I lit a cigarette and took a few puffs; the forest critters were acting normally and nothing seemed to be out of place. The wind blew as it picked up the leaves, letting it fly with the wind. The smoke coming from my cigarette attracted a man wearing a brown suit and holding a pocket watch.
“Mind if I have one?” He asks in a monotonous voice.
My eyes meet with his and I was speechless by the time I saw him. He had a face with no expression, but it was leaking with emotion at the same time. He didn’t flinch as I saw him though, he seemed to be waiting for my response.
The man looked out to the forest that was around him and said, “Kids these days, they never treat the elderly with respect.”
His eyebrows furrowed in disappointment and shook his head while he looked at his leather shoes. The man seemed to be vintage, like a relic from the past that was preserved with care. I just stared at him, completely enamored by his beauty. I thought I had found a new source of inspiration for my paintings, but I didn’t have the moment to paint when I was at the camp.
He waved his hand in front of me and asked, “So, could I or could I not?”
I snap out of my entranced state and light him a cigarette, “Uh, here. Have one, I don’t mind.”
He pinches the small cigarette and examines it as he sighs. “They don’t make them like they how used to, kind of disappointing but I’m used to disappointment,” the man says as he removes his blazer and looks at me. “You know, you should probably get away from these woods. It’s bad luck, I tell you. Once you’re in, you can never get out.” He takes a deep breath out of the cigarette and releases it, forming a big cloud of smoke that made me slightly cough.
“Wait, really? Who’re you?” I ask in confusion; his words were pretty vague. Something told me that he knows something that my friends and I don’t.
He gives me a good laugh, the man looks at me in the eyes and says, “I’m David Chutney, not that my name would be important.” He proceeded to smirk and said, “These woods are cursed, something always happens. And the next thing you know, you’re suddenly…” He pauses as he doesn’t finish his sentence, it made me curious as to what he was about to say. I needed to know, any information would have helped me.
“Suddenly, what?” I ask him as he gave me a big grin and blew me a cloud of smoke.
“Dead.”
As I was about to question him, he disappeared with no trace of him ever existing. The cigarette that I gave him was dropped and left on the dirt path. I picked it up and wondered where the man went, he seemed charming. I had a thing for guys that were into vintage things, he seemed to tick every box that I was looking for in a man. I put out the fuse of the cigarette as I held on to the cigarette but that he left, hoping that he would come back and have another chat. Besides, it was the summer of love. It was everywhere and no one could escape from it, I thought that Cupid had finally found a match for me. But, I could never love a guy, could I? My mother said that every homosexual man deserved to die, but was it really the case for me? Not really, I wouldn’t say that. Love was love, it had no form nor specific condition. It just hits you like how petals are thrown at you, it feels wonderful and the world suddenly looks prettier for a moment.
I just stood there in my black gym shorts as I was completely stunned by remembering the look of his gaze. But, I eventually snapped back to reality and realized that he was just a part of my imagination. As I was about to leave the trucks, I hear a faint whisper and see a figure in the corner of my eye.
“Let’s talk again.”
It said as I turn around and see no one behind me.
“And, I guess I’m schizophrenic now. Cool,” I said to myself as I hear a faint giggle.
I ignore it and proceeded to walk towards where everyone was. The forest offered me some inspiration, I thought of making a landscape painting, or an animal still of one of the birds in the camp, their feathers seemed unique. The trees were tall and dark, but they seemed to be full of life with all of the squirrels and insects that inhabited them.