This is another short story with the same character but on a different night. For better or worse, I've no more to share, but thank you for this opportunity to let me read them again after a year of having them shut away.

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At Midnight
July 2, 2001

Two or three times a week he would come in the diner at around midnight. He always sat in the booth in the corner, if it was available. And usually it was at that time. He would sit very still and look out on the street.

What would you like tonight? Delia asked, not bothering with the menu because she knew what he would have. The usual?

Thank you. The usual would be fine. His voice was soft, his smile was shy, his eyes were sad.

We have some apple pie tonight that isnt too bad. Would you like to try a piece?

No, thank you. Perhaps another night.

He would never vary from his menu. She asked because it was a way to hear him talk. He had a silky tone to his soft voice that she found soothing.

Having a hard nights work?

He shook his head. No harder than usual. No harder than you.

Let me know if theres anything I can get you.

I will. He turned back to his consideration of the street.

Delia put his order in.

So your boyfriend is here again, Josh said from the back.

I wish. Delia cleaned the counter but she was watching him as she did, when she could.

A woman entered the caf She had a very short skirt and very high heels and there was a definite swing to her hips when she moved.

Hey, Delia, whats going on?

Not much, Ruby. You want a cup a coffee?

Only if you dont have rum. Ruby spotted the man. Good-looking guy.

Leave him alone, Ruby.

You got dibs on him?

Dont be silly.

Ruby rolled her shoulders and set in motion toward his booth. Hey, handsome. Want some company?

He looked up. No, thank you.

Ruby was not to give up so easily. She slid into the seat opposite him. You look so sad, handsome. I could cheer you up.

Not tonight.

You think youre too good for me?

Not at all. His gaze seemed to disconcert her. She slipped back out of the booth.

What kind of creepy guy, are you, anyway?

Ruby, leave him alone. Come over here.

Ruby weaved back to the counter.

Delia spoke in low tones. Look, he is just some poor tired guy that works the graveyard shift and comes in here for a little quiet.

He looked at me like he was dissecting me with his eyes, and I dont mean that in a flattering way. Whats with him?

He just wants to be left alone.

Well, he can stay that way as far as I am concerned. Ruby looked back at him. Too bad. Cute. But buggy somehow. Give me that coffee to go. I got to hit the streets again.

You got it.

Ruby paid for a small cup; Delia gave her a large. Ruby sashayed to the door. She glanced over her shoulder to see if he was watching but he was looking back at the street. Ruby shrugged at Delia and left.

Delia heard his pager go off. He looked at the display and rose. She saw him put down money for a meal he didnt have.

Are you a doctor? Are you off to save a life?

Not exactly, he said, with a tone in his voice that made her want to put her arms around him and give him a hug. That impulse disappeared when he spoke again. When my pager goes off, it always means somebody has died.

He gave her another of his sweet, sad smiles and walked out of the diner. He wouldnt be back that night.

I can spell that word. Sorry.

That's good characterization with dialogue. Only quibble is the sentence in the 1st paragraph "And usually it was at that time." I couldn't tell if that was supposed to be a coma instead of a period at the end. The sentence may not be needed since the first sentence states that it's midnight. Now you've got me curious about CSI. Is that the show with the actor from "To Live and Die in LA' and "Manhunter"?

I guess I used a period to create an extra pause. As if the narration was spoken by Delia and was thinking about his regular arrivals and just noticed, "oh, and it's always about the same time." It's a valid point, though. I'll have to think about that. I wouldn't want my punctuation to interfere with the flow of the paragraph. Once a reader thinks about the punctuation, the story is stopped, and that wasn't my intention. Yes, it's the show with William Petersen in it. I hope I'm not turning into a bill board for CSI. ;) On the show, there is very little about the personal lives of the characters, which has given way to a lot of speculation about what they do and how they act outside of the intense environment of their work. I find modern urban life very isolating. I guess I'm drawn to those themes. Not very original of me but I can't write about what I don't connect with emotionally.

