Street Performer Writing Piece
This year in humanities, we have been writing creative writing pieces. This is one of my favorite pieces that I have written. I like it because I think it is a really good example of my best work. I like writing about things that could never happen to me. I used descriptive language and show don’t tell.
I woke up, rubbed my eyes and turned off my alarm clock. It was 5:00. Another morning in New York. Work. I sat up and dragged myself out of bed. I felt like a slug, but I had to go to work. I put on my light blue t-shirt and slipped into my black legging. It took what felt like 12 hours to walk the short hallway to the kitchen to get myself some breakfast. My back still ached from yesterday, when I had done 6 back handsprings in a row. My kitchen was barely big enough to move in. I absent-mindedly rubbed the calluses on my hand as I took out the frying pan. Even a simple task like cracking an egg hurt. I sat down at the table with my fried eggs and toast. I felt a soft paw brush against my foot and I sat up straight, as I always did when my cat, Mittens, said hello in the mornings. I picked her up and put her on my lap. She was all white with grey paws that made it look like she was wearing mittens.
“Hello, Mittens. How was your night?” I asked softly. She meowed in response.
Suddenly, I glanced at the time. It was 5:15. I had exactly 15 minutes to brush my hair, brush my teeth, put on my shoes, walk 6 blocks, and take the E train 9 stops to my job. At 5:30, my normal group of early tourists would come and I would perform for them. If I missed that slot, the next slot would be at 6:00 and the tourists then weren’t as friendly. I did all of the tasks in record time and made it there by 5:39. Luckily, the tourist were still there, looking around Washington Square Park. I did a few back flips and a few back handsprings, which hurt so much, like someone had twisted my back into knots. I put down my Mets cap and waited for people to fork over a few coins and help me get a decent dinner.
Suddenly, it started raining. Not just drizzling, but pouring. I grabbed my hat and sprinted to the closest awning I could find. I watched people rushing by, with the first things they could find to keep them dry. I slowly turned around, wondering where I was. The first thing I saw was a diamond necklace. It out shone all of the other jewelry by far. It looked magical, just sitting there. I looked in closer and suddenly I banged my head against the glass. As I was rubbing my forehead, I caught a glimpse of someone. I couldn’t tell if it was a man or a woman. All I saw were two piercing green eyes. They seemed to glow in the dark store window. Suddenly, an old memory came to my mind. One that I hadn’t thought of in years.
I was standing by a stream and my childhood best friend, Jane, came running up to me. I was just looking into the stream, as if something had just swam by. I just remember seeing a glint in the water. As soon as I saw it, it was gone. Jane took my hand and we walked back to the house together. She had the same green eyes as the person in the store.
I shook my head and the eyes were gone. I must have imagined it. The rain had stopped, so I tentatively took a step out from under the awning. The ground was slippery and I couldn’t work, so I decided to just go home.
