The Locksmith

THE LOCKSMITH

One

 Newspaper in his lap, ice cream by his side, lying in his reclined chair, his eyes half open, he gazed wearily at the grey snowy tropical island on the decrepit television. “$2999” appeared on the screen. Five thousand thoughts went through Harold Richmond’s mind after seeing this and before nodding back off to sleep.

The sun was still out the next day. Harold longed for another cool, cloudy day. He walked to work down a cracked sidewalk. When they saw Harold Richmond, the people across the street were glad they were. It would be all right. He would be indoors soon. His miserable existence was only a footnote in the happy, exciting lives of everyone else. He was generally a kind and reasonable person. Maybe if someone saw this in him, he would not have been in the state he was. At the top of the steps to the shop, Harold’s boss, Carl Horowitz, waited impatiently.
The day was put away as every other, and Harold walked back to his apartment to go through his nightly routine. In a replica of last night, Harold made a decision for his life. Inspired by the same $2999 tropical island vacation commercial, he vowed he would get away from this sadness. No money in his possession made dreams more difficult to make real. He had a job in a trusted profession. He would suddenly become a lot less trustworthy.

Two

The next well to do couple to come crawling to the mercy of Mr. Horowitz and his services were named Grollinger. Harold argued with himself every second of the day and night, which was a little more than usual for him. He finally decided that trying to do something, even if he failed (even if it was illegal), would be much better than doing nothing at all. He made one too many keys for the old, stranded pair and slipped it into his front pocket. That night he sat alert and upright in his living room staring at the key as he turned and twisted it in front of his face in the dimness of the only light coming from his kitchen ceiling. He had overheard a conversation between the shriveled, rich kooks. They were to be out this night until midnight. His stopwatch showed 10:39. He had better get going.

He drove mischievously to the shining mansion in the moonlight. He’d brought two black bags with him. Scared to death he slipped the golden key into the great brass lock. Quickly and surprisingly skillful (to himself), he packed the bags with valuables and left before 11:09. Hitting every other pawnshop he saw he cashed in and earned more than he had expected. Filled with a long-forgotten excitement, Harold tensely but under control made his way to the airport where his vision of apparent happiness awaited his arrival. He sweated nervously all of the way on the jet liner. Stinking like a pig, he departed the craft, taxied to a hotel, showered and lay on one of the double beds. Satisfied by the situation and relieved of his assumed safety, he gazed wearily with half open eyes at a television that did not work so well. It had begun to rain. The grey snowy static and its noise, suddenly realized by Harold, filled him with a deep, dark depression. He was where he had been when he decided to do something about it. He was tired and closed his eyes completely to try to bring on the sleep that would be an only remedy to drown out his melancholy.

Three

 Just on the brink of a beginning dream, a hard tapping on his hotel door, numbered 113, viciously awoke Harold. In the midst of all his panic, bewilderment and fear of the hand that had made the noise Harold sprang off the bed knocking off a lamp beside it with his knee. Another knock sent the frantic Harold racing for the window in the bathroom in the back. He forced it open with some trouble and began the impossible task of squeezing though it. As he hoisted himself up on the toilet the door was violently flung agape. With one arm and a head jutting out into the cool ocean breeze, Harold was shot twice from behind, and falling back into the bathroom and slamming the back of his head into the hard-tiled wall, he was knocked unconscious.

When he awoke the next day in a hospital bed, he still felt the fear and panic of the night before but also a disabling pain. People in white came and went, caring for him as they saw fit. He was gradually improving. Soon he was out of bed and in a wheelchair. It was many days later that he discovered he was still at the beach and that he had not seen the sun once save for the first night in the hotel when he had his head out the bathroom window and he caught a glimpse of it rising in the rain. One day on a request he was wheeled outside on a concrete platform. He was pointed at the sea. He felt a cool wind on his face. The water was dark and turbulent, and the sky was grey and serene. As he gazed up at it, he smiled for the first time in a very long while.