Ray kicked the autumn leaves on his way to the soup kitchen to get his meal for the day. He was especially hungry and hoped he would be able to have seconds.
The line was long to the lunchtime meal which meant there probably wouldn't be enough food for seconds.
Sue handed Ray a bologna sandwich, a bowl of soup and some carrot sticks. It wasn't much and certainly not enough to fill his belly.
The nights were getting cooler and his little camp in the woods didn't provide him much warmth.
Tonight, he would have to make a campfire.
(100)
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BEAUTIFUL WORDS 
The autumn leaves seems to bring the best out of us and your story is a good read. Thanks!
Thank you Graham!
I liked to jump in them when I was a kid. Now they are just a pain that has to be raked up and then sit in the streets causing parking problems for weeks on end. Homeless is a topic I don’t like thinking about since that could be my situation any time in the future.
It could be anyone’s future but we will hope that it’s not! LOL
A good reminder that the chillier air is not something everyone has the luxury of enjoying.
Sadly, yes. I feel very bad for the homeless, especially in the winter.
Loved it.
Thank you!
Great story, Joy. It shows that leaves can mean different things to different people and in his case, he knew winter was on the way and his life would change some and he would need to make adjustments. Everyone makes adjustments, but it isn’t always pleasant.
Thank you Jessie! Yes, you’re right. To him, it means cooler weather and the oncoming of winter.
A really good story PJ. I think this is especially a fitting thing to be talking about as the weather gets colder for those who don’t have a home particularly. I read a neat article the other day about in San Francisco where they have turned buses into portable showers for the homeless. Your story made me think of this and how we really have to help those on the streets.
You are so right Mandi. I use to help out at our local soup kitchen and I remember they had a hard time having enough food to feed the homeless. That is one way we can help, by supporting our local soup kitchens.
Makes me feel bad for him and Yes I have such sympathy for the people who have no shelter as the days get colder 😦 So glad for the soup kitchens that are available but we need more!
Yes we do need more! I feel sad for the homeless and even more so in the winter. Thank you, JR for reading!
We used to have a soup kitchen just round the corner from me, before they started tearing down buildings and digging up car parks. Now it is further up the road. It opens at 6, and you see people start to congregate there from about 4:30. As I was going past a couple of months ago, I saw one of my friends come out of there and I thought she had taken a downward turn. As it happens, she goes there three times a week to help, and sometimes takes her own food there to help out if there doesn’t seem to be enough. When I worked with her, she was one of the most caring people I ever met. She hasn’t changed it seems.
I felt guilty in August, as I went to collect my daughter from her friends at 1am – my daughter is 17, but I still won’t let her out on her own after dark. As we were heading home, there was a man asleep just along the road, and I made a mental note that I was going to do him a flask of coffee and a sandwich. When I got in though, I fell asleep in the chair and forgot clean about it.
That is very sweet of your friend, to help out at the soup kitchen. I helped at one for awhile and they were always needing more food. There is such a need for these kitchens. The one I helped at was only open for lunch. Your thoughts were in a good place for the man lying in the street. You couldn’t help it that you fell asleep. Maybe if you see it happen again you can get the man/woman a sandwich and a flask of coffee. I can’t say I blame you for not letting your daughter be out after dark, however, I’m sure she probably hates it. lol.
No, she loves that I care enough to come and get her.
I keep looking out for the man. I know I saw him somewhere else a few days ago, so I brought him a couple of hot sausage rolls and a cup of tea.
That’s so wonderful you bought him some hot sausage rolls and tea. You are very lucky your daughter is so sweet and understanding!
I won’t give homeless people money, as some are homeless due to an addiction of some sort – not all though. You can’t tell which is which, so I find it easier to give them food and drink rather than money which they may spend on drugs, alcohol, or gambling.
Both my kids are really understanding
I agree, most of them are homeless due to an addiction. And, you are a very lucky man!
Which is what someone who works with the homeless said on Facebook the other day. She said that the people who were homeless normally had an underlying issue that just giving them a house couldn’t cure, but they worked with them to try to help them work through their problems.
There is a man that goes to the soup kitchen here and I was told that he was an Engineer but he lost his mind and went homeless and that is the way he wants to live. He doesn’t have an addiction, he just has a mental illness.
That is so sad
It is sad.
In such short stories Priceless you manage to build a character and sympathy and a story. I hope Ray gets much more food.
Thank you so much Colleen! I hope he gets more food too. I helped out at a soup kitchen for awhile and they never seemed to have enough food much less for the clients to have seconds. Thank you for reading!
Aww poor lad, good story
Thank you 🙂
One can feel the hunger in his tummy. It is very hard for the homeless to survive specially in winter. Love your story ,
Yes, it is. You’re right! Thank you so much Scrapydo2! 🙂
A timely reminder that everyone can’t just turn up the heating when it gets cold.
Thank you Steve. Just a reminder of those who have much less and their struggle through the winter. The least we can do is to help out, either with money or our time, the organizations that help these people.
Enjoyable little tale. As a crit I would try to avoid repetition i.e. not use the word “seconds” in consecutive lines. See you next week.
Thank you so much for your critique!
No probs. Never sure if people want crits, but as we’re all trying to get better I don’t see the harm 🙂
I want critique! I haven’t been to school in years!
Some people may not want it, but I know that I do. I have a lot to learn.
Yes it is this time of the year that the homeless start to worry too bad they can’t hibernate like animals. If only the homeless weren’t..homeless.
That’s so true. If only… maybe someday there won’t be homeless people anymore, they will all have homes to go to.
Good story about the plight of the homeless. So many suffer from mental illness, alcoholism and just plain bad luck. 🙂
That’s so true Susan. There are so many!
This is one case for fiction being more than true to life.
I knew a guy who one winter more or less lived in his car.
When he did scrap enough funds from his part time job he rented a room in a cheep motel on the other side of town…
That is sad he had to live in his car but good that he could finally rent a room.
At least he had a car. Most homeless do not. Kind of scary in some states to walk through streets with beggars on every block.
Yes, it certainly is! It use to be pretty bad where I live if you went downtown.
Some warmer states I guess it is easier to be homeless. And some states seem to just want to ignore the problem.
Yes, that’s true. Sadly. Thankfully, I believe my state has jumped on board with helping these people.
There are programs. But often the person who is homeless has to make the effort to get to it.
That is the way it is here too.
A reminder of how lucky we are.
Yes! Absolutely!