The Mind Behind The Beanie || ✔

You Never Know What People Know

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As the homeless man led us from alley to alley, I took a glance around us.  The police were evacuating everyone from central New York City.  As the police went from door to door and told the confused residents to leave, I felt like I was in an apocalyptic movie. 

"Where are you taking us?" Conner asked the homeless man. 

"Shhhh!" he shushed and placed a finger to his mouth.  "If they catch us sneaking around, we'll never get to your sister."

"Sorry- where are you taking us?" Conner whispered.

"We're going to a subway entrance on the corner of Fortieth and Broadway."

"We're taking the subway?" Conner asked.  "But a train won't get us inside the library!"

"We don't need a train where we're going," the homeless man said.  He dashed behind a pile of trash, and with some reluctance, we followed.  By the time we reached the station, it was getting dark.

The homeless man went into the station, motioning for us to stay outside for a moment.  He poked his head around the corner and motioned us forward.  Once we made sure the Marines weren't watching we darted into the station. 

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After a while of trudging through the station, a bit of Red's dress being cut away, much to her dismay, we were running down a track to wherever the homeless man was taking us.   He ducked into a passageway on the left that I never would've noticed and we followed.

"Welcome to the Calvin Coolidge Express!" he announced.  "Or at least what's finished of it."

"The what?" Conner asked. 

The homeless man chuckled, an odd sound to come from such a dingy dressed person.  "Don't worry, very few people know it exists," he said.  "In 1928, construction began on a new transit system to take New Yorkers from Staten Island all the way to Central Park.  The following year the Great Depression hit and construction came to a halt.  Later, the need for steel was so high during World War Two that plans were scrapped altogether.  By the time the war was over, the Calvin Coolidge Express was completely forgotten."

"Whatever it is, it smells awful," Red said and took out her Febreze and started spraying. 

"Unfortunately, the tunnels were built right next to the sewers, but you get used to the smell after a while."

"Why would you bring us to an abandoned subway tunnel?" Conner asked. 

"Because one of the many stops planned for the Calvin Coolidge Express was Bryant Park," the man explained.  "The city didn't want to obstruct the park, so they decided to place the stop in the basement of the New York Public Library."

Conner's face lit up so much, I could almost see a glow.

"So, you're saying we can get to the library from this tunnel?" he asked.

"Like I said before, they aren't guarding every entrance," the homeless man reiterated. "See why I didn't tell you where we were going?  You wouldn't have believed a bum like me unless you saw it with your own eyes."

"I just realized we haven't been properly introduced," Conner said, his cheeks tinted from embarrassment.  "I'm Conner Bailey, and these are my friends Bree, Red, Jack, Goldie, and their son, Hero.  What's your name?"

"The name's Rusty- Rusty Bagasarian," the man said with a quick bow.

"Thank you so much for leading us here, Rusty," Conner said.  "How did you even know this tunnel existed?"

"You learn a lot about this city when you live on its streets," Rusty said.

"Have you always been poor?" Red asked.

"Red, don't be rude!" Goldilocks reprimanded her.

"It's all right- I get that all the time," Rusty said.  "Homelessness is a recent chapter for me.  I used to live in Brooklyn and worked as a janitor at the Belvedere Castle in Central Park.  A couple of months ago I was fired and lost everything."

"Why were you fired?" Jack asked.

"Well, to put it bluntly, I saw something magical and it changed my life forever."

"Was it Hamilton?" Red asked.  "I keep seeing signs about him posted all over the city.  If he's anything like Shakeyfruit's Hamhead I hope we get a chance to meet him."

I rolled my eyes at Red.

"Earlier, when you told us about the library, you mentioned it wasn't the first time you'd seen magic in the city," I noted.  "I didn't think you were being serious, but now I'm really interested to hear about it."

Rusty let out a deep sigh before telling us about it. 

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Conner and I exchanged grave looks.  Without any solid proof, we knew exactly what Rusty had witnessed- the bridge between worlds was started to form.

"I went to the police station and filed a report, but no one believed me. Then I went home and tried to tell my wife, but she thought I was lying and kicked me out."

"That's terrible!" I said. "Did the window ever appear again?"

"I didn't see it again, but others have seen it appear all over the city," Rusty said.

"But who?  And where?" Conner asked. 

"You can ask them yourself," Rusty said.  "Follow me,"

We continued down the CCE line.  Flickering lights came into view ahead, and soon we discovered a vast underground campsite that was home to dozens and dozens of homeless people.  The tunnel was full of tents, sleeping bags, and furniture made out of cardboard and newspaper.  The homeless people were spread out through the camp in groups; some kept warm by blazing trash cans, some played musical instruments, and some watched a man teaching a family of rats to play fetch.

Rusty escorted us to a group that sat in the corner of the camp.  There was an older man in a blue suit, a woman in a fur coat, another woman in a Yankees baseball hat, and a third woman wearing a T-shirt that said 'READ BANNED BOOKS' and tinfoil wrapped around her head.  They were gathered around a radio listening to a patchy broadcast. 

"There you are, Bagasarian!"  the man said.  "We heard there was an evacuation in Midtown.  We were worried you got swept away."

"Conner and company, allow me to introduce you to my underground family," Rusty said.  "This is Jerry Oswald, Annette Crabtree, Judy Harlow, and Roxie Goldberg."

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