This story is by Jan Achterhof and was part of our 2020 Summer Writing Contest. You can find all the writing contest stories here.
Alone in the Cold.
He fidgeted around in his sleeping bag trying to get warm and comfortable.
Pulling his woolly hat, that someone had donated to the shelter, further down around his ears, he tried to sleep.
But sleep was reluctant to come, refusing to release him from the world he now inhabited.
Homeless…street dweller…the lowest dregs of society… he was all of these… but it hadn’t always been that way.
Once he had had a beautiful wife, a daughter that was his world and a house that had been a happy family home.
But that was before the fire.
The fire that had been his fault because of a stupid electrical fault he had made… and his mistake had robbed him of everything he loved.
He was told not to blame himself, that no one could have seen or known the fault that was already there , but he saw the pitying looks, heard the comments, and knew that secretly people, friends, neighbors, all blamed him.
The house was a ruin and he had rented a cheap, shabby room, waiting for the insurance money so that he could start again.
But he didn’t want to start again… not without his family at his side… not alone.
So he began to drink, hoping that by falling into an alcoholic stupor he could escape his thoughts.
He was sacked from his job, his boss’s patience and sympathy reaching an end.
He shunned his friends, family, neighbours, and little by little they drew away from him, leaving him alone in a drunken, lonely haze of an alcoholic isolation.
He fell deeper and deeper into debt, swapping one lonely, shabby room for another as his money grew lower and lower until all that was left to him were the streets.
His days were spent wandering around in a drunken haze… a few clothes and a photo of his wife and daughter his only possessions.
He had come across a group of vagrants on some waste ground, huddled around a fire burning in an old oil drum.
Cold, hungry, he had sat down near them to try and get some warmth.
No one spoke to him.
No one even looked at him.
All of them lost in their own thoughts, desperation etched on all their faces.
A van pulled up close to them and a young man and woman got out, their arms full of packages.
The couple passed among the group, passing out food, clothing even a few pounds.
The young woman noticed him and he moved away, not wanting or needing human contact, but she caught him gently on the arm and asked him if he was new.
He gave a sharp nod of his head and went to move off but she stopped him again.
She gave him some food and clothing and said something to the young man who went to the back of the van, returning with a sleeping bag and blankets.
The young woman told him that she worked at the local shelter and he was welcome there at any time, twenty- four hours a day.
She told him he must keep warm now that winter was on its way and that they always had warm, donated clothing and a hot meal at the shelter any time he needed it.
He gave another sharp nod and moved away and this time the woman let him go.
He walked the streets by day and slept in shop doorways at night.
He spoke to no one and no one spoke to him.
The weather turned colder, the meagre amount of money he had getting smaller.
He knew he had money in his bank, the insurance had probably paid out by now, but he wanted nothing to do with it … it was blood money … he would rather beg and rely on the kindness of strangers than touch one penny of it.
He was a regular at the off sales, never speaking to the shop keeper but just pointing to what he wanted and handing the money over… a cheap bottle of wine his only comfort .
Once, he had visited the shelter.
He had been given a hot meal and a woolly hat, gloves and a scarf, but the noise grated in his head, bombarding him with noises and sounds he no longer wanted to hear…laughter… chatting…sounds that had no place in his lonely world he had created.
He didn’t go back to the shelter again.
The first flakes of snow began to fall, awakening memories he no longer wanted to see… his little daughter laughing, sticking out her tongue so she could catch the soft, cold flakes … the three of them making snow angels and building snow men in the garden.
His heart ached so much he wanted to tear it from his chest rather than bear the pain.
He used to pray, to believe, but no longer. How could he believe in a power so great, a power that had taken everything so precious to him?
He pulled his hat down over his head even further; pulling his sleeping bag up until it nearly covered him, trying to find some warmth from the intense cold, the gloves and scarf offering little protection.
He felt in his pocket with fingers numb and blue for the photo he had there.
Barely able to manage to hold it he looked at the smiling faces of his wife and daughter, not bothering to wipe away the tears that fell and froze on his face.
