Lemon Brown

Gray clouds swirling above Harlem, Greg Ridley makes his way across the street after remembering a long lecture from his dad, two nights before. Now, he stands on the curb, rumbling clouds above him, making a decision. Should he study his math or enter that abandoned building down the street? As a flash of lightning strikes the sky, he walks toward the abandoned building. There he finds a old man named Lemon Brown. Before he gets to know more about Lemon Brown, Greg and Lemon Brown get interrupted by a couple of mean teenagers looking for Lemon Brown’s “treasure”. After a fight full of bumps and bruises, the teens leave without the “treasure” they were looking for. But Lemon Brown is eager to show Greg his “treasure”. After untying his rags, he takes off a piece of plastic from his right leg and unfolds it. It shows yellow newspaper clippings and a beaten-up harmonica. With a eaten-up harmonica and yellowed newspaper clippings, in hand, Lemon Brown smiles. A humble smile appears across his face as he describes his career singing the blues. He explains how his wife died and so his son, Jesse moved in with her sister. When Jesse grew up he went to go fight in the war. While he was in the war, Lemon Brown kept playing, then one day Lemon Brown went home and saw a letter on the table. The letter said Jesse had died in the battlefield. They sent back Jesse’s belongings which contained the clipping of the newspaper headlined with Lemon Brown’s amazing talents and the harmonica. Lemon Brown smiled at his prized possession, his one and only real treasure. This was the climax of the story. After the climax, Greg goes home. as he walks up to his apartment building he smiles at the fact that his dad is going to give him a lecture. He sees his dad in a different light now, thanks to Lemon Brown and his treasure.