Bluebird

If birds fly over the rainbow, why then, oh why, can’t I? Like Dorothy in search of home, Bluebird is a wandering soul, yearning for the security he has never known. His mother’s boyfriend—one among many—made it abundantly clear that their cramped trailer had no room for a third. On his fifteenth birthday, with a bus ticket and fifty dollars to his name, Bluebird embraced the open road.

His journey took him first to Boston, then New York, and finally to the hotel at 34 Eastside—a sanctuary for wayward souls. With his finances in constant flux, Jackson, the hotel’s proprietor, took pity on the young drifter, offering him shelter in exchange for odd jobs around the establishment.

His aptitude for these tasks is questionable at best and, at times, borders on the comical. Yet his gentle heart and timid nature have endeared him to those who cross his path. Perhaps, one day, he will emerge as a brilliant painter—for his poignant sketches of Paradise’s diverse residents have surprised more than a few.