The People's Prime Minister

Chapter One

As the two pence coin was dropped into the rusty baked bean tin, the homeless man sitting just out of sight in the abandoned shop doorway lunged forward hoping to see a change from old chewing gum and litter which was usually placed in his tin. As he emerged from the shade of the doorway, with his dark brown hair and his bushy black beard which was tinted by years of dirt, his eyes were filled with tears of joy at the very sight of two pence. He quickly removed the coin from the tin in fear that the very person who gave it to him would snatch it back at any moment. He pushed it deep into the right pocket of his moth-eaten jacket and made sure it was safely hidden underneath balls of newspaper from the bin that he saved to use as tissue.

He had been under that doorway for eleven years, day after day. Just today he had either found or been given: twenty-six pence, three used tissues, a hat, a pet rat from the sewers, fifteen rude remarks and what seemed like an endless number of stares and sighs. He didn't mind though. He was used to it and it was the only thing that kept him connected to the rest of the world. He hadn't spoken to anyone for the eleven years he had sat under the doorway. Because it had been so long since he had last spoken that he wasn't even sure that he remembered how to speak anymore.

He sat under the doorway, watching the rush of important looking people on their way home from work. No one took any notice of him, they either didn't see him or they decided not to see him. The rush was beginning to die down a bit now and he was just starting to tuck himself into a ball underneath a single sheet of newspaper which he found in the bin nearby. It was beginning to rain and everyone was holding umbrellas or seeking shelter under trees or doorways. Two eighteen year old boys ran into his doorway. He heard their foot steps behind him and he froze where he lay. The two boys were laughing and talking, one of them turned round to admire himself in the window of the old shop. He noticed the homeless man and tapped his friend on the shoulder to turn him round. They both went silent. They both took a step towards him. He curled into an even tighter ball praying to whatever god would listen. His prayers weren't heard.

The boys ran off five minutes later and the homeless man lay still scared to move in case it happened again. A tear ran down his face barely scraping the surface of eleven years worth of dirt. He wiped the tear from his face and looked down at his hand. He saw blood. He looked into the window and saw that his face was red from blood. He tried to move but screamed in agony as a massive pain hit his back. He was stuck there for what felt like an infinity. He saw people walking past in the window. He kept trying to shout for help but no sound was coming out. He wasn't sure how much time had passed. he hadn't eaten since the morning before when he found an old half eaten sandwich in the bin, and he knew if he didn't eat soon he would pass out like he had a million times before.

He heard footsteps slowly approaching him. He opened his eyes, he must have fallen asleep. He could only make out a vague shape in the window's reflection because the blood had dripped onto his eyelids and dried making him unable to open his eyes fully. He heard the footsteps getting closer. With every footstep he curled into a tighter ball. The stranger bent down. He closed his eyes. Nothing happened. He opened his eyes and in the window he could just make out the shape of a women kneeling over him. The morning sunlight behind her made her look like an angel. She put her hand gently on his arm and told him everything was okay.

Her voice was soft and gentle. Just listening to her made him feel better. Made him feel safe, something he had never felt. She told him that an ambulance was on its way and he took a breath of relief. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. For the first time in his life he finally felt safe. For the first time in his life he felt that he could sleep without worrying what might happen and, for the first time in his life he felt that life was good.