The snow began falling heavier, gusts of wind blowing it into drifts against the shop doorway he sheltered in.
Alone.
***
The crowd gathered around the body that lay frozen in the doorway.
Mobile phones recording and snapping photos, later to be uploaded to social media.
People muttering how sad it was that he had frozen to death, the same people who had turned their backs on him a few days ago and passed him by.
Only the young woman from the shelter grieved for him as she grieved every time one of her homeless people died.
She knelt down and gently covered his face with a blanket … the face that held a frozen smile and an old creased photo to its lips.
The End.
I enjoyed your story. Anyone could end up in this situation. Behind every homeless person, there is a story.
Thank you so much for your kind comment 🙂
I pray I never know this kind of despair.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and leaving a comment 🙂
Oh Jan that was a great story it brought years to my eyes, it brought back memories of a man that was a lawyer here , he was working on a case and him and his wife had a argument one Sunday morning didn’t go to church with them when he got a phone call that afternoon his wife and children were in an accident a drunk driver didn’t stop at a stop sign hit the car his wife was driving I use to see him walking around empty look on his face drunk people use to buy him food all the time but he wanted the whiskey to numb his Darrow and his lost
very sad Arthur 🙁
That’s amazing Jan. I worked briefly for Shelter in the charity shop in Hastings. I’d hear sad stories everyday, some as a result of addiction, some bankruptcy, a lot of mentally Ill people. Its tragic. There’s a story behind everyone. So don’t be quick to judge, it could be you one day….. x
Thank you for your comment Kat and for taking the time to read my story 🙂
That’s brilliant, Jan. Heart wrenching but so true. People think it can never happen to them but it can at the blink of an eye.
Thank you for reading my story and for your kind comment 🙂
This is written so well, and a situation none of us want to be in, but many people are.
Thank you for taking the time to read my story and for your comment 🙂
Such a beautifully written story and so sad. Well done, your writing makes you really feel the emotions of the tone of the story.
Thank you for your comment and for taking the time to read my story 🙂
This story is a heart tugger. That is due to the incredible talent Jan has of pulling you into the story with her words. She can create another world around you and make you a part of it! Looking forward to more!
Thank you for your lovely comment and for taking the time to read my story 🙂
Well Done Jan! Your story was so moving that it brought tears to my eyes.
Thank you Niki for your comment and for reading my story 🙂
Very well written and a tragic but sadly all too real situation that is overlooked too often in modern society.
Thank you Kirk .
I think it is a situation that sadly gets ignored but it is real and it is happening 🙁
thank you for reading my story 🙂
What an enjoyable read Jan, maybe you’d like to write one for SRP PETS I’d be happy to show your work on my site https://www.srppets.com
Thank you for reading my story Stella and i would be delighted 🙂
an utterly insightful look at what hides underneath, how close we all are to this kind of loneliness, treatment and despair. we are all one accident, one pay check one big event away from living a life of being invisible, yet we shun those on the streets everyday without thinking this could be us one day. fab work by a very talented lady
Thank you 🙂
Could happen to anyone. There is always a story behind the situation, but sadly most times it is never revealed. THANKYOU for writing this one and goodluck with further writing
Thank you for reading my story and for your well wishes for the future 🙂
Very good thought provoking story I enjoyed reading it. Keep writing.
Thank you for reading my story and for your comment 🙂
Its a beautiful written and heart breaking story. It shows the shattering thoughts of a still loving and caring man. A man who feels broken beyond repair.. It brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for sharing this story.
Thank you for reading my story and for your comment 🙂
So sad 🙁 Good job.
Thank you for reading it
I love your story. It kind of resonates with how I feel about my father’s death. Like it was partly my fault. Hummm
Sorry to hear that but thank you for reading it
This is a heart wrenching story and you crafted it well. It feels strange to say I “enjoyed” it. I loved the ending.
Good luck in the contest.
So sad Jan. You have a talent. I’d love to write something but don’t know where to start?