I'm not knockin' it at all, Dialyn. From what you've said it seems like you're taking a unique perspective on an idea shared by many. Sounds no different than the thousands of fantasy books written roughly based on Tolkien's format. But even Tolkien borrowed ideas from others - he didn't invent elves (I think Santa came up with that one) LOL What I thought was original and fresh about the story was that it's Delia's point of view and not Will's. I think most of us can relate to Delia's problems more than we can to Will's. When he's leaving I was feeling bad for Delia. You know she hopes he'll come back again the next midnight. I think that is a unique and welcoming perspective.

I have to admit, that I rather like Delia's kindness toward her customers. We're late at night. She's tired to the bone. Has to be. But she still thinks about the man and about Ruby, and how to make them more comfortable. I'd like to go back to her some day because she has her own story...not the waitress with the heart of gold business who turns into a raving beauty when she takes off her apron and tosses her hair. Someone a little worn around the edges but still has some faith in human nature. I once considered taking a place and writing a series of stories about each person who lived there, rather like Balzac. But I was overwhelmed by my own lack of imagination and energy. And Balzac had already done it and better. You know, I really got to quit going on like this. I'm turning this forum into my personal steam of consciousness session. Apologies again. And thank you for the kind words. I liked this story. I'm glad someone else did too. :)

Don't apologize for expressing yourself. I found myself wanting to get to know this quiet stranger and Delia. Very nice work.

I must confess, as smooth as it has been reading your work, I "tripped" on the same sentence RAM mentioned above. I had to reread and when I did, it came out OK. I guess I've gotten spoiled because you are easy to read. Dare I risk a suggestion? "And, at that time of night, it usually was." or... "And, at that time of night, it usually was empty." I think the readers feel for Delia and Will. Ruby gets credit for just being, well, interested in her job...grin. One of the good touches-one that stood out the most--was the "play" (there must be a literary term for it) or "contrast" between her remark about the phone call setting the stage for him to save a live and he informs her that it means someone has died. Thanks for sharing and making me realize how much of an amateur I REALLY am...not that the "guys" in here haven't already helped in that category enough. And don't worry about your "volume" in. Of course, sometimes, my time is tight and I don't get to everything right away.

Um ... let's see. This is a writing forum. You've posted a good piece of writing. Yep, completely unappropriate and inexcuseable. I say we drag out the tar and feathers! ;-) Good grief, this is the humblest group of talent I've seen in a long while! end rant I hit the same stumbling block as everyone else. My version: He always sat in the booth in the corner, if it was available. At that time of night, it always was. I was a bit thrown, probably my fault, because I expected the scene to be from the man's POV since the first paragraph focused on him. I'd suggest adding a sentence such as: Delia could never tell if he was wrapped up in the dark and emptied city outside or in his own, private thoughts. I'm curious what his "usual" is. Could you toss it in somewhere? (Maybe where she gives the order to the kitchen.) I loved the ending to the vignette. It's a strong finish that really wraps up the story. Even though I figured out that this was one of the CSI guys, the way he said it still threw me. It speaks volumes about how he sees himself and his job. Another great job. Now stop apologizing!

Thank you. My blushes. You mind if I apologize again for not being able to spell midnight??? I guess I didn't explain the "usual" because it didn't seem important to me. But, again, I think if it stops the reader, then it needs to be addressed. To tell you the awful truth, I've no idea what his usual is. There is lazy writing if ever I saw it!!! ;) Thanks for the feedback. I appreciate it. I may just have to start writing again to see if I still have any stories left in me.

Well, I'm gonna hop in and disagree with Cres (takes big gulp!). I don't think the "usual" needs a description. IMHO, BECAUSE it is just the usual (read: mundane, uninteresting, etc.), the author relegates it to this status, the uninteresting if I can repeat myself, by NOT elaborating. Of course, that's just my weak opinion. NOW, if this were a book-length story (and not a short story), my opinion might change. Especially if there was "time enough" to REALLY flesh out the character. OK, OK, I'll quit straddling the fence...hehe. Oh, and I second Cresent's remark. STOP apologizing. You're starting to sound like me. And who would want THAT?!?!

