Gods and Writers
Matthew sat in his car and just stared out at the darkness in front of him. As dark as my world, he thought to himself. The dark expanse of trees seemed to close in on his aging 1988 Thunderbird. He glanced into his rearview mirror to look behind him as he thought he heard a sound.
He didn’t pay any attention to his own reflection, he had looked at himself in the mirror enough lately to see the haggard look, the pale color of his face, the beard that was starting to grow after a week of not shaving and the bags under eyes that appeared lifeless and devoid of anything,
He heard the gentle strains of Rod Stewart’s voice on the radio and it rang true:
If I stand all alone, will the shadow hide the colors of my heart;
blue for the tears, black for the night’s fears.
His mind began to wander to the fact that his home and work life had completely fallen apart. His family had started to act like he didn’t exist. His wife had actually started going out with her girlfriends, and even had a couple “work dates,” with male co-workers.
One she had even brought home to meet him as their kids. He could have dealt with that, but when their youngest called the jerk ‘daddy,’ that is when a small amount of concern became the beginning of the downward spiral he was at now
For a while, he could take refuge in his work. After all, there was no drama in accounting.
Every debit matched with a credit.
“Something has to give,” he said aloud to no one, “I can’t just keep it up.”
“Keep what up?”
Matthew jumped startled and looked at the passenger seat. There sat a tall blond middle-aged man, with piercing silver-blue eyes. He had a hint of an amused smile as he looked first at Matthew, then out at the darkness that had enveloped the car.
Matthew stared at him startled, “Where? Who?”
The man reached out his hand, not able to think of anything else to do, Matthew grasped it.
“My name is Nikolai.” He smiled, “but you can call me Nick.”
Nick went back to looking out the window, without looking at Matthew, he nodded his head slightly. “I bet you are wondering why I am here.”
Matthew just stared at him in shock and terror, “That and HOW you got there…”
Nick gave a quick smile. “I’ve been here for a while.”
Matthew peered closely at him, “Oh great, now I am seeing things.”
He turned and looked forward in the driver’s seat. His hands clutching the wheel to the car as if it were a life preserver, slowly shaking his head as he closed his eyes. This is NOT happening to me…
“But it is Matthew,” Nick replied. “And yes, I can read your thoughts.”
“Of course, why wouldn’t you?”
Nick nodded and gave a knowing smile, “But reading your thoughts is not what you really want to know, is it?”
Matthew was silent for a moment before answering…
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.