Cement is broken and crumbling under the strain of autos and coal trucks

Handcufed to the big oil companies bosom, hungry and needy users fock to
it's welcoming arms. Looming under an umbrella of neon and fberglass it
beckons. Come to me and delight in my wares.
!he long black tube much like a giant black snake hanging from the side of a
tree.Curled and misformed in painful disarray and contorted in a mass that is
lifeless and dead.Chained to the bo" that is adorned with fragile paper notes
that intend to shock and inform the user of it's mysterious purpose and the
cost of indulging.#ising up in a mass of steel and metal the head of the asp is
hanging ominiously awaiting it's ne"t $ictim with its cold eyes darting in the
direction of the tongue.
%long the ground butts from discarded cigarettes and tobacco spit splatter
adorn the lot.&iscellaneous candy wrapper and bottles tops pressed against
the loose gra$el and greasy surface of the stage.
Center stage is a humble woodframe buliding adorned with ple"y'glass
windows and patio doors. %long the front a line of stone, sculpted purposely
and permanent. &an made for the purpose of its owner. !he plastic window
con$ey messages to onlookers. (ew e"citing things inside, %!& a$ailable, and
)*C appro$ed. Less conspicious and in handwritten permanent ink &ust
wear shoes and shirts to enter..
%long one side of the stage is a sideshow. &onsterous bo"es of freon and
power tauting it's wares. % single white bo" flled with fro+en pleasure and a
cold padlock make up this purposed scene. )et and sticky stone beset the
locale. ,u++ing and busy insects infest the location like moths to a fame. %
single wasp bu++es near the doorway, out of place from it's nest abo$e the
rafters.
-tage left is empty. -tone walkway stained with greasy spills and tobacco
.uice. -nuf cans stashed into the side of the brick. /n the corner a lonely
small bo". -un bleached and faded it's shell. /nce royal blue and eye
catching now a faded pale blue'white bo". *nside is another ofender. % trader
in human misery and necessity at the same time. % s0uare key pad of
numbers and a single coil of metal to a black germ infested recie$er. !he
recie$er hangs from its cradle like a broken limb on a deer shot in the fanks.
!he main attraction is inside the disused patio doors. 1oors in need of paint
and cleaning adorned by a single general purpose door knob. /23( the sign
reads as * approach. 4se right door the again handwritten message reads.
,ells of metal clatter to inform the owner that he has a bite and to be ready
to ser$e. *n we go.
*mmediately the smell of chili and nachos o$ertake my senses. -uch a
contrast is the foors, wooden and purposely oiled. !he smells intermingle in a
dance in my senses. ,y the door a huge imposing counter lined with $arious
wares and e"change apparatuses. %gain, handwritten notes in poorly placed
locations. (o Checks taped to it's stomach. Leaping out of the wooden
surface to my eyes as a tattoo on a arm of a otherwise naked body. %bo$e the
bar of in.ustice is a cabinet of sorts. Long and imposing. -heltering the face of
the sla$e behind the counter. #ows of cigarettes and tobacco loom like the
weight of the world o$er the counter. % lonely unused chair sits by the
window. %ching to be occupied and is disappointed day after day.
&y attention is elsewhere as * hear the $oice of a child. Look 1an 1an5 *'m
going to need some 0uarters5. 3yes directed into the face of an eager child *
see in my purpose has taken a detour.
-trapped to the foor with bolts and greeting e$ery small person is a peculiar
little ofender. 2recisely the si+e of a small child and at eye le$el this
contraption is wiley placed to entice it's $ictims early on. 4nlike the blatant
ofender on the lot outside, this thief is appealing. #ound clear bowl with
$arious appealing and mysterious trinkets. ,elow the bowl is a tiny crank.
/nly twenty f$e cents and anyone can feel the rush of e"citement and
anticipation. /nly a single coin to manipulate that metal lock5 6eel the gray
metal handle, feel it turn, and hear the mechanism acti$ate in a happy tune
sure to produce a treasure. He is mesmeri+ed. * see his little mind saying
&ust ha$e 0uarters.. * oblige.
* am rewarded with a token of afection in a plastic bubble that is both
worthless and priceless. 3$erything else on my agenda melts into the smile
on his face and the bra$ado of his $ictory. &y purpose forgotten and left for
another time.