Elijah walked around in circles within the lonely street, his pant legs and shoes wet from the soggy ground. He hopped around from puddle to puddle, making as big of a splash as possible, spreading the water around. He sort of made a game with himself using the puddles. He always pictures the puddles within the streets as little mirrors on the ground. Sometimes, these little mirrors lead to an alternate reality in which the skies weren't so dull and the city was busy and happy. If he hopped on the right one, he would jump through this mirror and enter the alternate universe and be happy with his family and friends. So each day, whenever it rained, he got up early to go play in the puddles, making sure to hop on each one, just in case it was the one. It never was, sadly, but he could dream. Besides, it gave him something to do while he waited for the factories to open.
Elijah jumped into another puddle, the water splashing all around him. He laughed to himself and pulled his hat backwards so the bill was behind him. He stepped out of the puddle, waiting for it to settle until a crystal clear reflection was formed once more. He looked at himself in this puddle, squatting down over it to peer into his own brown eyes. He was dirty already, having dirt smudges across his cheeks and nose, despite his mother making him take a bath just the day before. He was never a fan of being clean. All adults who worked were never clean. He saw men walking down the streets after work with grim and stains all over them all the time. At least he use to. His father use to come home with soot all over him all the time. But now he was off in the war. He wished he was like them. Which is why he made a point to have smudges and grime on him too whenever he came home. He felt older and more important when he did. Like he actually did something that day.
He picked up a rock next to the puddle and raised it above it head before letting it plop into the reflective water.