I don’t have a great job
I’m the cleaner at the local cinema
I wait until the movie has finished
And then I pick up the rubbish left behind
Sometimes I get there early and stand at the back
And get to watch the end of a movie
Sometimes the ending can tell you
What the movie was all about
The other day I was late
The cinema empty when I arrived
The screen still warm from its last endeavour
When the image of a man appeared on the screen
“Hey you” the image shouted at me
I looked at him and shook my head
“I must be going mental” flashed through my mind
“That guy on the screen is talking to me”
That guy continued “You know I die at the end of the movie
The director kills me as part of the plot
I didn’t want to die
I wanted to be the hero”
Dumbstruck, but I managed to reply
“You can still be the hero, even if you die”
The guy looked at me and slowly smiled
“My god, you’re right”
And then he was gone