Dirty, Hot, and Dry

When I left my work this morning, I wanted to take a stroll through the park. It was somewhat cold and misty the night before, so the ground was still a bit damp. Most people don’t enjoy this sort of weather, but I love mornings before the sun comes out and the birds are still mostly quiet. It gave me a sort of peace to be alone, and away from the sounds of coworkers and construction. 

I took my favorite tunnel to reach the park, and found it was busier than usual. It felt like I was squeezing through a dank, dark pit, only to be stopped along the way by several coworkers who were celebrating one of their finished projects. They would be starting my project soon, but now was a time for congratulations and another meal before bed.

Because I started a new project that night and was getting safety training, I had missed dinner, and I could feel an ache in my stomach. I was a big eater, and my siblings were always impressed with how much I could pack away each day without gaining much weight. Though, I figured I would stop along the way to try out the new restaurant. Well, it had actually been there for as long as I could remember but was under new management. Despite always being a bit of a dump, sometimes a large, crappy meal hit the spot when I was famished. I thought about what I would eat once I got there, but decided the special of the day would be a nice change. 

As I continued on my way, I thought about the news from the day before about the death of an entire family during a fishing trip. It was sad, but not all that surprising, given the large lake in the area--it was incredibly deep, and once somebody fell in, it was almost impossible to retrieve the body. Countless others had died in the lake, and no one was doing anything to stop it. The lure of giant fish swimming in the depths brought the fishermen and their friends out en masse.

The lake wasn’t of much interest to me otherwise. I enjoyed my job as a construction worker, taking odd jobs here and there. Mostly I did dirt work because several of my family members loved their jobs, and I wanted to make them proud. A few of my siblings worked as environmental geologists, and while this work was considered desirable, I loved the smell of dirt and the feeling of a job well done at the end of the day. Plus, I always had some fun stories to tell my kids when I got home. 

The things you find while digging in the dirt can be pretty remarkable. From coins and old pipes, to dead bodies and unmarked graves. The latter two usually shut down a job site for a few days, but to make up for it the company provided catered meals and made sure our families wouldn't go hungry. 

My house wasn’t much to look at. There was a hole in the roof, and my neighbors definitely had a mole problem that was ruining a lot of real estate in the area. They hadn’t gotten to my yard yet, but I knew sooner or later we would have to move. There weren’t many places left with large, lush yards because of all of the new condos, high rise hotels, parking lots, and roads that were taking over the city. 

It was later than I thought when I parted from my coworkers, and when I saw the sun coming through the trees, I knew I was screwed. I was on the night shift because I had a skin allergy from the sun. How could I have been so stupid about the time? I must have lost focus of my surroundings with the lack of windows in the tunnel.

The sun was getting too bright. I had to find shade somewhere close, or at least somewhere to hide. There weren’t very many options in the park. There were trees, but the park was really more of a spot for tennis, basketball, swing sets, and a few flower beds. The flower beds were my preferred destination, but I wasn’t sure I could make it across the gravel and cement that were already heating up in the morning sun.

I trudged on. There must have been summer camps going on, because the basketball courts were filling up with people. I saw a couple of tennis players walking toward me with a large grouping of children. I tried moving out of the way, but got a lot of stares and a couple loud disgusted noises--one of the taller children made a move to kick me, but was chastised by their instructor. I knew I looked awful. Covered in dirt from work, hungry, and light headed from the sun.

The restaurant had to be nearby. I tried to think about the future. We would get a house with lots of fertile soil out in the country. A large garden was a must, but I also wanted a place for the kids to roam. They had a lot of friends and family in the area, but if we found a new community, I was sure they’d be just as happy. There was a lot of danger in city living, but there were still predators in the countryside. 

My grandparents had the dream life. They had lived long, wonderful lives. Their compost business was profitable, and I regretted not taking the family to visit them. The lives they led were comfortable, but came with squirrels, moles, birds, and more knocking at their door and ravaging the gardens.

Though my thoughts kept my mind partially occupied, I could also feel the sun bearing down on me. I couldn’t last in this heat, and I felt my skin drying and tightening. I was so fatigued, but knew I couldn’t stop until I reached the shade of the trees in the garden. There were definitely snails that could move faster than me at that moment. 

I had heard too many stories from coworkers about friends and family who had gotten parasites that ate them from the inside. Surely dying from the sun was just as painful. It had happened to others, certainly, but why me? It wasn’t fair. I was a good worker, I was kind, and I loved my family.

My body slowed till I couldn’t move any further. It was time to give up--the heatwave had defeated me, and no one would know what happened. I imagined my body shriveling up in the pounding heat from the sun. People would walk by, step over me, and not give any thought to my death. 

This time it wasn’t the early bird that had gotten the worm, but the sun. I felt my world darken, and wished I had been able to give my family one last goodbye. I thought about my life underground, and wished I had just stayed in the dirt. Above ground was no place for my kind, especially not in the sun. I was a night crawler, after all, and I had made the biggest mistake of my life.