Tulpa: The Others

Prologue

Friday night; 23:46, I am at the local baseball pitch.

Haven't had that opportunity in a while, guess this comes as an upside, can't think of a lot of jobs that let you just play ball in peace once it's all over. No paperwork, no-nonsense. Although  I haven't been able to hit a home run yet, a little embarrassing frankly.

I hear that ever-present click and gust of air as yet another white ball is sent towards me. Hurling the force of the bat, squarely against the leather ball. I end up once again hitting air. Looking back, I see the person who had brought me here, shakingly drinking his cheap soda and fast food meal. He is older than me, grey hair and wrinkles. He seemed like some kind of coach, no wonder we had met on a baseball pitch.

"Funny this whole sports thing ain't it? No matter how much I try to get to grips with it I can never seem to get it right."

No response. My colleague was just sat staring at the mock-grass fields littered with the obliterated remains of several thousand baseballs. Another click. The same familiar gust of air. I swing at the ball and upon impact, the ball is torn into its components. From the edge of the bat, each fiber and stitch began to effortlessly give way. What was left of the ball was crudely launched behind me and yet again my bat was met with only air.

"Damn, I think I only managed to get the tip of the bat to hit that one."

In all fairness, I never really got into baseball. Sure I was so familiar with the wooden bat so integral to the game yet I could never grasp the idea of the whole. The game itself seemed so fragile.

"Hey man, could you offer me some tips while we are here," I said to my colleague.

He refused to stand up from the podium but he managed to keep eye contact with me this time. I always loved that part of the job, the part where they start to get comfortable with me as I am with them.

"How 'bout you actually you lighten up a bit, you seem far too tense," he said through stuttering and labored breath.

I honestly couldn't help it, each swing I carefully try to readjust and ready myself not with strength but with grace yet it comes out the same. How I wish to simply see the ball sent upwards into the dark clouded sky, flying past those blinding spotlights. It was not my fault that I was born in a world made of china.

23:55. I was supposed to be home far earlier. I grabbed my gear and took the wooden bat and dropped it into my bag, careful of it not touching the sides.

"I'll be off then, sorry about the mess." I approached my colleague, who instinctively pulled himself away from me.

"Not it's fine, I will be staying indoors from now on anyways", the man replied.

I simply smiled and sat beside him for one last time.

"If you ever have a problem, or know someone who is going through something similar, you know who to contact", I opened up my pockets and showed him a card, "remember to be careful to not touching my hands!"

He took the calling card, I fear that perhaps this may not be the last time I see him. I did finish this job rather crudely after all.

I leaned from my seat and looked past my colleague. 5 chairs away from my colleague sat the corpse of another, the body was neatly punctured with numerous baseballs and pieces of wood. It was the body of my colleague; same grey hair, same wrinkles upon his face. Despite this it wasn't hard to tell the two apart, this one had blanked out eyes the size of my palm dangling from his neck. Haven't seen that sort of look before, pretty creepy.

"Oh, and this goes without saying but you should keep your eyes to yourself this time mate."

My colleague nodded again; that comfort we had established was gone again, his eyes were so fixed on that body.

I was wasting time now, the body will hopefully be dealt with by 1 in the morning before anyone sees. I hope anyway if not then I will be having actual paperwork to fill in and I definitely don't have time for that.

I walked out of the stadium, the spotlights waving farewell.

Friday, midnight.

Wow-what a day, I ought to write this down when I get back.