“Running on Empty” by Michael Gellman in September’s 2011 issue is about a boy who rides the subway everyday and one day he is the only one in his subway car. He jumps, dances, shouts, and sings while he is alone for that short time. After that he waits for another chance to do it again. When he thinks he’s alone he does it again only to realize a city worker has been there and is now staring at him.


I found this story very entertaining. The author said being alone in a subway was a rush for him. A time when he could just release all of his stresses. It’s a very relatable story. Everyone ahs something embarrassing they do that takes all of their stress away. In this story though the author’s “secret pleasure” is revealed to a surprised city worker, which makes this story more entertaining and easier to relate to. Even if we all don’t dance in a lonely subway car we all feel embarrassed sometime.