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Honey, I'm Home! It was a dark and dreary night. Shadows were forming outside my window. Suddenly, a strange figure appeared in the tiny panes. My throat was too tight to gasp. The shape lingered like the lump in my crawl. Too frightened to scream, I reached for the doorknob, instinct telling me to lock the open pathway to my demise. Instead, my hands betrayed me as I turned the knob and opened the door. A force on the other side of the door pulled the knob sharply from my grasp. As I found myself fainting in sheer terror, a man held out his arms to catch me. I was in the warm embrace of my lover - he had forgotten his key. 
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One Last Thrill
It was getting chilly. Carl scratched the tip of his sun-burned nose. He fastened the top button of his flannel jacket. The jacket was old like him, a little threadbare in places. Its color had once been green; now faded to a pale yellow. Carl ran his fingers along the canyons in his face. Small touches of white hair no longer had places to hide. As he stood, he could feel the air getting colder. His blue pants shivered in the brisk wind. He shifted his weight to his other foot. The tanned, brown loafers had seen better days. His muscles tensed as small beads of perspiration formed on his scalp and escaped under his collar. A few people gathered below. Some shouted to him. Others just stared in horror. A group of small children screamed with delight. Their mothers soon stifled their cries. A number of policemen arrived on the scene warning the people not to excite the strange man above. Carl continued to stand there keeping very still so as not to upset his balance. He waited for the people to quiet, then he removed his jacket. As he looked at the crowd below, his chest heaved with excitement. He took a small step toward the edge. The crowd gasped. The children, now quiet, were gazing at the man wondering what to make of him. Carl looked down at the crowd, his mind moving at an incredible speed. He drew a deep breath then took one more step forward. This excited the crowd even more. He began feeling a sense of power. With sheer concentration, he moved closer to the edge, then carefully placed one foot on the wire.
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Corners
I remember the first time I saw you. You were sitting on a street corner waiting to cross the street. The endless rows of cars made it almost impossible. I was the first time I can remember being glad that there was no traffic light. We stopped to eat at a corner drugstore. The manager refused to let you come in because of the mud on your feet. I pleaded with him, explaining that if you stayed outside, you surely would die of cold. Still shaking his head and pointing his finger towards the open door, we walked out, hanging our heads. We were too tired to argue. I spotted a hotdog stand at the next corner. A small man with a few grey stubbles on his chin was peddling the dogs. Thirty-five cents apiece sounded fair. Pulling the contents out of my pocket, I searched for the coins. Thirty cents was all I could find. Surely the man would settle for what I had and a small spotted sea shell. After all, it was one of my treasures. I was wrong. Finding a bench, we sat down very sad, very tired, and feeling very sorry for ourselves. A man rushed by, his wallet falling out of his pocket. Running after him I shouted. " HEY MISTER, YOU DROPPED SOMETHING!!" The man turned around quickly, took the wallet then began to walk away. He took a few steps then turned around to see if I was still standing there. "Here, kid". He handed me a shiny quarter. I smiled. He turned around then hurried off as if his pants were on fire. I ran back to the bench as fast as my excitement could carry me. You were gone. I ran up and down the street looking for any sign of you, but I found nothing. Just about to give up, I took one last look across the street. There stood a chubby man, his face red from the sun. He fastened the leash on you then walked off, disappearing behind the next corner.
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