The Man in Black

The Man in Black

     I went on a walk today. After the surgery I had low motor function and they said taking daily walks would help with muscle memory. I had a brain tumor removed and left me with a bad limp and almost no movement in my left arm. If there is a hell, I was for sure in it, and it's not pretty.

     I left the house around 4:30 am so I would beat the heat. It wasn't too bad this morning. 72 degrees and no humidity, yet. I put on the walking shoes my wife got me and went out the door. In pain every step of the way, I made it to the paved path. Beautiful view. Thick wall of trees on the sides of the path. Morning dew on everything. Sun just coming up and licking the clouds. No need for sun screen. I plan on being back before the sun gets too high. Great morning. Going to be a good walk.

     Limping and struggling to keep my balance, I slug down this path. 20 minutes into my walk I see a man in a nice black suit. Thick black hair with grey by the ears. He had a long black and white goatee. Tall thin build. Maybe 6'1''. He stopped on the track, pulled out some rolled up paper, looked at it and put it back in his suit. He turned and looked at me with sharp intelligent eyes.

     "Hello, Tim." The man said.

     "Umm, Hi. How can I help you?"

     "Help me? I'm here to help you, Mr. Morgan. I can make the pain go away. Would you like that?" Man in black said.

     "How do you know my name? And what are you trying to sell? We're on a walking trail, and its 5 in the fucking morning."

     "That tumor took a lot out of you, Timmy. I can make it as if it never happen, and will never happen. You can be as healthy as a horse for the rest of your life. Just for a little price is all."

     "I'm not sure who you are but I had enough of this." I said.

     "Just say the word and I will make that happen for you, but I would have to take two people with me. Two random people. What do you say?" He asked.

     "If you can make everything go away? Sure, I'll entertain you. What do I do?" I asked

     "All you have to do is mark this paper and I will tell you what to do...... What do you say?" Man in black asked.

     I took the paper, spat on it and asked him what’s next. Thinking that would make him go away. "There. What now?"

     "Close your eyes, and take a slow deep breath, then open them and everything will be peachy-keen for you, Timmy."...

     He looked taller, maybe 6'4'' now and had pure black hair. Eyes intense and almost completely black. I closed my eyes and thought about my wife and daughter, how if I was healthy, I could be able to do so much with them again. I opened my tired eyes slowly and The Man in Black was gone...... I turned to look behind me and my body moved like I was 16 again. I lifted my left arm and touched my head. No scar and my hair was back thicker than ever. I jumped a few times and felt like I could clear a 6 foot fence in one bound.

     I thought of the girls and felt my heart drop. I ran home as fast as I could. What took me 20 minutes to walk took me only 5 minutes to run. I opened the door and the house looked empty. Everything that belonged to the girls was gone. I went in the baby's room, and it was empty save a gun in the middle of the floor..... With tears filling my eyes, I picked it up.

                                                    The End