The Night Encounter

About five years ago, I lived downtown in a major U.S. city.

I was a night owl, and after my early-to-bed roommate went to sleep, I’d wander the streets

alone, thinking. For four years, I walked at night without fear.

The city felt safe—even the drug dealers were polite. But one Wednesday night around 1:30

AM, everything changed. I was near a quiet, police-patrolled park when I turned

down a side street. That’s when I saw him. A man at the far end of the street…

dancing. It looked like a waltz, but with a strange forward stride.

He was headed straight for me.