The Hat

11 PM. I can finally leave the office. What a hectic day ! So many deadlines to meet today, the whole building was in a frenzy. Anyway, time to go home. I can't wait to relax in a hot bath and enjoy a good night's sleep. It's already pitch black outside, and pretty quiet. I don't have a car ; i could call a cab, or wait for the bus, but there aren't too many at night. I guess I'll walk, my flat isn't too far away. Lately, there haven't been many people on the streets. Weird rumors have been spreading about urban legends about people dying mysteriously on the new moon and other nonsense like that. At least I won't get disturbed by annoying punks or anything.

As I exit the building, I realise I forgot my hat on my desk when I left. Should I go fetch it ? I work on the 45th floor, it'd be a pain to go back up. Well, it's not like it's going to disappear, it'll still be there tomorrow morning.

I walk along the silent street, enjoying the calmness that contrasted with the busy atmosphere of the office. I can hear a few cars far away. 

I'm nearly home now, only a few hundred meters to go. I walk by a streetlight, and my shadow gets projected on the floor. I get this weird sensation that something's wrong, but I can't say what it is. Ah well, I probably thought of a stupid detail or something, it can't be important if I forgot. I get to my house, unlock my door, get in, and lock it again behind me. I take my coat off and hang it, then my...hat ? I could have sworn I had my hat with me, yet I knew I had forgotten it...so why ? Then it struck me. When I walked under that streetlight, my shadow had a hat, yet I wasn't wearing one. What the hell ?! There's something really weird going on here...Or, is it my imagination ? I'm really tired, it must be. 

I head to my kitchen to get a little snack. I still can't get that stupid thing out of my head. It had to be my imagination, but then a part of me remembers the rumors. Oh stop it James, how stupid can you be to think that those could be true. Get back to your senses. I finish my snack et head to the bathroom to refresh myself before sleeping. 

I look at myself in the mirror. To be frank, I look pathetic with my messy hair and my tired eyes. I haven't eaten properly these last da..What the ?! I turn around...Nothing. There was something behind me, I swear. I felt it brush my hair. Is there...is there somebody in my house ? A burglar ? Somebody must have broken into my house, I haven't be here much for days, it's an easy target if you think about it. I slip into my room and get a baseball bat. I used to play years ago. I had to stop because of an injury, but I still trust in my swing. I slowly go down the stairs, and check all the doors and windows. All locked, no signs of break in. I check upstairs too, in case. Same. All clean. I'm the only one to have a house key. Am I going crazy or what ? I jump as my digital watch beeps because it's 0:00. Shit, I'm not getting any sleep at this rate. 

I go back up to my room, I need to sleep, otherwise I won't be able to get up in 6 hours. I switch the light on and I freeze. I'm not moving, but my shadow is, and it's coming right at me. I...am currently freaking out. My first reaction is to turn the light off. No light equals no shadow right ? I crouch in the corner of the room. Geez, I'm pathetic. But then, what can I do, I can't fight against something immaterial. 

Okay now James, calm down, was there something in your coffee ? Am I hallucinating or what ?! I don't believe in supernatural things and curses, and other idiotic stuff like that. So, if it's not a supernatural thing, it means there must be somebody, with a body, that I can hit. I reach for the switch of by bed lamp, and turn it on. Nothing there. Only my shadow. Moving as I move. Nothing strange. I should go to bed and end this mess. It's making me go crazy. Still, I need to check otherwise I won't feel serene enough to sleep. I poke my shadow with the bat. Oh gosh, I felt something poking me...? Wait wait wait. Did I feel something poked me because I poked my shadow ? Naah...Can't be happening. This, goes against the laws of nature. I can't accept it. 

Maybe I'm sleeping already. This is only a bad dream. A really bad dream. So I'm going to wake up now, and it'll all be finished and I'll be fine. I'll get up, get dressed, eat breakfast and go to work...right ? Wake up now James, will you ? Why doesn't that damned alarm clock ring when we need it ?! I pinch myself. Either this the most realistic dream I've ever had, or this is..not a dream. Shit. 

Well "it" is not doing anything for now. Hasn't been doing anything for a while. Maybe I should go to a friend's or something. I check the time. 0:53. Maybe not. Calling the cops isn't an option either. I'm going to make myself look like I should be in an asylum. A few minutes go by and nothing has happened. I might as well try and get some rest, even if I know I'm not going to sleep well. I lie on my bed, keeping my bat and my phone where I can reach them. I want to have them close to me, just in case. I'll feel better that way. 

...Hell no ! How can I even think of resting in these conditions ?! How about going to the office to fetch my hat ? I mean, it's because of it that everything started, right ? I have nothing better to do anyway. I get up and go down the stairs. I took my bat with me, just in case, you never know what could happen. I put my coat on, and check that my hat isn't hanging too, I can't trust myself anymore. And I leave, closing the door behind me. 

Still nobody on the streets. I kinda get it now. I walk quickly because I don't really want to hang around when it's past 1 AM. The night guard, Ben, is half asleep. He wakes up when I walk past him. 

"Hey James. What ya doin' ? It's pretty late."

"Hi Ben. I forgot..some really important documents. Gotta tie a few loose ends before noon y'know."

"With a baseball bat ?"

"Well, it's kinda not reassuring to walk around at this time of night."

"Yeah I feel ya, with this urban legends that people talk about. Some scary shit. Well I'll open the door for ya, don't take too long buddy."

"Thanks man."

I take the stairs even though it's 6 floors. I don't feel right about the elevator. Damn am I being paranoid or what ? But, I finally get, a bit out of breath. Getting old, dude, you need to do more exercise. I walk around the numerous desks, and get to mine, at the rear, close to the windows. I'll just take the hat and go home...Wait, where is it ? It's not either on the desk, nor on the chair. Maybe someone took it ? Not possible, I was the last one to leave. There was anybody, they had already left, by the time I had finished. Maybe someone put it on the coat rack at the entrance ? I go and check, but there's nothing aside from an umbrella. What the hell is going on. I'm starting to wonder if I ever had a hat to start from. I've looked under the desk too, and even on other desks in case I mistook another one for mine. No results. I sigh as I let myself fall in my chair. What a night. 

It's pretty hot in the office. I open a window to take a breath of fresh air. I take a look at the sky. Oh, it's the new moon. Huh, bad luck I guess. Coïncidence I thought, or is it really ? It happened the moment I realised this. As I turned around, I saw "it" pushing me through the window. There was nothing I could do. Was this really the end ?

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Some time went by. I woke up in a hospital. Ben came see me. "Some luck you had buddy", he said. "A pile of trash that hadn't been removed broke your fall. I heard some noise at the back of the building and went to check y'know. Found you barely alive."

I left as soon as I could. I had enough of this nonsense. I wanted to go home, and go on a holiday to relax for a while. I opened the door, and hanged my coat. And I froze.

Because on the coat rack, was my hat.