Unusual Encounters

It was the first day of spring and everyone was out enjoying the day. My wife and I had gone to the mall to get some exercise and make a few purchases. As we were walking through the mall I noticed an odd looking man that was staring at both of us. We went on with our business not thinking too much about his odd stare.

After we finished our shopping we were putting some things into our car and I noticed the same man standing near a car that was parked next to ours. He was just standing there staring at us again rather oddly. I commented something to my wife about the man and we got into our car and left. On the way home we took a short cut to the freeway, and as we were getting on the freeway there he was again standing at the corner of the intersection.

"There's that man again," I replied to my wife.

"That kinda weird," she commented as she looked out the window, not acting like she had really heard me. I sat and thought for a second knowing that no one had passed us, much less how could he have gotten where he was by just by walking?

"How could he have gotten there so quick?" I asked.

"Who knows, maybe he's a time traveler," she commented and laughed. I thought seriously about this and gave her a weird look. She looked back at me.

"Honey, I was just kidding," she replied and laughed. There was something in the way she said that which seemed to ring true to me. The rest of the day went pretty much uneventful except a few calls that came up "000-0000." But when I answered the phone there was nobody on the other end of line.

When I went to sleep that night I dreamed that I was traveling in space with an "Extra-Terrestrial" that looked exactly like the man at the mall. This was a little odd, but then again most of my dreams usually were. I told my wife about the dream and she just dismissed it as an odd coincidence. This is where she and I disagreed about some things.

I always looked at things that happened as "things happening for a reason." But what reason could this be about. Was he someone that thought he knew us? And how did he get to the freeway so quickly? These are just some of the things that usually plagued my mind.

The next day at the supermarket I was standing at the end of the checkout line, waiting for my wife who was paying the cashier when in walked the same man again. He walked over to the carts; got his cart walked past me and smiled as he went by. Goosebumps ran down my spine as he walked by and smiled at me. I looked over at my wife who was lost in a conversation with the cashier.

A minute or two went by when in walked the same man again. He did the same exact thing which he had done before; got his cart and smiled as he walked by me. More Goosebumps ran down my spine as I left and went out to the car to wait. When my wife got to the car she looked at me kinda weird.

"Are you alright?" She asked.

"Why?" was all I said.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," she said as she got into the car. I sat and thought for a moment. Not telling her just what I had seen.

"Maybe, I just did," I said feeling like she really wasn't really listening to me. The rest of the night I couldn't get this man out of my head. How could he have gotten out of the store, and reentered without me seeing him. I was standing by the only entrance there was besides the shipping and receiving areas. None of this made any sense to me. I guess I just needed to let it go, but for some reason I couldn't.

The next day was pretty much a usual day until my way home from work. About three blocks from the house there stood the man at the corner of the street watching me as I passed by. "I've had enough of this," I thought and turned around the next block which I came to. As I pulled up next to the man in my car he just stood there and smiled.

"Hey!" I said shouting out the window at him. "Is there something I can help you with?"

"Nothing at all," the man said as he turned to face me. His face seemed to have an almost angelic glow about it. I sat for a second not knowing exactly what to say when he broke the silence.

"Maybe there's something I can help you with young man," he commented. I thought at first that he was just being a smart aleck, but he seemed so pleasant and at ease.

"It's just funny, every time I turn around you're always there," I said, expecting him to give me some kind of response that would answer some of my worries. But he just continued standing there as if he was waiting for something.

"I guess our paths just keep crossing each other," he said, and smiled as his eyes flashed a beautiful brilliant blue.

"I guess it's just me," I said. "I'm sorry to have bothered you.

"Why that's no bother at all. Have a nice day," he said, and continued to just stand there. I finally left and pulled away from the corner of the street and went home. The rest of the night I felt like there was something that I needed to say to my wife; but couldn't think exactly what to say. So I just told her that I loved her and drifted off to sleep.

The next day was a cold and rainy day. The traffic was horrible on my way to work, and I was fifteen minutes late. The boss wrote me up for coming in late, and I made a few remarks back to him which I regretted. I felt a little out of place when I left for home, not knowing why I was having this feeling; it was like a homesick feeling. I didn't know why I was feeling so homesick I was just about home.

I stopped at the corner market to pick up a few things that were on the list my wife had given me. I had to park on the corner of the block as every other spot was taken. As I got out of the car I looked around half expecting to see the old man; as if I was expecting a meeting with him somehow. "Man, I must be going crazy," I thought as I got out of the car.

As I was leaving the store a car came flying by and sprayed water all over me. I turned to look at the car who had just gotten me totally wet and when I turned around the first thing I saw was the front of a truck as it sideswiped my car and hit me; throwing me hurdling through the air. All of my bags were thrown all over the street as I lay on the ground. The next thing I remembered was the old man reaching down to help me up off the street with his beautiful smile.

"Well now, it's sure good to see you again," I said as he helped me up.

"It's good to see you also," he said and smiled. "I've been waiting for you. It's time to go," he said. I didn't know exactly what he meant until I heard a loud commotion in the street. People were running from one side of the street to the other in a big hurry.

"What's all that about," I asked the man. He just smiled and pointed his hand. I turned and looked at what he was pointing at, and there in the street lay my body, with people gathered around it.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"I've come to take you home son. Come with me," he said as we began to walk together. As I turned to look back where my body lie, someone threw a sheet over me. I walked with the old man without really feeling the steps when a beautiful light opened up in the sky. Then suddenly the empty feeling left me as the smiling man and I disappeared into the light.