From: Jennifer Hanson, thenorthbaybay.ca staff
NORTH BAY — Jeff Hayward is a new man.
“I was lost,” declares an elated Hayward, “but now everything is so clear to me. Just over two weeks ago, I decided my life needed a new direction. I needed a purpose. And so, I packed up all the survival gear I owned and ventured forth into The North Bay Mall.”
There, Hayward says he found the “complete, uninterrupted solitude” he needed to discover himself.
“For 17 days I never saw another soul,” says Hayward. “I wandered alone through the ruins of the Tan Jay; I drifted for days inside the old theatre; I traipsed throughout the former Bentley, meditated in the EB Games, and roamed nomadically though the dead, cavernous wreck of the departed TD Bank.”
“It was one day, under the crumbling skylight, that I saw a vision of my future. I saw a great raccoon named Marley who told me what I should do.”
Discovery
It was shortly after his spiritual revelation that Hayward was discovered by Mall Security, who escorted him from the building.
“Mat, the security guy, was very nice,” smiles a serene Hayward. “Honestly, it was just good to have some human interaction again after being lost and alone in the North Bay Mall for so long.”
“I actually only really wanted to stay for a few hours, but I forget where the exits were and couldn’t find anyone to help.”