A Tell Tale Sign by Drig Dramel (free ereaders .txt) 📕

However quietly that he moved did not make his presence any less distracting. Although perhaps might that be his point. For I was quite busy with a book and a cup of tea, while he was quite busy looking for something on a shelf nearby. I thought, "Perhaps like every other, he will quietly move on or stop for a bit of conversation". That he did indeed. After a quick glance over my shoulder at the open journals of written work for many a field he spun on his heel the other way. "Astounding." I mentally mumbled to myself. "The eighth man to do so today. Comparatively across genders that makes eight males, and six females." With that new information sorted and filed, I continued on with my book until an odd sensation tickled at the back of my mind and then suddenly became quite a prominent urge to look up. Therefore I followed the urge and lifted my gaze to see nothing out the shop window. However that feeling was still there, and quite a buzz had it become. Almost a sort of burning sensation across the skin of my forehead, as if someone were staring directly at me. At the least this sensation was to be considered unsettling and so I carefully marked and sat down my book along with my cup of lukewarm earl grey. The more I gazed out that window the more I could make out a hazy shape of something. The more the subject came into focus the more the sensation shifted across my skin and grew. Almost as if whatever was looking at me had glanced across my face, gaining my attention which then caused me to raise my head, which then caused it to become more interested. I had this same feeling before on a lesser account plenty a time when dealing with children and animals. However unlike that handy sixth sense, this was quite intolerable. Seeing as how it was unlikely possible to make out whatever it was outside through the shop window, I stood from my seat and waved at the shop keeper, letting her know I was just going out for a bit of fresh air. She of course nodded and smiled, then continued on in her chat with another woman. The first moment my skin touched the handle of the door I noticed to the extent of how odd this feeling had affected me. The metal handle, once warm when I had entered, was now cool and crisp to the touch. However, no temperature change had occurred to cause such a thing. Indeed there was a chill outside when I had arrived, but with the door closed as it was, it should have remained just as it had done all throughout the day. Taking this into account I stood prepared as I opened the door and felt the biting cold wind against my cheeks. The sudden gust of air has caused my eyes to water in retaliation which then begged me to blink a few times to calm them. In this moment of closing and opening my eyes, I caught sight of the hazy figure. Now with my eyes open and calm I could see clearly the outlining shape of a person as it walked up towards me with such a sudden gate that I stumbled backward. For I did not know if this was to be a solid thing then it would have knocked me off the bridge that led from the shop to the parking area. As soon as I had stumbled though, the figure stopped, as if suddenly aware of its presence in the world and that it could affect the things around it. Intrigued, I stared at it trying ever harder to make out any detailed feature to reveal what this thing might be. The figure as it was, began to make large motions with its outlying appendages in an almost unmistakable pattern of a person trying to get something or someone to follow it. In a burst of curiosity I held up my hands and motioned for it to wait and then took out my Smartphone from my pocket and placed it on a drawing application.

"Please," I motioned, "write what you wish to say."

Gently I held out the phone and felt a light bit of pressure as words were formed on its screen.

"Follow Me."

"Well that much I could have guessed." I thought to myself in a bit of humor.

"Of course, but wouldn't you like to tell me why?" I responded clearing the screen of text and holding it out again in expectance.

Once more the writing appeared, "Too much to say, too little a screen."

"Well, that is a fair point." I reasoned thinking of the consequences of following a strange hazy figure.

"Alright, let us go then." I said to the figure while placing my phone back into my pants pocket.

The figure seemed humored, as it looked almost as if it chuckled. Taking that as a good sign I cautiously followed it along the bridge where it took a branching path leading down to the creek below. The creek itself was very full today and spanned a wide enough length it should probably be considered a river when at this mass. However it was only at specific times a year that such a downpour would occur to create this kind of rushing current flow.

It was beginning to get difficult to see the figure as it walked gracefully across the ground and past the path worn into the dirt by use of only the heartfelt locals. I felt a sudden warning of danger as I stepped over the path knowing full well there was a cliff hidden behind the brush that couldn't be seen until too late. But, seeing as this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, I swallowed the fear and walked on promising myself I would take the proper precautions.

The figure, quite unexpectedly, seemed to have trouble moving the brush to get through. I guess it would only be unexpected if you were to think like me that perhaps, this wasn't too much of a physical being. Alas, the physical beating it was getting from the branches and thorns called ample evidence to its solid state.

We walked for a good amount of time. The sun having made a slow pass a ways back, but had become hidden from view through the thick and seemingly unending woods. The figure had taken a very specific path ever so lightly worn, as if it had only been walked recently by a small group of creatures. This did have an odd reaction to my sense of danger, for it was beckoning me to realize that the cliff would be a sudden sight since it should have been seen long ago. Thinking this just the thoughts of a caffeinated mind I calmed them with the knowledge that the figure was walking ahead of me, and was clearly a physical mass, so if the cliff were to appear in a sudden sight, the figure would be the first to recognize it. This worked to ease the nerves and soon the figure came to a halt.

The sound of rushing water was great and deafening. This is where the waterfall fell connecting the large creek to a vast amounts of smaller creeks and rivers. This is also where the cliff was, and quite a cliff indeed. The height was staggering and the fall seemed nothing other than an instant demise. The figure however was not in awe of the sight as I was and turned to walk into a cave covered over by debris of the forest that it had easily moved aside, awaiting for me to enter so it could close it back.

Swiftly I made my way past the figure into the cave, accidently bumping into its mass with my left arm as I passed by which caused it to exhale briefly. This gave me an indication to its height and gender. The mass my arm had felt was sturdy and heavy, not like a female core or the core of a small man. However the figure was not small enough on height to be an ape or something of that nature to mimic the general outline of a human body. Nor was the sensation of bumping into the figure that one of feeling fur or anything of the like, so it was not a bear. Adding to that area of things, the feeling was of cloth. Since the exhalation was that of a lower tone it was clear to devise that this was indeed a human male.

That information was not pleasant to my psyche. When considering the thought that an invisible human male lured me into a cave with sheer curiosity... It made me wonder how I had managed to survive this long in the modern world. Alas the figure was blocking my way out making it improbable for a means of escape since that gentle bump told me the muscle mass on that person was far greater than mine, and strength was of a pitiable comparison.

Even in the darkness of the cave I could make out the figure, if nothing else around me. It moved slowly past me and turned on a lantern hanging from a metal hook someone had pounded into the cave wall. It then motioned toward my pocket and it only took me but a moment to realize it was asking for the phone. I quickly pulled it out and held it outward on the proper application.

"Follow the girl." Was written with a certain style that had me confused. The text was then followed up with, "Find her farther down. Take the light."

Although the written words were beginning to make more sense now, I'm not sure how comforting it was. Denying my inner voices I nodded to the figure and placed the phone back in my pocket and grabbed the lantern from the metal hook. Its handle was slightly wet, as was the cave wall. However it seemed that the lantern had not been here for long. The wetness of the mineral rich water was just that, wetness, no buildup whatsoever on the handle. This was much unlike the iron hook that should more or less be considered part of the wall by now. In fact, the thing looked alost ancient.

Before I could continue my investigation of the hook I felt the figure shuffle uncomfortably beside me and took that as my que to move on. With a tight grip on the handle I steadly walked forward, glaning back momentarliy at the figure who I could have sworn waved goodbye.

It had not been that long since I left the entrance where that figure had waved his goodbyes before I realized an embarrasing mistake,

"I never asked his name."

For whatever reason it felt like speaking that point aloud needed to