I think the thing we all have to accept is that none of us will please 100% of readers. What is helpful about the feedback is it helps me see what kept a person from moving as I wanted to the end of the story. I'm not saying I'll take all advice but I will think about it when I write again. Because I don't like to read a lot of description, I tend to not want to write a lot of description. Does that make sense? So as a reader I bring bias to my writing, for better or worst. You're to blame for me posting, Chuck. You may regret that invitation. I like how you played with the dragon, by the way. A little dark on my screen, but a scary beast. Hope to see more of your work with him. :)

(Takes big gulp...wipes brow) Got scared when I read the part, "...and a note to Chuck". Ok, over that set of hives...hehe. Now, SIT back down! (gulp, again) You are posilutely right! I think A. Lincoln (sp?) said it (or was it Bob Dylan in one of his many 'dream' songs?): "You can fool some of the people all of the time, all of the people some of the time, but you can fool all the people all the time." A weird way of saying you're right about pleasing 100% of the people. Shoot for the number that gets you on the Best Seller list, I'd say...hehe. Maybe, 75%. BUT, the reason I "ordered" you to your chair is twofold: (1) I'm your age, so I can DO that...big grin. (2) I'm NOT to blame for you posting here. I saw a simple (yeah, RIGHT!) remark you made about judging someone's art and "saw" right through you to the writer I knew was screaming to come out. A person with a lot going on in their mind. I just became your excuse to get off your ass to take a chance by posting here. And you gobbled it right up...hehe. You're gonna explode, I think, if you don't let it out. (3) I've enjoyed what you have posted. SO THERE! (4) I suck at art. Talking about numbers, I shoot for 10% liking what I do. Then, I feel good. I spent the least amount of time on the dragon of anything I have done. I did it to let the people know they had helped me through my problem...and "tidyied" (sp?) it up a bit. I know there is a problem with monitor display across the world. I have calibrated my with Adobe Gamma, so I "tune" my pictures to it. I realize others may not EVER go to that extreme. Maybe one reason it comes out a bit dark for others.

Shucks! That would be "fourfold". (slaps self for running his mouth beyond the original intent).

I don't know that time spent equals quality. I don't know that simple equals lack of quality. You can complain all you like. I like your graphics. There it is. There is much good in them. You have an eye for the dramatic positioning of figures. I like your deep, dark colors. I like the thought behind "Silence." And the tenderness of "Folded Silence." You obviously take a lot of care and put thought behind what you are doing. Sorry, you'll just have to accept that I like your graphics. Oh well.

Then, my dear, get out of the beginner gallery. Your stuff is as good as mine. And, for those peering into this thread, I'll post an example (guess I'm in hot water now!), one that I have mentioned to you before (I love the POV and colors): I'll accept your compliments. (although I should thank the poem for one that you mentioned) Bows and says, "Thanks". 

LOL! I didn't expect my graphic to end up in this post. You are too funny.

Sorry...I shouldn't have posted someone else's art when they might not have wanted it posted. Let's just pretend it's Delia and Will's ghost...hehe. Then we can "confuse" ourselves into staying on-topic.

"At midnight" wouldn't be a bad title for the graphic. I can't take any credit for the colors. The bed came fully equipped (it is a great, morphable bed, by the way, and was free!) Do you see Delia and the man ending up together? I never did. I kind of wanted Josh to come out of the kitchen and take a look at him. I thought he might have had a little twinge of jealousy in his voice when he kidded her. That seems to be the most popular of the graphics I've done. It's not good to peak early. I'm waiting for Poser 5 to see if I should push out from the safety net of the Beginner's Gallery. What I would really like to do, which is not at all an original idea, is to have a story that had graphics integral to its substance...but I am reluctant to force my vision into a story that pushes out how the reader sees the story, so I'm still working on how that would happen. At this rate, probably not at all. ;) I don't mind you posting it...I was just surprised by its appearance. My personal favorite of my own stuff (how self serving this all sounds) is "Midnight Repast in the Park" because it was the graphic that jumped from a Poser lesson into being something on its own. Not saying what that something is but I finally felt a story being told in the graphic that reflected closely what I wanted to told, that was in a style that somewhat reflected my own writing style. Does that make sense?

"Well, I'm gonna hop in and disagree with Cres (takes big gulp!)." Yeesh! I don't bite. Well, it's never been proven fatal! :-}~

It's nice to know one doesn't die from feedback. I think sometimes some of us stay unpublished because we're afraid of getting hit by flying criticism.