Skip to main content

"The Man at the Park"

 Often times the longest days involve the darkest of nights. And as I sat in my car, smoking my cigarette, I pondered about life as my eyes were transfixed on the night sky. The stars sparkled in varying patterns, each spaced apart as if some grand design existed just to fill my eye with a moment of glee.

As I got huffed the last portion of my cigarette, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye. It was a shadow that seemed to effortlessly glide across the ground as whoever cast it walked through the park under the many streetlamps.

I turned my head to further transfix my mind on the person. It appeared to be some guy in a hoodie. He had a hat on, possibly a beanie. He bobbed his head to some invisible beat as he walked. He made me feel uneasy in a way I couldn't quite describe.

I tossed my cigarette butt out and rolled up the car window. I turned the key and my engine roared to life. I needed to get home. Glancing down at my car radio, I saw that it was nearly midnight. I didn't have anyone waiting up for me, but I didn't feel right entering my apartment building so late. I didn't want to wake anyone up.

After I pulled up, I got out of my car. I saw someone rounding the corner to walk past me. Was it the same guy from the park? There's no way. He looked so familiar though.

I grabbed my keys and walked into my apartment. I shut the door and dropped my bag on the ground. After a few more steps, I plopped down on the couch and threw my head back. It was nice to finally be back home.

I made a grab for my television remote and the tv flashed to life. The sounds of a news woman echoed through my apartment. She mentioned something about a man. As my eyes adjusted to the brightness of the television, I couldn't help but hear the woman describe the dangerous man in question. He's described in a hoodie and a beanie. As his face flashed on the screen, I knew exactly who they were referring to. It was the man at the park.

Suddenly, the power to my apartment died, shrouding me in complete blinding darkness.

In the silence I could hear footsteps shuffling around. I tried looking where the sound was coming from but the darkness was like an impenetrable fog. The sounds grew closer and yet I could see nothing. Then I felt a sharp pain in the back of my neck. I could feel the knife sliding into me. And then, nothing.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Too Real"

 Writing books is always supposed to be a simple thing. You sit before your computer with an idea and you brainstorm. The ideas conjure and flow into your mind as you carry the story through. You'd pinpoint the sections you want to add more details to. You might scrap some scenes that don't fit with the flow of the story, and you carry on. Sometimes stories go through various rewrites. But sometimes, in that very rare instance, there's that one story that enters your mind and you feel the need to write the story, uncorrected, until it's very end. This is what was happening to me. The story itself came from nothing. I simply sat before my computer and let my fingers type and my mind do the rest. Normally this is the process I undertake when I sit down to write. I don't have a plan, I just let the words flow free and eventually create a story out of it. It's like a road you've never traveled before. You know the twists and turns. You know the careful speed...

"One Last Goodbye"

  There I stood at the edge of the bed as I gazed down upon my dearest friend Jamie. I looked at her with gentle eyes as I stood unmoving. I loved her dearly. More than she would ever know. Could ever know. It was too late to tell her. too late to let her know how I felt. I wish I had more time with her. As I look down at her eyes resting gently on her unmoving face, I can't help but feel a tear streaming down my cheek. I'm reminded of how kind of a person she was. She was the kind of person to give someone money if they really needed it. She always made everyone around her feel seen, feel heard. And the way I remember her when there was a cute dog nearby. She'd be so full of life, running over and asking to pet the dog and seeing the dog climb to her leg and she'd pet and love on that dog. Those memories were beautiful. Memories I would never again experience with her. The room I stood in was surrounded by darkness, similar to how I felt inside. Hollow and empty....

"Fire-Worst"

 The sun beat down on my parents and I as we left the car to go to the fireworks tent. It was the fourth of July tomorrow and we had somehow not gathered any fireworks until today. Normally, we would have done this a week or so in advanced, but my parents were extra busy this year. They said they had to work longer hours because everything was becoming far more expensive than normal. I felt bad for them. As we entered the fireworks stand, there were plenty of colorful boxes stacked neatly on several tables. The tent looked far bigger on the inside than on the outside. I looked around at all the boxes, enjoying the art. The contents on the inside were kind of lost on me, for to me they only exploded in the end and I didn't know much of a difference at the time. My parents picked up a few boxes each and talked amongst each other as they did so. Judging by all the boxes they carried, I could tell this was going to be a July 4th that I'd never forget. Little did I know just how...