One day amongst the bustle of everyday life my usual routine was interrupted. As I sat in my favorite coffee shop, reading my favorite book I felt an aura that was different than usual. The emotion of dread apprehended my thoughts, causing me to looked around in worry. I looked to my left causing the lady beside me to move further away in defense. As I swung my head over to the right I saw what seemed to be a man, I squinted my eyes attempting to make out his physical features. His legs were long and extremely thin, prompting his stride to be rather long. I turned my head back to my book however curiosity got the better of me, causing me to look out the window again. There was no trace of the man who stood across the shop. I searched the streets with my eyes in hopes to find his presence. I sighed deeply and turned back to my book ignoring the man.
Later that day I left the coffee shop and started my walk to work. As I walked down the busy streets of New York my mind wandered to the man. I watched my feet, being careful not to make eye contact with the people handing out pamphlets. As I approached my building I looked up, standing feet away from me was the man. He was wearing a tan trench coat that looked worn. On his feet were combat boots that were untied. I looked the man up and down as he stared at me intently. On his head he had a straw hat that seemed to belong to a scarecrow. I squinted my eyes again trying to see his face, maybe this was fate, I thought. He tipped his hat to cover his face as the crowd consumed him. I shook my head, maybe I'm going crazy, I thought. The rest of the day I spent looking out my window in hopes to find the mysterious man. My mind wandered to the endless possibilities.
The day seemed to drag on, the image of the man was burned into my brain. I wanted to know his purpose. I began my journey home thinking of the possibilities. I reached my apartment, the sun has now gone down and the moon has risen. As I turned to corner to walk up the stairwell to the elevator I saw him. I stopped in my tracks and held in the scream I so desperately wanted to release. I slowly walked up one step at a time, the man was writing in a notebook furiously. His persona showed deep sorrow and pain. I walked past him and hesitated slightly to see what was written in the book. “Father forgive me,” written over and over in red ink. I realized my mistake once his eyes shot up from the book and glanced into mine. I turned from him and ran quickly to the elevator. As I waited to the elevator doors to open, I heard his book slam shut. His big feet stomped on the ground creating loud booms with every step. I closed my eyes hoping he would leave me alone. The elevator doors opened slowly and I jumped in and frantically pressed my floor number. As they began to close he jumped in and stared at me without a word. I tried to avoid his gaze but my curiosity led me to stare into his eyes. He had long hair that went down to his shoulders and his bug eyes were surrounded by purple eyeliner. As I looked into his eyes I noticed a smile creep upon his face. His teeth were crooked and his smile was that of clownish.
The elevator dinged and it was on my floor. I pushed past him to exit the elevator. I felt cold hands against the base of my neck sending shivers down my spine. I quickly turned around in disgust and he began laughing hysterically. “I remember those eyes, staring me down as you beat me father,” his laughs grew louder. “I remember! Don’t you father?” I looked at him with confusion, as he stepped closer to me. He stepped closer to me, making the hairs on the back of my new stand up. “Don't worry…” he grinned down at me, “I’ll make you remember.”