It was 10:37 pm and I was sitting on a park bench reading an enticing new book. One of the street lamps were a bit on the wild side; as it kept flickering showing light and then darkness beyond a portion of the street. This was my favorite spot to come and enjoy peace and quiet with a good book in hand. At around this time of night, there weren't many people out in the town, and next to none had crowded the park. It was truly worth the twenty minute walk from my home.
At around 11 o'clock, I got to a stopping point in my book, and so I was about to close it for the night, until the light flickered once more, and when it came back on, there was a shadow of a person standing underneath the lamp post. I couldn't quite make out her size or her appearance, but I felt a kind of warmth that told me that she must have been a charming person. She walked towards me, and had attempted to mumble something to me, but the words just wouldn't come out.
"Um..do you know the time? I've been walking around this part of town for the last hour, trying to get back to the place that I'm staying at.." she mumbled; her voice as soothing as one could ever hope to hear; even if it was just mumbling.
"Uh, sure." I said, as i reached into my pocket to grab my phone. "It's 11:28 pm"
"Thank you. I have to get to my home by twelve, but I keep getting lost.." she said as she looked rather down.
"Well, if you don't mind telling me, where do you live? I know this area pretty well, since I come here every day to read my books. I could give you directions."
The moment I had said those words, she looked even sadder. It was as if she had just lost her best friend in a bizarre accident.
"I..don't know. I'm rather new here, so I don't know my address. I just moved in today, and I was taking a walk to get a view of the neighborhood, and then I got lost."
Hmm...that is quite the dilemma. If she didn't know her address, then how was I supposed to know how to get her home? I thought, as I noticed her holding a rose in her left hand.
"where did you get that?" I asked, thinking that I had a chance at a clue.
"Oh, this rose? I plucked it from the flower garden next to my home. I thought it was really beautiful, so I wanted to keep one."
I knew it. This was a clue, and a big one at that. There was only one flower garden within twenty blocks that was being kept up with care.
"Ma'am, i think i just found out where you live."
"Really?!"
"Mhm..If you feel comfortable with the idea, can you follow me? I promise that I won't do you any harm. Your house might be three blocks from here. It's rather dark outside, so it would be easy to miss around this time. No wonder you were lost for so long." I said, as i tried to chuckle a little to ease her mind.
She nodded, so I guided her to the flower garden that was just a short walk from where we were. I hadn't walked with another person in a long time, ever since I moved out on my own. It was relaxing.
Lost in thought, I almost didn't hear her talking. I snapped out of my daydream, and listened to her clearly.
"This is the place! This is where i plucked the flower. It's so beautiful here!" She said as she smiled and smelled the roses all around her; her hair blowing in the wind.
"So? which way did you walk to get to this garden? I don't mind taking you all the way home. It's not like i have anything better to do, and I was on my way home, after all."
"No...This far is fine. Really, thank you...I had fun! Oh, as a thank you, I want you to have this Red Rose. Keep it as a reminder that you met me, okay?"
Confused, i tried asking her what she meant by that, but by the time I blinked, she had disappeared into thin air. All that remained was the scent of the rose that she had given me, and the calm words instilled into my head.
I smiled, not knowing what had happened, but not wanting to pry. I stuck the rose in between the pages of the book that I was reading, and then closed the book gently. This book must be pretty special. Either that, or I was in the longest daydream of my life. I rubbed one of the rose petals, and was relieved to know that it was real. All of this that had happened was real.
Our meeting was real.
