The Bartender

A friend of mine used to work in a bar. They would open at six sharp, and all the wierdos of the evening would pour in. People from far would come, travelers with woeful tales of their travels. They told him their sorrows with the gentle sound of soft music in the background doing the soul what good the body was done from drink. There were the locals who, having felt the tedium of the entire day heaped upon their shoulders, would come in for a bit of r and r before returning home to their wives. The bar keeper would talk to them and advise them and hear them out. There were people in worlds unto themselves; they too came to the bar, though not in scores. Always unique in their suffering, our bartender was all ears. As a barkeeper my friend was swell. He had flair for serving it up and eye for knowing when trouble was mixed in the brew. He had of course, above all, and uncanny knack for listening, and that was what truly won them over.
Sometimes life deals even the sweetest of souls a bitter blow and one such blow befell my friend. It was mid july and his mother passed away, poor thing, had died of a sudden and fatal illness. His father was quick to follow. The next day he got drunk and called me over. We drank the joint dry; there was not a drop left as we finished, lying there, a couple of drunken sots on the counter. He had the funeral to attend next morning and I noticed him put up a sign: The bar is closed. I wonder what the old drunkards would think when they saw this. Where would they get their ale? Who would be there to listen? And just like that we were gone. I need a sign like that.

Good Morning Sunshine

(For the record, I was feeling very good right now, but this story was written already, with the blog in mind, so what the heck)

He walked into the day and it was great. The breeze kissed him gently as he headed out into the sun. He looked up at the morning and three words would cross his lips as he said “Good Morning Sunshine” She laughed- oh what a laugh, it filled the sky and heavens above it did, warm as a breeze and sunny too, it shone upon his heart, lighting his soul. Oh good morning, sunshine, good morning good morning. Of course the day wore on as it was wont to do. And soon he saw evening and noon. Business was with him but luckily so too was health, oh it was a good day, he had his sun. The night came upon him and the sun was lost. The stars shone above, but all else was dark. There was no moon.

The next day he had the sun once more and talked to her and called her sunshine. She stayed but she had to go. The clouds rolled overhead. That was it. Business was there, Health, Wealth, Friends. He was busy. He kept time with Afternoon and Evening and then it was Dusk’s turn and she brought in Night, and then it was all dark again. A cold moonless night.

The next day the sun was gone. He saw the clouds, he had no sun. It was dark, yea how could he distinguish it from night? Evening came, Afternoon before it. He was busy you see, he had Wealth and Business to tend with. Health came and went. Evening came. So did Dusk. So did another dark and gloomy night.

He didn’t see her. It was gone. The sun was gone. He had Clouds and Rain, Storms and Troubles. He had no sunshine. She was gone and with her Day itself. Dawn was gloomy, Noon was gloomy. Afternoon, Evening, Dusk. The night was gloomy.

He did not eat, he did not sleep, he did not work, he did not play. He did not read, he did not enjoy himself. His sunshine had gone and with it the day, his love for life, his purpose to live. If day and night were the same would he even need to wake up? He lay in bed needing a reason to wake.

He woke up again. This day was cloudy. This day was dark. It was cold and gloomy too. He kept time with all his old friends, everyone of them except the sunshine that had once filled everything else. He met with Morning, Noon, Afternoon, Evening and Dusk.

It was this night that the moon came out. It was full and brilliant, an orb of gleaming white against a sky that was black. It shone down on him. It spoke to him. It said to him that it was time to go. He stared back at a bleak world. No sun, no stars, nothing. He said, “I know” And he went.