Average John

When John was 10 years old, he lived in Upstate New York. Secluded in the hills, away from the ski resorts, he had a very rural upbringing. And he loved animals. His parents didn't own a farm, but there was enough acreage he could wander safely. And plenty of wildlife to watch and enjoy. And while he didn't own a pet at home, he would rescue wounded or sick animals, nurse them back to health, and release them back into the wild.

The long forgotten local goddess of nature and fertility noticed this one day and watched over him. No harm came to the young boy when he was out in her woods. Bears would just sniff at him indifferently, maybe let him scratch them, poison ivy would retract out of his path, and tree branches were always strong enough to allow him to climb. When it came time for John to leave for college, she was very sad. As a parting gift, she passed a secret blessing upon him, that he never knew or noticed, well into adulthood.

John Smith exited his office building, exhausted. It had been a long, gray week, and it looked to be continuing into the weekend. He looked up at the sky, noticing the darkening clouds between the towers of concrete, as the first few drops began to fall.

Sighing, he pulled up his coat and began the 3 block walk to the train station. He knew he should have brought an umbrella this morning. He merged with the foot traffic on the sidewalk and began the shuffle towards his station.

"What am I doing with my life?" he wondered. He had a good job in the Financial District, even if no one could figure out what he did when he told him. He had given up long ago trying to describe it and just said "Marketing" when asked. Most people thought it was advertising, but really he just read reports and processed numbers, pushing his findings up the next rung of the ladder. He was good at what he did, but after 2 years, it really wasn't fulfilling. His biggest goal at the moment would be to break into middle management, at least. But in his office, that was slow going. He'd even thought about jumping companies, really move up that way. However, he kind of enjoyed the work there, and wasn't ambitious enough to run that risk.

He sighed again, pattered by the occasional raindrop. It looked like it may hold off until he got to the station. Maybe it was the routine that was getting him down. He mused over this as he descended the stairs to the subway. Not a lot to see, as the station was packed on a Friday afternoon. Same old walls, same turnstile he used everyday as he swiped his card. Only the occasional homeless person causing a ruckus, or a street performer allowed variety in his routine. Getting to his platform he gave another sigh. It was completely full for the 5:45, which meant the car would be packed. Luckily it was only a hour to his stop, so just one more minor inconvenience before he made it to his apartment and he could relax for the weekend.

Standing on the platform, waiting for the train, he looked over the crowd. Everyone was talking or texting on their cell phones. The normal murmurs of conversation, shuffling of bags and packages, the occasional ring of a cell. A little quieter than normal, but that was good. As he looked around, he caught sight of a woman further down. She was very striking and beautiful, and she knew it. Long, straight blond hair with the short bangs up front he liked. She had a red business suit/dress on, from what he could tell through the crowd. And she held herself with what he could only describe as a confident poise. Very likely worked in one of the buildings in the same district he did.

However, she was a car-length away from him, and he couldn't get any more detail than that. Turning back, he took the traditional New York pose, facing forward and waiting for the train. More people continued to fill in behind him as they waited.

He looked at his watch. 6:06 PM. Well, everything was normal. Train was late and eating away at his relaxing time. As he looked up again, the dull roar of the train could be heard up the tunnel, making it's way to the commuters starting to grumble about the delay. When it finally got there, he could already see a lot of people in the windows of the car. Wow, it was *really* going to be packed tonight. Almost on cue, the conductor opened the door and shouted for everyone to have their passes and tickets ready before boarding. That was going to delay things even further, and confirmed they were going to have a full load, if they weren't punching tickets after the train left the station.

After 15 minutes of shuffling and getting jostled around, he managed to get to the door and showed the conductor his pass on his cell. The slow shuffle continued into the car. He wanted to make his way towards the back, near a door so it would be easier to get off at his stop. He passed around several passengers, and noticed that every seat was taken and the hand bars were filling up. Reaching a spot that where the inrush of people stopped his movement, he grabbed a handrail, adjusted his computer bag and prepared for the long wait. It was going to be near 7:30 before he made it to his apartment, at this rate.

The people kept flowing in to the packed train car. some moved past him, towards the front, others from behind. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the busy noise and tension flow through him, until he heard the "ding" warning bell that the doors were closing. It had been tight before, but this was an exceptional day. He was being pressed on all sides by other commuters. At least they had a few stops on the way, to "relieve the pressure." When he opened his eyes again, he was startled by what he saw.