I walked up to the vast metal doors of the village bank and pressed my cheeks against their gigantic metallic frame. I felt the cold sensation trickling down my cheeks and down to the rest of my body. It felt good. There wasn’t a soul in sight. Good. Everything was going perfectly. Just how I had hoped. All I had to do now was find the door which looked like the easiest to pick and break into. I stared long and hard at my reflection in the bank window. A shabby, frail man in his late thirties with untidy ginger hair and an overgrown moustache and beard- scruffily dressed as well, with a checked shirt ripped in several places, the trousers and shoes looked as if they had been worn for an eternity.
I knew this building quite well. I used to visit this place all the time as a boy and also in my spare time nowadays. I had grown up with this building. After I started living on the streets, I used to stand outside here every day, hoping that someone would offer me some money and have some sympathy for me, but no. No one offered to help. Who would want to give money to a filthy, dirty teenager? I lived on food from the dustbins, from food people had thrown away after their bellies were too full to eat any more. I drank water from the sinks situated in toilets. The feeling of hunger and the passion for money has never left my body and mind; it has stayed there ever since I had become orphaned. As a young boy, I can remember my father once taking me to this building and telling me about it. “This,” my father’s firm strong, deep comforting voice would tell me, “is a bank. Everyone’s money is stored here and whenever they want some, they just go there and take it out. I expect you’ll be going there someday a lot of times when you’re older. Don’t turn out like me son. I have failed in everything and I am working for peanuts. I pray for you that one day you will get a high paid job and you will be earning a lot more than I am.” But boy was he wrong. Little did he know that I would grow up to be a filthy street rat. I know I have failed my father and now I was determined to make him happy by getting some money.
I gaped in awe at the huge, strong front doors of the bank. Reality had hit me. There was no way I was going to be able to get past this door. I was going to have to try and unlock the back door. I knew the lock there wasn’t as hard to pick. With a little effort, I could unlock the door relatively easily. Slowly, steadily and stealthily, I walked round to the back of the bank. I tried to keep to the shadows and stay out of sight. I had to keep myself completely assured in order for me to pull this robbery off perfectly. When I got to the back door, I stared at it as if I was in a trance. A million questions blazed through my head as I was doing this. Was I really doing this? Was I really going to pull this off? Was I really taking away someone’s hard earned money? I sighed in dismay because I knew that the answer to all of these questions was yes. Slowly and slickly, I pulled my lock- picking tool out of my pocket- my trusty knife. I took a deep breath and shoved it quickly into the giant keyhole of the enormous door. My work had begun.
I started in my efforts to unlock the bank door, my hand trembling in excitement, fear and anguish. It took me a while, but I finally did it. The door swung open. I was shaking like a prisoner who had been sentenced to death. I sighed deeply and took a step inside with my trembling feet. As soon as I did so the door slammed shut behind me. Everything went pitch black. I shrieked in horror as I knew that my task had been made even harder now. I had to get out in time and find an alternative way out. I knew another fire exit which I could get out of but that would also be difficult, very difficult... I fumbled around in my pocket for my torch, and switched it on. The light of my torch beamed ahead of me and suddenly, the whole, huge entire corridor was revealed to me.
The corridor in front of me was dark, gloomy and to a certain extent daunting. I was used to seeing this corridor alight and rather crowded, hustling and bustling with people. Now it looked quite ghastly, eerie and bare. I slowly began to walk forward, taking a step at a time, putting one foot in front of the other as I went. All I could hear was the sound of my feet padding across the hard, cold, stone floor. My feet felt as of they weighed a thousand tonnes. I could feel that my feet didn’t want to continue any further, but it was my determination, perseverance, passion and desire for money that kept me going. I took the map out of my pocket and stared at it. My lips curled into a bloodcurdling smile. My quest for the safe had just begun.
I looked at the map and knew exactly where to go. But it was a long route. A very long route and I didn’t think that the one hour and fifteen minutes I had left would be sufficient for me to find it. The safe was hidden in a room which would be very hard to find, in a hidden room which wasn’t on the map. I had a vague idea where it would be, but I wasn’t certain.
I followed the map, which took me to the place I thought the safe would be. In front of me were a series of walls and doors which I now had to get past to find the safe. Only when I got past these, would my real quest for the safe begin. I started picking door number one.
I got all the doors unlocked in the space of one hour which was quite good timing for me. This place wasn’t on the map. Ahead of me now was a maze, a labyrinth to go through to find the safe. And don’t forget, I only had fifteen minutes before the workers arrived and now, every minute was precious.
