Blackberry

One afternoon Nic was sitting in her usual begging spot asking people for change, when all of a sudden the lights inside every building that was in Nic's eyesight went out. People filed out of their buildings irate because of the outage. People filed out of every building that is, except for the diner. Nic, along with the various other people in the street, wandered over to the diner and peered into the window. The lights were off except for a warm glow coming from the back of the restaurant. Nic knew why nobody left the diner. The wonderful sweet smell of Nic's favorite pie was wafting out of the diner. She stood there with her eyes closed and simply inhaled the magnificent aroma of blackberry pie. This was the pie her grandmother used to make, the pie she ate at every Thanksgiving and Christmas, the pie of her childhood. Nic noticed the long line of people forming inside the bakery that led outside of the door. Everyone, strippers, cops, salesmen, restaurant owners, truckdrivers, and even bums waited in that line to step inside of the diner. Nic noticed that some police officers were trying to cut in line and people were getting angry. She didn't care, she could do nothing but stand in that same spot, and smell the blackberry pie scent. She was so drawn to it that she stayed until nightfall, after all of the lights had come back, and fell asleep right beside the diner.