Urban Fantasy

Tags: #no real plot #based on a true story #pathetic, sorry

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It was a dark and stormy night. Like honestly... it was. And if that particular setting was originally employed in fiction on account of its atmospheric weight, I can tell you, it really lived up to that reputation.

I had just knocked off work. I'm employed part time as an accountant and I had finished up my day at the office with tears on my face which I never let my fellow employees see, of course. I might be an emotional piece of trash but I've got too much pride to share my fears and despair with people I barely know. It had been a tough day and I was happy to be done with everything. I chowed down on some chocolate as a reward for getting through the rubbishy feelings and got driving. I looked forward to coasting along the country roads with twists and turns and hills slick with the heavy rain that had been pouring from the sky I watched grow grey that morning. It always gave me a perverse kind of catharsis experiencing the deathly drive with music playing loudly from my phone, the wheel of the car and the fate of my own life in my hands.

The suburban street was busier than usual as I wasn't the only one leaving work, and all traces of cloud-obscured sunshine had disappeared a minute or two before I started the drive. The only light available was from street lights and car lights and it was bold and colourful against the backdrop of the dark, rainy night. Then. I saw Batman. He was walking down the footpath, heading in the opposite direction to what I was, so I had only a second or two to register what I was seeing, but a second glance told me he was definitely wearing a cape. I looked again, straining my head to see where he had disappeared as we headed opposite ways, but he was gone from my view leaving a tremendous impression for so little time. I couldn't leave without knowing more. I turned right at the next roundabout and did a u-turn.

As I passed him again, I looked as long and as hard as I could while avoiding an accident. He was a vampire, not Batman. Need I say more? He was a vampire. Again, I only had mere seconds to observe this figure but I made out the details as best I could. His cape was the most impressive feature of all. It was high-collared, made of thin material, ankle-length, silky and billowed gently behind him as he walked onward through the rain down the dark footpath alone. I was charmed. I don't live in New York or anywhere like that. Cosplaying, LARPing, heck, even wearing merch is rare where I live and especially in public. This was incredible.

The fact that this vampire had wireless headphones over his ears only added to the attraction. I didn't have time to make out the rest of his clothing very well, but with a smattering of imagination I would say he was wearing a wig with plastic side-burns, an all-black shirt and pant combo, high black boots with buckles and thick soles, and an emotionless, brooding expression.

Vampires aren't even my thing, but any time popular fiction and reality cross over and the dimension of imagination becomes something more, I'm there for it. I battled with myself over whether a THIRD trip around the roundabout to pass the guy was something I was willing to commit to and despite the traffic, my thoughts of "yolo" "you'll want to remember this moment" and "I want to find out more" outweighed any other consideration and I headed back for the final time to view this shadow creature from my car.

Before I saw him again, I wound the car's side window down a couple of inches, curiosity and infatuation emboldening me. I saw the figure still walking committedly down the road and I turned into a side street to perform a u-turn to get me back where I need to be heading and then as I pulled up to the end of the road I saw him. He was heading towards the car now, only a few meters away. I doubted he would hear me with headphones on and the white noise of car engines and rain all around, but I silently wished I could say something about how I liked his get-up. I had so many questions I wanted to ask. I was so very interested. So intrigued. I wanted to pull up there and let him talk to me through the window. I wanted to connect with this vampire there, in the rain and dark... maybe exchange phone numbers...

But I don't even stop. My fears and sense of propriety drove me forward and away from the dark temptation. There were a thousand reasons why such fantasy thoughts were preposterous, irrational and dangerous. I turned into the road and drove homeward.

Perhaps I had just missed out on the chance of a lifetime. Perhaps my prayer to meet my soulmate was answered now and I would never redeem that chance again. Perhaps I could have made a friend. Helped someone. Perhaps if I had just taken that wonderfully stupid risk and said something I could have answered some of my many questions instead of leaving them burning my brain for the next two days. "Perhaps." So many "perhaps". But of course none of them are real. These thoughts and scenarios are more like ghosts of the night. Grey. Black. Cloaked. Ridiculous. And never quite real.

But realities are not thoughts or fantasies. Actions and experiences are not illusions. No matter what, experiences are fact. And they become memories. Memories fade over time, but some stay for life. That's why I went back around that roundabout three times on my way home tonight. That's why I will take my chances. Even when fear gets in the way... I experience life.