Ebony City : The dark house

Setting the cup of tea down, she swallowed her drink and raised her eyes up at the visitor in front of her. The woman's face was stricken and she seemed to be in shock of it all as she wrung her hands together. Her knuckles had turned an ashen white on her olive, brown skin. "I was only going to pick up my newspaper early at dawn. That's when I saw him, just sitting there, watching me." 

He stood in front of the house with his hands stuffed in his pockets. The pitch black street received no light except for the stars that shone in the sky. He seemed to be staring at nothing in particular as he stared straight ahead. His mind was on them. He knew what they said about him. He watched how their faces changed as they walked by the house; went from joyful laughter, to frightened yet pitiful frowns. He watched how the women huddled together as they whispered and shook their heads, occasionally pointing. He watched the men who seemed to clutch their hats a little harder as they shuffled past. He saw it all. 

Unlike most of the women here, she showed no fear towards him. When the women gossiped and whispered about him, she only listened. She felt as though they only talked about what they heard and had never experienced anything firsthand. Yes, she was curious, but she only kept silent as her mind raced, looking for possible explanations. 

She sat up straighter as she tried to console the poor woman. They exchanged little words and she patted her back. Eventually the woman got up to leave patting her dress down as she walked out the door. She stood up and went into the kitchen. Grabbing a medium sized knife, she inspected it before wrapping it in a tissue and tucking it in her apron. She figured that was all the protection she would need- if any was needed.

He leaned back on the chair till the front legs were above the ground. When he felt he was about to fall, he brought himself back and repeated the process again. In reality he had nothing to occupy himself with. He had no television to watch, so he watched them. He stood up and dragged his chair towards the window that faced the street. He sat and looked down the street not expecting anybody to be taking a stroll at this time of the night. Maybe a drunkard or two, but not anyone with common sense would catch themselves out at this time. His eyes never left the figure that walked down the lonely sidewalk. As they got closer, he squinted, thinking it was a woman. His eyes widened as he realized he was correct. She must be one of the mentally ill, he thought to himself.

She sported a t- shirt tucked into trousers instead of her usual attire which consisted of a dress, skirt and bonnet. The knife was concealed in the pocket of her pants. She kept her eyes in front of her as she walked down the sidewalk with purpose. Tonight, she was going to find out once and for all about him. She had no exact plan, she just knew she would find a way to speak with him. She looked around the empty street feeling like she was being watched. Seeing no one, she shook the feeling off. She had approximately one more block till she reached the house. Once she got there, she stood on the sidewalk staring at it for some time before she stepped over and crossed the street. She trudged up the front steps as she contemplated what she would do once she got to the door. Perhaps knock? She raised her fist to the door and banged 3 times. Her other hand went to clutch her knife in her pocket. She knocked again, harder this time. Could she have come here in vain? What if he doesn't answer? She thought as she waited.

He sat as still as a rock, gripping the sides of his chair. The hair on his neck had risen and his heart was racing a mile a minute. His eyes darted to the door as he heard the knocking again. Truth be told, he hadn't received a visitor in over thirty years. A woman at that. So what did the lady at the door want? He rose up and walked to the peephole looking at her. She seemed calm and not scared which he didn't expect. His sweaty hands found the way to the lock as he undid it. He swung the door open and stared at her.

The door swung open causing her to raise her head and stare at the person in front of her. It was him. He was standing right in front of her. She took in his appearance, looking him up and down. He had on a black t-shirt and black pants. He was not bad looking and he was of average height. She looked up at his eyes which never left hers. She came here to speak to him, but now that she was here she was lost for words. “May I come in?” She asked. She knew how she would look to the other women in town, visiting a man’s house at this time of the hour. But she wasn’t worried about that. She came here for answers and answers only.

He stepped to the side of the door signaling to the woman that it was okay to come inside. She gave him a tight lipped smile and walked in. He stared at her as she made her way to the seat that he had previously occupied. He stood waiting for her to state her reason and purpose of coming here at night; of coming here at all. But she only stared back at him, never breaking eye contact. He did not know what to feel besides shock. So he patiently stood while drumming his fingers on his leg.

They stared at each other for quite some time and the only sound that could be heard was the clock ticking. She broke the silence first by asking, “Why are people so scared of you?” He pondered on his response and whether he should answer or not. He hadn’t spoken to anybody in years, so it was nerve wracking for him. He shrugged not knowing what to say. She looked down and sighed. “Why were you staring at that woman?” He racked his brain trying to figure out what woman she was referring to. He stared at multiple people on the daily; it's not like he kept count. “She said she was getting her mail, and um, you were just standing there.” She looked down at her fingers and waited for his response. He knew which woman she was talking about. His neighbor, whom he’d been studying for quite a while now. He knew her daily patterns and routines. It wasn’t like he was trying to be a stalker or anything, he was just an observant person and these were little things he pieced together. He shrugged. She felt that all his answers would consist of him shrugging and not speaking. “Have you, have you ever thought about hurting someone. Someone in this town?” In simpler terms she was just asking if the rumors were true. He let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. He knew that’s what they said about him. Some said his wife had died and he had been depressed ever since. Older siblings told their younger ones that he was a monster who ate children who stared at the house too long. Kids took bets to see who would be brave enough to run up the front steps and back. He knew all these rumors were not true. He had never been married. He was definitely not a monster. He knew that whatever he said, they wouldn't believe him because people believed what they wanted. But maybe it wouldn't hurt to clear them up.

By the time she had gotten up to walk out his door, the sun was about to come up and the birds had awoken. She smiled and turned on her heels, and hurriedly walked down the sidewalk in a rush to make it home before the city woke up. As she rounded the corner she looked back at his house one last time. She made it to her doorway just in time as she heard the milkman come down the road. She took her coat off and hung it in the coat closet. She made it to her bed and sunk into the mattress and closed her eyes and thought about everything. .She thought about him. She thought about what he told her. She thought of the rumors the town had come up with. She thought about what he had last told her and smiled, before falling into a deep slumber.

He dragged his chair to the window and took his daily position. He rocked his feet back and forth. He watched as the children skipped to school, as the women and men walked to work. His thoughts ran back to her. He felt he had told her everything and mostly because he had no one to converse with. But he was sure everything he told her would stay between them and them only. He felt no need to explain himself to the town. He would much rather be left alone, and be at peace.

They stared at each other and he asked “You’re sure?” She nodded her head and said “Of course. Your truth is forever safe with me.” He let out a deep breath and sighed. “Not everyone deserves to know the truth, ya know? Some, like the people of this town, and the readers, might use it to their advantage and are probably better off left in the dark.”