[#OCC] Monster

Monster

Walking down the street towards the courthouse already in bad spirits for being inconvenienced with the disruption to my sleep cycle due to a lousy ticket, I scowled as I passed the group with their signs up high in the air. They were chanting incoherently as I hurried passed them nameless, faceless people, I just wanted to get this over with. Really all I had was a stinking tail light out, and all because of one day one stupid tail light went out, now I had to be up with the crack of dawn and worse yet, it was getting down right freaking cold out here! I entered the Courthouse where I had to empty my pockets and go through a metal detector then I had to figure out where in the heck traffic court was to be held. That is because this was the first time I had to go to court for a traffic ticket. I was not enjoying this, and how was I going to afford this stupid fine if I had to pay it? I had been out of work for two years and in that time had just about lost everything. With only one income we were barely scraping by.

Sitting there in the traffic court after having wandered for twenty minutes looking for the court room “4C “ and check the list outside to make sure my name was listed, my patience was wearing thin. I knew I’d be here the better part of the day because my last name starts with a “Q”, but no matter where your name lies you must check in by 8am, or they don’t see you and they will put a warrant out for your arrest. So I am just at their mercy and not in the least bit happy about it! I sat there hands across my chest, the entire time with that scowl on my face. Thinking to myself “This Blows, I’d rather have needles put through my eyeballs”. Every one of the court personnel, including the judge, looks so smug like they are the bomb or something. I was going over an ancient Celtic hex through my mind over and over again towards them. Cursing them to the day they died! I just knew either way I was screwed. Either they’d get me for $200 plus court costs or they would charge me the $30 court cost even if the stupid ticket was thrown out. Which it was; because of course, the officer found enough time to be there to give me a ticket at the most convenient time, but he didn’t have the time to show to court, not that it mattered since the tail light receipt was on me, so either way it most likely would have been dismissed regardless. A $200 ticket for a ten dollar tail light, yeah that makes so much sense.

As I was leaving the courthouse I stopped to grab a smoke and sat on one of the benches outside. After all, it had been about 3 hours and I was getting antsy. As I sat there a young lady in jeans and a t-shirt and hoody; somewhat plump and tan, with dark hair and dark eyes; came up to me from out of that crowd of sign-holding chanters. She asked why I was at the court house and I explained the situation to her. She could not believe that one could get a $200 ticket for a ten dollar tail light, and then she began to talk about all of the ridiculous laws that cost us millions of dollars and about how other laws are ignored for certain people that have the money to cover up and pay off politicians to keep their misdeeds under wraps. Then she started blathering about the Banks and Bailouts and I agreed they were not representing my best interests by bailing out these people while the little guy gets ticketed for a stupid tail light! Basically they saved these banks from their own mistakes. But, she emphasized, people, no matter how much money they have, should have to have taken their personal responsibility or their actions, why should we preach from one end that of personal responsibility to the masses, but out of the other side of our mouth they tell us we need to pay for banks’ and corporations’ irresponsibility? This made perfect sense to me, but I just had to ask her what made her join the Occupation?

She said to me “A long time ago I forgot about the monster in the closet, but” and then she continued “Just because you cannot see a monster does not mean it isn’t there lurking in the dark behind the scenes.” She continued “We may not know where it is, what it exactly is, but in order to rid ourselves of it, we must face it and draw it out into the open, then we slay the monster.” To me that made perfect sense.
And for viewing pleasure:
This is the song that gave me the idea for the title:

sorry to hear about the ticket... $200 is stupid crazy, I have had my share of rediculously expensive tickets, so I feel your pain. I actually stopped driving after being so pissed about the insurance prices and potential ticket expenses.

So you joining up the occupation?

wtf its a short story I really enjoyed reading it so I thought it actually happened to you

Originally posted by el1jah
wtf its a short story

I really enjoyed reading it so

I thought it actually happened to you

Thank you, glad you liked it...HAHA. Sorry you thought it was real...lol/

Originally posted by ldyserenity

Originally posted by el1jah
wtf its a short story

I really enjoyed reading it so

I thought it actually happened to you

Thank you, glad you liked it...HAHA. Sorry you thought it was real...lol/

lol I laughed too!

I liked how you used a absurd fine with outrageous charges to base it from and then to have the Occ explained to you by someone else without committing to it.

I also liked that I had to think about what you had written.

reply to post by Thurisaz


That is the actual fine in our county for the tail light being out.
Not really funny and the court cost is $30 even if the charge is dismissed.
The fine is actually $206 to be precise I got stopped once and didn't recieve that as the ticket instead the officer ticketed me for not having my ins card (online purchase and no printer) the company was sending me one but it hadn't gotten here yet, yes the non insurance ticket was cheaper he told me the cost of each and ran it down by price, so all I really had to show was the insurance card at court. LOL.

I must explain the song...I was sitting there brainstorming for this story and that song kept intruding into my thoughts and it's been awhile since I heard it (wasn't like it was just played and I couldn't get it out of my head) so I went with it to use it as the title.
Didn't really know how it was going to pan out.

reply to post by ldyserenity


I laughed when the other poster thought it was a real event.

that is what I meant.

we have outrageous fines over here. I started with a $20 dollar parking fine. Ended up having to pay $400.00 in late fees for being 3 months late in paying it.

reply to post by Thurisaz


OH that LOL! Sorry I responded before my first cup of coffee this morning lol!!!

reply to post by ldyserenity


yep been there done that!