The man claps to an imaginary beat. He dances and he hums, and he shows off his light feet. He turns and whirls about, as if leading his partner in dance.

“Shine bright,

Shine fast,

Shine, for not a day gone past.” He sings. His voice is deep and rich, but even its pleasing tone is completely offset by his horrid tempo. The barest hint of a frown touches his face but is swiftly hidden as he pushes on to the next line.

“We cry,

We whine,

We wonder, where to shine?” As he sings, the man furrows his brow and his clapping slows, then changes, then changes again. Finally, he claps his palms together with a resounding thud and lets out a string of…. curses?

“Mary donkey doolittle and her hundred and one merry men,” he says explosively. Then his expression goes blank, and he perks his ear to a slight noise. A fluffy cat, mottled gray and black enters his glade shortly after. The man grins, showing his perfect ivory teeth.

“Ah! Miss Camofluffkins, welcome back! How was your day? Did you see anything interesting?” The man bows graciously as he speaks and stands back up with an expectant gaze.

“Meow. Meow. Meow…” Miss Camofluffkins says, while looking at the man with two large yellow eyes. The man nods steadily along as Miss Camofluffkins rambles for a length of time. Once finished speaking, Miss Camofluffkins stretches languorously before heading off into the forest.

“And a good day to you as well!” The man calls after her. He then taps the side of his chin quickly with his forefinger, a thoughtful expression on his face. His eyes are an unbroken black, like charcoal against his smooth, ashen face.

“A human huh. I wonder what’s to be gained.” He says, then smiles as he taps his finger in a different way, making noise only he can appreciate. However, soon his finger begins twitching, and the rhythm is thrown completely off. The man stops and looks grimly at the finger in question. All traces of amusement are gone from his face for the space of three deep breaths, then he grins widely.

“Oh god!” He exclaims in a singsong like voice, then he laughs hysterically at a private joke. All in one motion, he slicks his chin length, blonde hair back and straightens his suit. He steps to the edge of the glade in two long strides, then passes between the trees onto concrete. It is night and the air is still full of the sound of traffic. The man raises a hand to his ear in an exaggerated motion to listen closely, and seemingly displeased, makes a face of disgust. Then, as if nothing were the matter, he begins humming a light and quick melody and walks in an almost waltz, but not quite. The homeless men and women he passes don’t spare him a glance of course.

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I clock out of work and walk to the front of the store, looking straight ahead in hopes that none of my co-workers will try to stop me. Luckily, I’m able to make it out the front door without a problem. I’ve been covering too many shifts lately, so I’m reasonably happy that no one asked me about it this time. I make it a few steps down the sidewalk, then pause and stare at a man prancing down the sidewalk across the street. All his movements are wide and opulent, as if he were attempting to woo the world. I watch in silence as he makes his way and am surprised when a person walks right by him without so much as a glance. I suppose I might act the same if a lunatic passed by me.

I shrug and turn to make my way home, when the man catches my eyes in his own. They’re black all the way through, like flint or coals set deeply into his ashen skin, and they seem to restrain me, tying my feet to the concrete. I stare back, lost in a sea of random thoughts assaulting me. Somewhere far away, I think I hear the faint sound of music, but it’s unlike the soft melodies that attempt to caress your ear and gently pull you into it. No, this is a harsh sound that forces my hair on end and attempts to subdue me, to make me fall headfirst into its grips.

I blink. All the feelings from a moment ago are gone, and the man grins at me with perfectly white teeth. His eyes are a deep brown, but the sclera is white once again, and as I search his face, I see no traces of hostility. He raises his hand and wiggles his fingers in an odd greeting. I wave back, then suddenly he turns and part walks, and part...dances his way down the sidewalk again. Once he’s far out of sight, I wipe the sweat from my forehead and breathe deeply. What is wrong with me? I run a hand through my hair, then continue on my way home.

It doesn’t take long for me to reach the entrance to the park where I would meet Emi. I stand there and stare at the trees for what feels like hours but is probably only minutes. The little daylight left in the sky darkens ever so slowly as I wait. Even though I know she won’t be there, I feel a pang in my chest and my feet move on their own, taking me through the park and back to the bench at the end of a rarely used path.

No one is around. I sigh. It is what it is, I suppose. There were no way things would be the same after what happened last time. I sit heavily on the bench, sinking until my head rests against the wooden backrest. It’s so quiet. It feels like the whole city is asleep right now.

“Meow.” The cat isn’t very loud, but in the silence, it startles me. I sit up straighter and look around. The cat is orange and white striped, with greenish-gray eyes. It stares at me.

“Meeeooow!” It exclaims. I stand and carefully approach it. When I’m close enough, I slowly bend down and offer it my hand to sniff. The cat just stares at me for a full minute.

“Meow,” it states, then turns and heads into the forest. What an odd cat. I follow along after it. The cat speeds up to a jog, and I hurry to keep it in sight. The trees grow thicker and closer together, the further I go, before suddenly opening into a glade. I look around, only seeing darkness in between the trees. The cat turns to face me.

“Meo…” The cat breaks into a coughing fit, until it finally hacks up a hairball. “Sorry, occasionally that happens.” The cat says with a man’s voice.