VESSELS UNKNOWN

NINETEEN

He stood there staring at me as if I fell off the sky. A rhythm followed the tapping of his foot, yet he made no attempt to move or respond. The silence stretched for another minute before he cleared his throat, rubbing his jaw gently.

My hands linked behind my back as I watched him approach ultra slowly. Halfway in his dark hidden place, he stopped.

          "My demand is steep. You may not be able to afford it." His eyes deepened.

I squinted to see his obscured face, but he delved back into the shadows.
He walked slowly in circles, in a manner my mind didn't have the capacity to stomach. I sighed frustratingly. "Tell me already, what do you want from me?"

He smirked slightly, keeping a bland face.  Slowly, he walked out of the shadows that sheltered him to the center of the room.
            "You!" He said, brushing his hand against my shoulders. I stiffened, clinching my jaw.
           "Beg your pardon?" I spat.

He hovered over me, eyes blazing. "You and every little details of your visions. I need to know!"
I blocked out my fear and looked at him dead in the eyes.

             "Are you even a pastor? A real one?" I probed.

Different shades of anger appeared on his face. But then, he smiled it away as though it was never there.
His footsteps began to move slowly towards me, pinning me to the wall by the bed. I had no where to go, but I kept my eyes on him.

For a full minute, our gazes interlocked, before he broke into a hysterical laughter.

            "I scared you there, right?" He asked nonchalantly as he stepped away from me.
I  didn't even focus on his words, yet, fear pinned me to the wall, paralyzing me. All I could  do was watch him roam about the room without a care in the world.

At this point, i didn't know what to make of this man. I didn't even know if i was in the right place.

My father's words came back to me. 'Darkness comes in different shades.'
When he retraced his steps, he looked at me kindly.

              "I am sorry. I shouldn't have terrified you that way." He apologized, taking my frozen hands in his. "Please sit.
Confusion did a number on me.
            "How did he go from crazy to calm?" I mumbled under my breath.
            " No, please don't think of me in that manner. I am anything but crazy." He tried to explain.

We sat on the bed staring at each other. I really didn't know what this man was all about. And I dared not to ask.

           "Unique? I am sorry." He pleaded, looking into my eyes again. "I better go, there things that are in explainable."
He hauled himself off the bed and walked slowly to the door.

           "About the visions, why do you want the details? " My tiny voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned abruptly but stood right there looking at me intently.

            "Visions, what visions? " He asked, leaving me befuddled.

            "Are you kidding?" I couldn't believe what I was hearing. "Did you just forget our conversation one minute ago or are you just playing dumb?"

He waved me off, sniffing the air. "I don't know what you're talking about! Why would I be interested in your vision?"

My eyes scanned everywhere else but his face. A whooshing frustrated breath pumped out of my mouth with out mercy. I stared at him in utter astonishment.

He stood there, hands akimbo taking in all my different levels of emotions.
             "Are you alright?" A wave of genuine concern washed across his face."