For the Songfic challenge by Keeline

[moirin-keeline.livejournal.com]

REPOST! Its now a international / english story. I'm willing to try for US. english but ... it´s hideous. *whines*
This story was inspired by: "Streets of London" from Ralph McTell and is a "What could have been" if Ray has gone back to Chicago after the "Call of the Wild" adventure.






Disclaimer:Everything is property of Alliance / Atlantis and Peter Haggis.

~*~*~*~*~


In the Streets of Chicago

It was winter, in Chicago and the snow was howling with the same enthusiasm around the blocks, the Sears Tower and the docs like he was putting his cold fingers into the necks of the pedestrian on the street. Trying to get into their clothes, trying successful to make them shiver.
The wet flakes dont stay long in the dull lightbubbles of the Streetlanterns, and at the hour only a few people were there to see it and none to take a second glance.
The man and woman in the streets who had to be outside for whatever reason were trying to get into the warm ASAP.
At a quarter past eleven, some parts of the city may only be waking up, to start a nightlife more glittery and shiny than most christmas decoration could dream of.
But around this Blocks the people were happy if they get their children to bed and look a little TV before they have to sleep also.


The tired and lonely man in the all night cafe who was siting slouched at the window and staring out don't have a look for the world who is walking by.
He knews it all, had seen it over the rim of his coffee-cup in too many nights. When he is to tired to drive aimlessly with his GTO threw the city. And to melancholic to go home to a empty apartment. Where no one was waiting.

Every half hour a waitress came to his table, changing the cold coffee against a new one. Sometime he drank from the hot bitter liquid, sometimes he only warmed his hands on the cup.
Remembering the smell of red wool, how to feed uncaught some Doughnuts, Smarties in his Coffee. Days that were WAY better than the presence.

Eventually he gets up, leaves a 5 Dollar bill on the counter for the waitress and wanders home alone. The grey-white mud gets in his shoes lets him feel chilly even more. Lets him think at real snow. Up there, where only the northern lights and the moon made a difference between day and night since 3 months. And what he would all give up to be there now.


In the windy city the snow mixed up with the wetness on his face to something like tears.
Tears for another forgotten policeman and his lost chance.
In this world who doesnt care.

Fin

******************************************************************************************



Disclaimer:Sie gehören Alliance / Atlantis und Peter Haggis.

~*~*~*~*~


In den Straßen Chicagos


Es war Winter in Chicago und der Schnee trieb mit der gleichen Entschlossenheit um die Hochhäuser, den Sears Tower und die Dockanlagen, wie er weiter unten den Menschen seine kalten Finger in die ungeschützten Nacken legte und ihre Kleidung zu durchdringen versuchte.
Die nassen weißen Flocken hoben sich in den trüben Lichtkugeln der Straßenlaternen nur wenig ab und um diese späte Stunde war auch kaum noch jemand da der dem Schauspiel auch nur einen zweiten Blick gewürdigt hätte. Wer auf den Straßen sein mußte sah zu, dass er schnell ins Warme kam.

Um viertel nach 11 mochte in anderen Teilen der Stadt erst jetzt das Leben erwachen doch hier in dieser Wohngegend war man froh wenn die Kinder endlich im Bett waren und man noch etwas vor dem Schlafengehen fernsehen konnte.


Der müde einsame Mann der im 24 Stunden Kaffee zusammengesunken am Fenster saß und hinausstarte hatte auch keinen Blick für die Welt, die draußen vorüberzog, übrig. Er kannte den Anblick der sich ihm über den Rand seine Kaffeetasse bot, er hatte ihn in schon so vielen Nächten gesehen wenn er zu müde war um mit dem GTO ziellos durch die Stadt zu fahren und zu melancholisch um in seine leere Wohnung zurück zu kehren. Wo niemand auf ihn wartete.
Jede halbe Stunde kam die Kellnerin vorbei, tauschte die erkaltete Kaffeetasse aus und brachte ihm einen Neuen. Manchmal trank er von der bitteren schwarzen Flüssigkeit, manchmal wärmte er sich nur die Hände an der Tasse, dachte an den Geruch von nasser roter Wolle, an heimlich zugesteckte Doughnuts, an M&M´s im Kaffe, an Tage die um soviel besser waren als das Jetzt.

Schließlich steht er auf, legt der Bedienung 5 Dollar hin und geht allein nach Hause. Der grauweiße Matsch dringt in seine abgetragenen Schuhe und läßt ihn frösteln, läßt ihn an richtigen Schnee denken. Dort oben, wo seit einem viertel Jahr nur das Nordlicht und der Mond die Tage von der Nacht trennen. Und was er alles geben würde um jetzt dort zu sein.


In der windigen Stadt vermischt sich Schnee zu etwas wie Tränen mit der Feuchte auf seinem Gesicht.

Tränen für einen weiteren vergessenen Polizisten.
In dieser Welt die kein Mitleid und keine Zeit hat.


Fin

Comments

[grey853.livejournal.com]

Sure would love to read it, but I don't speak German. Sorry.

[moirin-keeline.livejournal.com]

So, its now in english too (If someone can say this to my poor try) and maybe some of the readers are willing to help me get the badest bugs out of it.

But thank you for your willingnes to read. ^^

[loz]

My 5 years of German lessons should have had me understanding a lot more of that then I did, but what I did understand I appreciated. I'm sensing very melancholy notes in this songfic.

[moirin-keeline.livejournal.com]

*blush* Thank you very kindly. I try to give my best.
And a even BIGGER Thank you for the effort you have mede to read the story.
I've tryd to make it easyer for the communety to read it and now its repostet in english to. Unbetat but thats evidently, huh?

[loz]

Okay, now I've read your translation. It was brilliant, much better than if I had attempted to write something in German. I am happy my German reading skills are better than I thought they were, though. I picked up on almost all of it. This was sorrowfully beautiful. It makes me sad, but I still love it.

[indywind]

My german is nearly nonexistent, but I Babelfish'd it, and I liked what I could get from that... melancholy, with a cinematic feel. Anybody more bilingual than me want to try translating? Anybody less bilingual than me desperate enough to want me to tidy up the machine translation--with the author's permission?

[moirin-keeline.livejournal.com]

Hey, its REALY nice that you try to help me get the story translatet. Its the interest of the reader that gets me trying to make it possible for everyone to read it. It wouldent´t be fair if I post it and no one can read it because i use the wrong language.
The idea to find someone bilingual who can translate my stuff bevor i get it posted is grat. I will search for someone. Maybe somone in the community has the skils? We will see.

[ekaterinn.livejournal.com]

I don't speak or read German, but I'm going to email this to a German friend of mine and ask if she'll translate it for me - so hopefully I'll get back to you later with feedback!

[moirin-keeline.livejournal.com]

First: Thank you for feedbacking. :D
I was afraid no one would read it or going threw the trouble to read a non-english story. I´ve repostet it but I'm horrible at writing english, reading is way more easy. So if your frind can translate it for you you get a besser impression from the story than with my version.
Anyway, thanks again. ^^

[grey853.livejournal.com]

I think you did a good job, certainly a lot better than I could going from English to another language. Even in translation there's the whole poor Ray lost in the winter, alone and longing for Fraser. Thanks for sharing.

[torakowalski.livejournal.com]

Aww, poor Ray. Lovely story for a lovely song. After 8 years of learning German I really should be able to understand more of the German version than I do... what I do understand though is beautiful *g*