My first year of college was an exciting time. My days were filled with new and exciting people. Between studies and new friends, I didn't think I would have the chance to be homesick. I still found myself looking forward to the holidays with my family. The holidays were special to me this year, because I knew the rest of the year would be devoted to studies and not family gatherings. I went home with a happy heart.
I got back to school on January third, since it was already late I immediately went to bed and fell into a deep but restful sleep. When I awoke I had to blink my eyes a few times to try and clear the vision that welcomed my arising. There was a young man sitting on the side of my bed. His back was resting on the headboard as if he were sitting there for a long spell. He was very blonde with the kind of blue eyes that when you looked at him, he seemed without a soul. My first thought was "this can't be possible". Still stunned and yet staring at him, he smiled an unpleasant smile; got up, waved and disappeared. When he stood up he appeared to be very tall. The plaid shirt he was wearing seemed to be out of character with the rest of his demeanor. Needless to say I was a little unnerved about the whole situation, and thought that I must have been hallucinating. This kept me from telling anyone about what I had seen or thought I had seen.
A few days later I had awakened to the sound of my stereo playing a song titled "IRIS".a song about a man that didn't want to be seen or known. At first glance I saw no one. As I jumped from the bed to turn off the too loud stereo, I got a glimpse of the plaid shirt going through the door. The door never opened, as I said he went right through the door.
I was really beginning to freak out. More than once I would be hearing that haunting melody. When I was driving in my car, that song would inexplicably start playing. Was I being haunted or was I becoming psychotic?
Soon after that I was standing looking out my window. It was just turning dusk. The sreet lights had just come on, and underneath the lamp-post stood my visitor. My heart started pounding so hard I could almost hear the thumping outside my chest. He stood facing my window, or at least his body was facing the window. He seemed to be without a head. I told myself that it was dark, so I just couldn't make out his head. Once again I questioned my own sanity.
This coming and going with my ghostly visitor went on for quit some time. although I had kept it to myself, my friends suspected something was amiss by my expression, when I would see him standing or walking across a room. Maybe it was my unexpected loud gasp. They don't see him and I'm beginning to feel flattered that he allows me this privilege.
The term had finally ended and I was only too glad to be getting away from all this and going home. Back home I was enjoying my leisure time of doing nothing. I did have an uncomfortable feeling that I would soon be seeing my ghostly visitor again. It wasn't long before that feeling came home to roost. Dad brought home an out of town newspaper when he returned home from a convention that was in a neighboring state.
On the front page was a picture of my visitor. The headlines screamed "DO YOU KNOW THIS MAN"? The picture was a composite done by the state's Head Forensic Department. It was taken from the reconstructed skull remains of a young man found in the woods that ran a few miles from the college, where I had first seen him in my room. No one will ever know what happened to this young man. DO YOU KNOW? He is at rest now, yet he still visits me. Is he as lonely as I am? Is that why he chose me? Will we walk this lonely, troubled path together? I see him more often now. I LOOK FORWARD TO HIS VISITS.
submitted by: Tyler Thompson
