Entry #15

The Long Ride
by Lissa


Having lost his girlfriend, his job, and failing as a philosophy major, things were not going particularly well for Ben. After a fight with his father, Ben consumed a meal of fried chicken with a large soda which left a big stain on his white t-shirt. Then he went searching for some distractions. He came across a massive underground train station with the longest escalator that he had ever seen. He didn't know where it leads but he was smitten by the thought.

Ben was fourteen steps up the escalator when he got bored and decided to walk. But when he tried to move his leg, he couldn't. A piece of his frayed jeans got caught between the rotating steps. He tried desperately to pull free. People walked passed him with irritating looks. Ben stopped a few for help but they just walked ahead of him. He stood to the side to let them pass, showing a smile through his unshaved face.

Three teenage boys taunted Ben on the escalator going down. An elder man shouted to Ben that he's going to get help. Having still a long way to go, Ben tried to keep calm. Suddenly the escalator stopped moving. A large suitcase just a few feet above Ben, started to rattle and before Ben could move, it came crashing down knocking him unconscious.

When Ben woke up twenty years later, he didn't not know how long he had slept. All he remembered was having a dreadful week.