National Park College’s (NPC) Write Hawks hosted a campus wide student-writing contest.
The story had to be one of fiction and the themes were autumn, family or gratitude.
The Write Hawks are excited to announce Mason Tabor as the winner of the 2018 Fall
Fiction Contest for his story titled 6:00 a.m. Mason received a goody bag from the
campus book store and a gift card to Books A Million.
6:00 AM
Tyrell Reese arrives for duty on the border of the United States and Canada just as the sun cracks open a new day. It’s Thanksgiving, and he’s looking forward to the end of his half-day of processing asylum requests. Returning home to celebrate the holiday with his extended family is all he can think about
He thinks about his mother’s sweet potato pie, and how it’ll be so good with his cousin’s new nog drink. He thinks of how many more family members will be at this Thanksgiving than the last. It’ll take him an hour or so just to meet them all. The blessings of family.
8:30 AM
Tyrell looks at his in-box. Three files stare back at him in anticipation of a new life. As he goes to grab the top one, his phone rings. His boss tells him to look out of the windows
Agent Reese stays seated while the first wave was still unrecognizable to him. At first, he thinks it was some sort of tsunami made of earth, like a mountain was being built right out of the ground and heading his way. He stands when he sees hair flying and arms waving, and immediately thinks he is under attack. He knows just a moment later that this instinct is wrong when he recognizes the backpacks, bags, and new clothes from the reports he has recently seen.
He had heard a co-worker joking the night before about a rumor that some of the Central American migrants might come through Canada. Tyrell didn’t think it was funny, but some people laughed at the absurdity of it. No one else was here to see this reality.
He waits for his superiors. He looks at the crowd as they approach. They seem weary, walking with a wave-like sway. He is hypnotized by the sheer gravity of the situation. Their eyes are all he sees after a while. Eyes filled with desperations of dealing with their past, the fatigue of this journey, and the hopes for a bright new future.
10:15 AM
Tyrell’s manager arrives with five awe-struck co-workers. More migrants arrive. Out of those, a few English speakers are grouping near the doors in efforts to communicate. Those that can write are given pen and paper to write statements, those who speak English are queued in a line at Tyrell’s desk. First in line is a colorful man with a monkey on his shoulder.
“Name?” Tyrell asks in the perfect manner to facilitate good will and keep a professional demeanor.
“Carlos Mendez.” The monkey starts a staring contest with Tyrell. He locks eye contact for a second, then laughs and looks back to Carlos with the next question.
“Place of origin?”
“El Salvador”
“Reason for requesting asylum?”
“I am not running from a suppressive regime, nor have I been threatened by the cartels. I can exist within many dangerous areas. I am here to seek asylum with those that require my services the most.”
“OK. I’ll see what I can do for you in terms of getting you the appropriate work visa papers. Those would be most appropriate for your situation. Take this form and head over to Otis at the desk over there. Tyrell points at his fellow co-worker.
“Next.”
“My name Is Mame Agne. I was born in Senegal but was living in Argentina until it became impossible to afford living there. I followed a group of my people to Panama.”
Tyrell looks at the woman as he mechanically marks x’s in their appropriate spots on the forms. She looks very fatigued. If she had gotten any sleep at all during her travels, it was the light kind of dozing that does nothing to replenish the energy the body needs.
“Reason for applying for asylum?”
“I told you, Argentina broke us. We cannot live if we must pay more than we can earn to live. There’s just no way.”
Agent Tyrell pities her, partly because her story is a grim reality, and partly because she looks a lot like his cousin. The same cousin that he won’t get to see later because he’ll be working. He lets out a sigh and finishes helping Mame get set up to start fresh in a new country.
11:25 AM
Tyrell interviews many migrants, all with different stories. The bulk of them hitched a ride on a plane from Columbia. The long flight was arranged by someone the travelers keep calling “Great Benefactor”. He has also gifted everyone with new clothes and backpacks. Not one of them knows his name, but each of the people Tyrell speaks to is thankful for his help.
NOON
Agent Reese has sixteen case files on his desk and doesn’t realize it is lunchtime. He just keeps interviewing person after person, drawing their stories from them while figuring out how to best offer help.
1:40 PM
Tyrell calls his mother to let her know that he won’t be showing up for dinner. His eyes fill with tears when he hangs up.
3:30 PM
Someone drops off a case of energy drinks and tamales. There’s a lighter sense to the air once everyone has their fill. The monkey does a few flips for laughs.
9:30 PM
Completely spent, Tyrell points a migrant over to Otis for what seems like the millionth time. The lights get brighter, then dim as he passes out at his desk.
While he is unconscious, he has a vision of walking up to his mother’s house, but before he can make his way to the front door, migrants start pouring out of the entrance. Each of them carries something he desires: sweet potato pie, nog, and other delectable morsels
10:00 PM
As Tyrone makes his way to his vehicle to head home, he notices a group beckoning him to a tarp on the ground. They had made him a feast using their rations. He knows his mother will wait for him, so he takes the offer with a thankful heart.
