The Stranger

It was a summer's eve. I sat idly on my balcony as the midnight breeze blew rampant through town, caressing my raven locks and threatening to blow off my top hat. The moon was at its fullest, bright and blossoming in the casm of the night sky, and the stars shone vividly on the canvas of black and blue and violet.

I held a book atop my left palm, scouring the pages of my latest chapter. I almost didn't notice the dark, looming figure approaching my porch.

At first sight, it looked to be a mere shadow. A trick my eyes were playing on me for reading in the dark. But upon second glance, the figure was clearly a person in a fedora and a black, polyester cloak.

I closed my book shut with a snap too loud for my liking, and began heading for the door to the second floor. I was just on my way down the staircase when the familiar ring of my doorbell sounded out throughout my home.

"I'm coming!", I yelled the second time it rang.

I stopped in front of the door, brushed myself off and released a small cough before opening it a tad, the chain holding it close preventing me from opening it any further.

"Who is it?", I asked.

No answer.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you in unless I know who you are.", I shook my head.

"My- My name- My name is Darryl.", the stranger stuttered.

"Darryl?", I proclaimed. "I'm sorry, but I don't know any Darryl. You must have the wrong house."

I was just about to shut the door when the stranger slid his arm through the small gap, and the door closed upon it with a thud.

"Wait!", he proclaimed.

"Oh!", I said. "Your arm!"

He slid it back out, and I saw him rubbing his wrist.

"Please. Please let me in.", he begged. "I need to get in."

I sighed quietly to myself. It must have been cold outside, and this poor fellow seemed to have nowhere else to go. Might as well let him in for a bit.

"Alright.", I said, already unlocking the chain on my door. "But only until the wind begins to calm."

"Tha- Thank you.", he said.

I opened the door, and the stranger stepped in. Now that I could see him more clearly, I could properly analyze his look.

He did in fact wear a black fedora and a black polyester cloak. Underneath, he wore a button up vest, and underneath that, a black and brown striped long sleeved shirt, and he held a cane in his right hand.

Strangely, his face seemed completely shrouded in dark— despite the light being emitted from the light bulb behind me, so I couldn't see even a trace of his face, which made me wonder if he was wearing some sort of mask. I found that very suspicious.

"Where are you from?", I asked incredulously. The man only shook his head.

"I cannot answer that.", he spoke.

"And why not?", I asked. Another head shake.

"I cannot answer that either." I frowned.

"And why not?", I prompted once more. Once again, he shook his head.

"I canno-"

"Okay, enough of this! Or we may go on forever.", I cut him off. "Now, would you like to come inside?", I asked.

"No.", he said.

"No?", I asked. "And what may be the reason?"

"I don't need to go inside.", he seemed to sneer out the last two words. 

That's when it happened. Like an earthquake had struck, the whole house began to shake and wobble. I looked around, clutching my hat.

"We need to go outside.", I said, but the man would not let me pass.

"Have you gone mad?", I shrieked.

My head became light, and the world around me looked like it was twisting rather than shaking. I felt a sudden urge to vomit. Empty my insides in one of the nearby plant pots, but I refused to do so in someone else's presence.

"What's- What's going on.", I asked, but my voice came out lighter than I had imagined it would.

Then. I fell.

My fluttered shut, the last thing I saw was the stranger in front of me. Standing blankly. And for a second, I thought I got a glimpse of his eye. And before I lost consciousness, I noted that it was brown.

-----

When I came to, I was in my room. I easily recognized the silk covers and cotton pillow.

I sat up, my hand on my head as if that would help to stop my brain from spinning.

The first thing that I noticed was out of place was that I was wearing gloves. I never wore gloves. They were always less fashionable in my opinion. 

The second thing I noticed was that my top hat was on my nightstand, yet I could still feel it on my head. I quickly removed whatever was on my head, only to find a familiar black fedora. The one I had seen on the stranger. The stranger. . . Oh no. What had happened?

The third thing I noticed was my clothes. I was no longer in my blue tunic and black trousers. I was now wearing a more formal black polyester cloak, with a button up vest and black and brown striped sleeves. The same clothes the stranger had worn.

I jumped up from where I sat, and started sprinting down the staircase towards the exit. And that's when I saw it.

My body. Definitely my body. Lying flat on the ground, dead.

I gasped. What happened?, I thought. My mind drifted back to the stranger. He did this.

I frantica.ly looked around for his familiar shape. I soured the kitchen, the dining hall, the living room. He was nowhere. I sunk to my knees and wrapped myself up in my arms.

This can't be happening, I thought. No no no no no!

I got up, dusted myself off and strode towards my body. For a minute, I just stared at it. Then I bent down to check its pulse. I gasped once more when I realized it was still beating.

I was alive!