A Child, On the Street, In the Night
by Bentzion Elisha
Based on a true story.
Laying in bed, fast asleep late Friday night, I hear a man’s voice in our Brooklyn apartment. Drifting between sleep and consciousness, I think I’m dreaming. I hope I’m dreaming. It’s just my wife, our kids and me, in our apartment, or so I thought.
But the voice grows stronger, waking me up. I get up and quietly and walk towards the noise. Suddenly I hear him again. ‘Mr. Klineman, Mr. Klineman…’ Surprisingly, as he called my name, the unexpected voice doesn’t sound threatening at all. Whatever fear I might have had disperses. ‘Mr. Klineman, your son…’ Hearing my son being mentioned, I hasten my walk to the front door which is wide open.
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