Alleys & Ruins no. 4, Orange Door (1993, Montreal, QC, 9:45pm)
My brother Rob and I are walking along an old industrial stretch of the Lachine canal in Montreal, lugging my photo gear. I find a shot and begin setting up.
I’m looking through the viewfinder when my brother whispers, “X, look behind you.”
I turn around and see a most bizarre and disturbing sight. Out of the darkness, a man has appeared and is crawling toward us very slowly. Around his mouth is a big gob of white foam, some of it is hanging off his chin. He crawls up to me and slowly rises to his knees. Then I see he’s gripping a bag of glue and I realize he’s totally high. He looks at me, wild eyed, and takes a long, deep breath through his nose, puffing out his chest, elbows bent and hands up like a gorilla.
I look at my brother and I see he’s ready to pounce on him if it comes to that. I motion toward the dark alley I’m shooting and I say to him, “Isn’t that the most beautiful thing you ever saw?” He looks at the alley for several seconds, perplexed, and lets his air out. His arms come down to his sides and he keeps looking at the alley. Then he gets back on his hands and knees and crawls away, disappearing back into the darkness.
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