I had been searching for about four minutes now, which felt more like four seconds, but I felt that I wasn’t getting anywhere; I felt I was going round in circles. I had to find the safe, and quick, keeping the fact in mind that time wasn’t on my side.
Now there were only ten minutes to my deadline time and my search was becoming more and more desperate by the minute to find the safe. Eight minutes... seven minutes… six minutes… four minutes… Suddenly my heart shuddered to a halt. I had found the safe at last! I let out a huge sigh of relief. But my work here was not finished. I still had the safe to unlock and I didn’t have much time.
I quickly got the knife out and put the torch to one side. My hands were stained with blood from wounds and cuts the knife had made, and were throbbing with pain. Despite this I persevered, wiped my hands on my already- dirty pants and started to unlock the safe. I started turning the knife in the lock wildly. I had to snatch the money quickly and run. My face was covered in sweat. It was dripping off my face and falling onto the stone floor. I wiped the sweat off my face quickly and continued. Time was ticking away. Every second now was costly. Two minutes remaining… One minute… Thirty seconds… The safe was now unlocked. I had no time for celebration. I had to grab what I could and run for my life. I quickly grabbed all the money I could and started stuffing it into my shirt, my pants, my shoes and any other place I could think of. I also had as much money I could grasp in my hands. The feeling had all come back to me. I now had in my hands what I had been deprived of for so many years. I had never felt this much joy in my life. I finally had money… I was rich! At long last my dream had come true. Only now would I be able to live my life in harmony. Only now would I be able to look at myself in the mirror in pride and say that I had fulfilled the ambitions of myself and my father. Only now would my father’s soul rest in his grave. I had finally done it. I was finally rich. There was only one thing left to do to complete my task- I had to run for my life.
I started running with every ounce of energy I had left in me, weak as I was. Lots of money fell onto the floor. I would have loved recollecting it, but I had no time. I saw the sign for the fire exit and started following it as fast as I could. Suddenly, the bell rang signalling the workers to come in. It was half-past seven meaning that my time was up. I had to do something- and fast.
Just when things looked like they couldn’t get any worse, I heard some foot steps coming my way. My heart dropped. Who could it be? Tap, tap, tap. It was getting closer. I could hear that person humming a strange tune, coming in my direction. I had to find a place to hide, but couldn’t. This corridor was as empty and as plain as a pane of glass. The only thing I could see was a small, black, wooden table which I doubted was big enough to hide me. I quickly attempted to slide underneath the table but ended up hammering my head against the corner of the table. Excruciating pain surged through my head. It was unbearable. Blood was now flowing down my forehead and down the side of my cheeks. It was now flowing onto the floor and had made a big puddle underneath the table. I heard the sound of footsteps getting louder and louder and suddenly heard them stop. I was unable to hide as I was paralyzed with pain. I was going to get caught. Maybe- just maybe I wouldn’t be seen. I prepared myself for the worst. My heart started racing as I heard the bellow of “Who’s there?” ring through the corridor. I was about to get caught.
I couldn’t see properly because of the blow received to my head. Every thing looked burred and unfocused. Sprawled across the floor in a pool of blood, I could make out a pair of feet coming towards the table. I had been caught.
“Come out of there!” thundered the voice. I couldn’t reply. Nor could I come out. I was in unendurable pain and was in no position to move. I suddenly felt a firm, strong hand pulling me out of the table by my blood- soaked collar. All the money was still clutched tightly in my hands. I looked up and saw a vague image of a security guard armed with what looked like a gun.
“What are you doing here at this time?” spat the voice. I didn’t answer. I couldn’t answer. “And what have you in you hands?” boomed the voice. Still no reply. I clutched the money closely to my chest, tighter than ever. I wasn’t going to let go. His eyes fell on a fifty- pound note hanging from my pocket. “Money eh?” he asked me menacingly. “So that’s what you’re holding. Drop it now.” Tears began to flow from my eyes, streaming down my cheeks and mixing with the blood already on them. Not now. I had become so close to getting the money. I started sobbing. If only there was some way I could escape with the money. I had come so close to reaching my dream. My dear father’s word echoed in my head making me sob even more.
“I said drop the money or I’ll shoot!” His voice sounding more threatening than ever. I wasn’t going to give up. Not now. Life wasn’t worth living like this. I’d rather have died than give up the money. I tried screaming. I opened my mouth but no sound came out. I was too frightened.
“No,” I finally managed to squeak. “Never.” The security guard aimed his gun at my already bleeding head.
“Have it your way then,” were the last words I heard before an ear-splitting BANG…
Ever heard of the saying “Crime doesn’t pay”? Well it didn’t in my case, did it?