The Conductor

Chapter Five- Cicile

"Are you Miss Cicile Shultz?" the man asked me.

"Who wants to know?" I asked in response.

"Me. If you are, I'd like to warn you of very strange, peculiar things coming your way, my dear."

"Who is it?" my grandma asked.

"Nobody, Grandma." I said, turning to her. "Nobody at all." I turned to the mysterious man in my doorway with a glare.

"I guess I should probably tell you my name." he whispered.

"No, really?" I replied, sarcastically.

"My name is the Conductor."

"What's your real name?" I replied, more welcoming to the man.

"Just the Conductor. I'm a Time Traveller and I'm here to warn you of something."

I paused, considering what was happening at the moment. This could be the one chance to gain a better life. This mysterious "Conductor" was my one ticket out of this place.

"Alright." I said after a few seconds. "Come in, but make it brief, I only have 45 minutes left of my lunch break."

I stepped aside and the Conductor walked in. I could seem him better in the brighter lights of our apartment. The Conductor was short, but well built, and had a full hair line of thick, dark hair. He had pale blue eyes and a round nose. He wore a brown coat with a capital D with a dart running through it embroidered in the corner.

"I'm sorry to be so gruff, but after all we are in New York, so that would explain why I have trust issues."

I walked him into a spare room with comfy chairs and a magazine rack. I gestured for him to take a seat and he sat down in the plush, microfiber chair. I sat down in one across from him. "Shoot me." I said, sitting back in the chair.

"You work at a music store, don't you?" the Conductor asked me.

"Yeah..." I replied. "About that. How do you know so much about me?"

"I am a time traveller. I can travel through time to see about anyone's history or future. You are one of the people I have kept a particularly close eye on."

"But, why me?"

"You are soon to be involved in a huge event in time, something I have seen throughout my travels."

"And, what exactly would that be?" I asked, startled.

"I can't exactly explain, but you need to be careful."

"How careful?"

"Very. Watch your back, my dear. Strange occurrences are coming and I'm not always going to be there to save you."

"Quit calling me that. Why won't you
be here to save me?"

"I have many places to go and many things to do at times. Like right now, there could be some dystopian society dying off right now because children fight to the death for sport. So, I really must be going now, it was nice talking to you."

The Conductor stood up and shook my hand. I walked him out of the apartment and watched him leave. He raced down the complex stairs and like a ghost he was gone.

I entered my apartment again, shut the door and leaned against it for a while, wondering what the heck had just happened.

When I seemed to have wrapped my head around it enough so I could somewhat understand it, I joined my no longer steamy bowl of Ramen at the the table and took a bite.

It was cold now.