The Unfamiliar
I see it only so often. Never in full view; a stealthy raven with a sleek, shiny coat. It is like the memory of a dream, the finer details of which rapidly vaporize with its swift departures. It never lingers once spotted, instead quickly vanishing from my sight as if we were playing a neverending game of hide and seek. The score of which, I would very much like to know. And, just how exactly this score is being tallied; do I get a point for simply spotting the thing or would I need to physically catch it to score one? I'm not sure of the rules. But, this game has been going on for long enough now that I'm beginning to wonder if it will ever end.
Yesterday, I spotted it peeking out at me from behind a misaligned ceiling tile. Today, it was just a glimpse of feathers slinking away into the shadows behind a row of file cabinets at the office. Though oftentimes multiple days go between sightings, lately it seems to be appearing much more frequently. I've now started looking for it everywhere at every hour of the day. I often lie awake staring into the corners of my bedroom. Every shadow might hold a possible glimpse and maybe an answer to my wondering. What is it and why does it hide from me? Have I done something to warrant its ire? If I have, I can't think of anything, but then again I don't really even know what it is. A better question may actually be, why me?
With each day, I become a notch more obsessed and frantic in my search. The other day I knocked over a random woman in the park lunging into a patch of shrubbery, diving forward to snatch at a suspiciously dark shadow. And I was rewarded. I actually touched it. My fingers brushed feathers briefly before the thing slipped away, seemingly passing into some unseen dimension. It further stoked the flames of my determination. I need to catch it. And what then if I did? I haven’t the faintest clue. But the more it taunts me, the more assured my pursuit. I wasn't the one to start this game of ours, but I plan on being the one to put an end to it.
