.”

Hearing the man again, she looked up and peered ahead through the darkness. She saw the silhouette of a large dumpster. She was sure the sound came from there.

“Who are you? What do you want?” she asked.

“Willard B. Grumple, at your service. I want you to sit and talk with me.”

The light of a candle flickered beside the dumpster. In the dim illumination, she could just make out a face. It was an old face, covered with gray. His long beard seemed to cover all but his eyes and nose. Deep wrinkles covered the small amount of his flesh that she could see.

“A friendly chat is a rare thing in this dismal place. A chat. Yes. That is what I ask. Simply a chat.”

He reached toward her with the hand not holding the candle and beckoned her to move toward him.

“Come. I’ll share my wine and cheese.” He smiled at her. “I’ll not harm you. Only a chat.”

In this night, if one night it be, she had learned to trust nothing, no one. Exhaustion enwrapped her so powerfully, she knew she couldn’t fight or run. With much effort, she stood, then meandered toward the dumpster. She flopped to the ground, against a wall, as near to him as she dared be.

He raised a bottle and handed it out for her. “Here child, you need this even more than I do.”

Janine cautiously reached and took the bottle. How long has it been since I had a drink of anything? She remembered the taste of the puddle she had laid in. Oh, that was so terrible. The bottle was a little more than half full of a deep red liquid. She took a cautious drink. The blueberry, plum and chocolate flavors of the Syrah danced on her tongue. She tilted her head back and took multiple swallows. She handed the bottle back to the old man.

He smiled. “Willard B. Grumple. Yep, that’s me. What’s your name?”

“Janine.”

She tilted her head back against the wall and closed her eyes. Feeling the warmth of the wine, she took a deep breath and let it out slowly.

“Very nice to meet you, Janine. Two things are very hard to find here, food, and friends.” He took a long drink of the wine. “I hope you and –”

Janine didn’t know which was more tired, her body or her mind, but exhaustion took her away.

When she awoke, she found that her head rested on a folded pair of jeans. They smelt old and musty. She was covered with a heavy coat. Even laying on the cold ground, she felt warmed by the coat.

She sat up and looked at the sky. The black clouds still rolled and tumbled across it with only the tiny slivers of silver on their edges giving any light. I feel like I slept a good while. Where is the sun? Will it ever come up? She looked toward the dumpster and saw Willard B. Grumple sitting there looking at her. He looked as if he would fall asleep any moment. Had he stayed up and watched over me?

“Did I sleep long?”

“I guess so. It’s hard to say. Time is a very hard thing to measure here.”

The old man reached into a bag that sat beside him. He rummaged about for a moment, then produced a half-round of cheese. He fumbled with what looked like a butter knife, cutting off two large pieces. He handed one over to her. She hesitantly took a bite. Cheddar. And it’s good. Biting into the cheese again, she realized how hungry she was. The thought of food hasn’t crossed my mind since…

Willard handed her the bottle. “There are few pleasures here, but these are two of the best.”

“Thank you.” She looked around the dark alley. “How long have you been here?”

He stroked his beard and ate a bite of cheese before responding, “I don’t know. I was fifteen when I first arrived.” He stroked his beard again, and scratched his cheek. “I’m betting I’m older than that now.”

Wide eyed, she stared at the man. He’s got to be in his seventies, eighties.

“It is good to have a friend to talk to. This alley is a very lonely place.” He leaned forward and smiled at her. “Will you stay with me?”

Janine was shocked by his question. The thought of staying in the dark, dismal alley sent shivers down her spine. She spoke softly, not wanting to offend him.

“No sir, I can’t stay. I have to get out of here. I want to go home.”

So strange. Home. What is home? I can’t seem to remember. How long have I been in this terrible place? She handed the bottle back to the old man, then folded the coat neatly.

“I think this alley goes on forever, girl.” He spoke softly, solemnly.

“It does feel like it, but everything has an end. There is a whole city around us.” Janine stood. Her limbs were still sore but no longer weary. There was strength in her legs. The rest, the food, the wine did me good. She smiled at Willard. “Come with me. We can keep each other company and leave here together.”

Willard leaned back against the dumpster and closed his eyes. He spoke very softly. “Don’t you think I’ve tried?”

“Well, thank you again. The food and rest really helped.”

The old man opened his eyes and leaned forward. “Stay here with me. The loneliness is hell.” He pointed his finger at her. “You’ll see. You’ll learn. Who knows how far you will go before you do. We would never see each other again, and both of us would be so lonely.”

“I’m sorry, Willard. I really am. But I can’t stay.”

“And where do you think you’re going? Where did you come from, eh? Where were you before you came into this alley?”

At first, Janine smiled at his silly questions. But, she realized, she couldn’t remember. Oh God, I don’t know where I’m from, where I belong. Her pulse raced with the realization.

“What’s the last thing you remember that wasn’t here?”

“I don’t know.”

Janine searched her mind desperately. She remembered the frightening dog. She remembered the men and the rain. She remembered running, then walking, staggering with exhaustion. The whole while, darkness surrounded her. I must remember! She rubbed her forehead and concentrated.

“I was driving!” She yelled. She looked at the old man, her eyes pleading with him to help her remember. “I was driving, and looking up at the sky. There was a beautiful rainbow. The colors were so vibrant against the deep blue sky. It was beautiful.”

“A rainbow.” Willard said. “It stops raining here from time to time, but the sun doesn’t come up. No rainbows.”

Surprised by his melancholy statement, she took a few steps away from him. It’s been a very long night. Yes. But the sun will come up, eventually. It must. She tried to remember more, to at least remember how long she’d been in the alley. Nothing more came to her mind. Blank. Darkness.

“Well, Willard, you have been very kind. Thank you for the rest, the wine, and the cheese. But, I’ll be going now.”

A tear fell from the old man’s eye as he pleaded, “Stay here with me.”

Janine knew she couldn’t take the sadness within him any longer. It was too much. She didn’t want to hurt him, but she didn’t want to live out the rest of her life sitting in a dark alley next to a dumpster either.

“I can’t stay.”

She began walking up the alley. Her steps were slow, but determined. This damned alley ends! It opens up to a busy street that is full of people, cars, and sunshine. It does. It must.

“Child, the sun doesn’t come up. There are no rainbows.” The old man called after her.

Janine quickened her step. She had to move on before the old man soiled her heart with loneliness and despair.

She stopped for a moment, feeling raindrops tapping on her shoulders. Oh no, not more. She sighed.

In the distance, she heard Willard B Grumple yell, “Come back! There is no tomorrow, child!”

She began to run.

It must have taken all of the old man’s strength to scream so loudly, sending a cold, eerie chill down Janine’s back. The last thing she ever heard from him…

“There will never be a rainbow!”

(End)