Member-only story
Alfred the Butt Thief
A despicable bum and his job
It was a cool morning and Alfred wore a jacket for the first time since back in early spring. Autumn was his favorite time of year and after leaving his tiny one-room efficiency apartment he was filled with joy as he breathed in that cool morning air. The smell of autumn was definitely in the air.
The day was lucky even before Alfred stepped outside. In the pocket of his jacket he found a quarter which apparently had been sitting in that jacket pocket all summer long. There had been so many times over the course of the summer when he could have really used that quarter. Of course, he could really use it today as well so he felt very lucky.
The sun was not quite up yet and there were very few people out and about. Weather permitting, Alfred always took his first walk of the day at this time. He could make his rounds without being noticed.
Whenever he went on his walks he would bring with him a plastic, zip-lock sandwich bag. He would look around at the trees and buildings and birds and sky but he also continuously scanned the ground looking for cigarette butts. Seeing one that still had some tobacco in it he would pick it up and put it in his little bag.
One of the first destinations on his rounds was a white plastic bucket outside of the back door of a…
