Member-only story
The Authentic Eclectic
The Tea Masters (3)
Part 1:
Gabriel smoothly walked through the passengers streaming between trains to his connecting terminal. His mind was a mirror of his surroundings, buzzing and swirling in myriad directions, and he barely registered the man the first time he glanced at him. But something made him look again.
It was common to see homeless sleepers down here. Even though the subway was cold and windy, it provided a shelter from snow, rain, and summer heat. But the way the man lay, sprawled sideways with his mouth wide open, suggested that he was not merely sleeping.
Gabriel hesitated, but, with time to spare, he took a moment to slip through the crowd and give the man’s shoulder a gentle shake.
“Hey. Hey. Are you alright?”
The man didn’t respond. He stank of urine, and drool or some other dried substance caked the side of his mouth. Exactly the sort of human detritus that most people try to forget exists. Gabriel, too, felt disgusted by the odor and filth, but the human face held far greater…
