The Old Tower

The teens scrambled up the old ladder. They were both athletic, and had no trouble accessing the rooftop and base of the tower. Since the business was open, it was best to be quick. They left the five-gallon bucket full of beer, towels, and sundries below, and hauled it up behind them. In their neighborhood, this was the finest view, taking in the city skyline miles away.

"Beautiful day," Cameron said.
"Perfect for sunning and drinking, eh?" Dustin replied.
They heard glass breaking later, and Cam investigated. "Damn it, some pee-wee just tossed a rock through a window."
"Great." They knew what was coming.

The law showed up soon, as they suspected, and assumed people on the tower were causing trouble.

A megaphone squealed. "Come down from there right now!"
They got up and went to the rail. "No! You come up! We have doughnuts!"
Dustin laughed, "And beer!"

What happened next was odd. A man in a shirt and tie started talking to the officers, pointing at the tower, then toward the back of the building where the windows had been broken. The police went around back, found nothing, and left.

"Well, that was strange."
"No shit." Dustin had several beers, and went over to the old standpipe that used to feed water from a tank to the factory.
Just before he released the used beer, he heard, "Hey! Up on the tower!"
Back at the rail, they saw the same office worker. "Yeah? S'up?"
"Can I ask a favor?"
"I suppose!" Cameron replied, "What?"
"Can youse not piss down the pipe? It's cut off above my office... you leave puddles!"
Both laughed. "Sure! No problem!"

From then on, everyone used the five-gallon bucket, which fit snugly in the pipe. It never hurts to be a good neighbor.


(WC:299)