41-1 2024-06-04

A strange man came to my room last night. Mother had kissed me good night and I had fallen soundly asleep in my pitch black room. I don't know how long I had slept before waking to the strange man crying from across the room. It must have been a while, a full moon had risen and the stars came out, they shone brightly in his distant gaze. He looked awfully tired, a tiredness that no amount of sleep could ever reverse. I was too afraid to move, pretending to be asleep. Occasionally, he looked over at me, but quickly turned away to wipe away more tears. Then, he would stare at something up in the sky for a long, long time. I decided to wait until he stopped crying to interrupt his reverie.

Hey! Who are you?

Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you.

Mom says I shouldn't talk to strangers. Are you a stranger?

To whom?

To me!

Well, I suppose you don't know me yet.

Then what are you doing in my room?

I just... wanted to see it again. It's been a while.

Wait, so you're telling me this used to be your room?

Yeah.

Whoa, what was it like before?

It's been so long, I hardly remember.

I followed his gaze as he looked around. The titles on my bookshelf were scrambled, as if I was trying to read them in a dream. The players on my hockey poster didn't have faces, even their numbers were smudged. The colourful patterns on my bedsheets waved, like the ocean surface. As he surveyed the room, everything grew blurred and indistinct.

God, it's been so damn long...

Excuse me, mister, are you here to eat me?

He smiled at this, then grew tired again and shook his head.

I don't understand. I still don't know who you are.

I used to be a lot like you.

How is that?

I used to be afraid of monsters and the dark.

Yes, those things are quite scary.

I used to hate eating sweet potatoes.

They're gross, but Mom keeps making me eat them.

I used to close my eyes when people got killed in movies.

One time I didn't close my eyes fast enough. I still get nightmares.

Yeah, I remember that one.

It was awful wasn't it?

He smiled at this too, but his eyes still looked sad.

I'm sorry, did I say something wrong?

No, no, you're fine. I'm just very, very tired.

Yes, I can see that, but why are you so tired?

God, there's so much. I'm not sure how to tell you.

That's okay, just try your best.

Whatever, there's no point. You don't need to hear all that stuff.

Oh come on, now you've gotta tell me.

You won't understand.

Hey, I'll have you know, I read a whole book without pictures in it yesterday!

Oh yeah? What was it about?

It was about this really clever girl who solves mysteries and catches bad guys.

And what's so bad about the bad guys?

Oh they do all sorts of really horrible things, like stealing, and murdering.

And what if I told you that I'm also a stealer and a murderer?

Wait, really?

Yep.

That's terrible! Why would you do that?

See, I told you you wouldn't understand.

Why should I understand stealing and murdering? Are you here to murder me and steal my toys?

Yup.

No, please don't! I'll tell the police!

You should also tell them that I do drugs and have lots of sex.

Ew, gross!

He laughed now and, for the first time, looked happy.

You monster! Please stop it, go away, leave me alone!

I began to cry uncontrollably. I didn't want to be murdered and my toys to be stolen. I cried out for Mom but she must have not heard.

Okay, okay, I'm just messing with you.

Don't hurt me, it's not funny!

Shh, it's alright, I won't hurt you.

Really? And why should I believe you now?

I may be a monster, but I'm not a liar.

That doesn't make any sense, are you monster or not?

That's up to you. What do you think?

I studied him carefully. He wore strange clothes and had long, greasy hair. His fingernails were dirty and his arms were covered in scars. His face was tired and sad, but he smiled ever so slightly, ever so warmly. A strange feeling crept, a chill up my spine, as I looked into those warmly, tired eyes. When, at last, I saw my moonlit reflection staring back at me, all four of us couldn't help but break into a great fit of laughter.