December 2, 2009
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The Visitor
The wind was blowing the leaves around the backyard, and the stray kitten was chasing them like I’ve seen her chase and devour so many bugs. The sky was overcast and the clouds looked like they were full of rain ready to unleash fury onto the earth.
I stood there trying to stay warm. I smoked my cigarette wondering if the nicotine was so important I was willing to freeze for it. It wasn’t long before I started to hear large raindrops hitting the trees and the dead leaves on the ground.
I took this as my cue to go inside. As I was stooping down to put my cigarette out something peculiar caught my attention. Out of the corner of my eye I saw something moving towards the southwest corner of the yard.
It was an old man sitting with his knees in his arms and he was crying. Out of concern I immediately walked over to him to see what was wrong. As I got closer a strange smell filled the air. A smell unlike any I had ever experienced before. It was indescribable.
When I got to the man he looked up at me with a sad look on his face and said, “It’s time to go.” Somehow I knew exactly what he was talking about. The old man stood up and placed his hand in mine. A peaceful calm came over me. I knew it would be ok.
