"You better not turn off the lights in your house tonight."
That was the last thing the strange man said to me last night. He was dressed entirely in black, holding a black umbrella in his right hand. He stood at the edge of the forest, as if he was waiting for me to arrive.
It was raining heavily at the time, slowing me down on my way home. On top of that, the bar where I worked was crowded with customers, making me leave 45 minutes later than usual. Now, the clock showed 11:17 PM, but I still hadn't reached home.
As I approached the border between the town of Cannes and the forest where I lived, I saw him - a tall man in black standing there. I tried to ignore him, but before I could walk any further, he spoke.
"Why is a sweet girl like you walking into the forest this late at night?"
I paused for a moment. Shouldn't I be the one asking him that question? I'd lived here since I was a child, and I was sure I'd never seen this man before.
"I live over there," I finally replied, pointing toward the forest.
"Really?" He gave a faint smile. "It must be scary living there alone."
I shook my head gently. "No. Why would I be scared? Besides, there are a few others who live there too."
He nodded slowly, but his gaze never left mine. "I see... do you live under the same roof with them?"
I started to feel uneasy. His questions were getting stranger. The unrelenting rain made the air colder and more uncomfortable. I wanted to get home quickly, but I had a bad feeling that something would happen if I didn't answer his questions carefully.
"Yes," I replied, trying to sound convincing. "I live with them."
"You're not lying, are you?"
My heart started pounding faster. I was lying - I lived alone in that house. But I couldn't let him know that. I had to make him believe me.
"Why would I lie?" I forced a smile.
He stared at me for a while before finally nodding slowly. "Alright then."
I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed like he believed me.
"By the way, what's your name, sweet girl?"
I hesitated to answer. Why did he want to know so much about me? What did he really want?
"Hmm, what is it?" He asked again. I felt like there was no way to lie anymore.
I stayed silent for a moment before finally saying, "Angelina."
"Angelina," he repeated, smiling. "Such a beautiful name."
I felt more and more uncomfortable. I needed to get out of there.
"Sorry, but I have to go now."
I turned around and walked faster, but before I could get far, I heard his voice again - softer, deeper, with a disturbing kind of smile.
"Alright, but you better not turn off your lights tonight, Angelina."
My hair stood on end. I quickened my pace. His figure and words echoed in my mind.
How did he know that I always turned off the lights at night? Could he have already known where I lived?!
I felt uneasy.
As soon as I got home, I turned on all the lights - just like he told me to. I also called my neighbor and friend, Mia, to come sleep over at my place tonight.
I knocked on Mia's door. Thankfully, she was still awake. I told her about my encounter with the man and what he had said to me.
*Knock-knock-knock-knock (the sound of me knocking on her door).
"Who is it?" Mia asked from inside.
"It's me, Angelina! Please open the door, Mia!" I said, raising my voice slightly.
*Creak (the sound of the door opening).
"What's going on? Why are you-"
"Hic… Mia! Please help me!" I hugged her tightly while crying.
"Eh?! What's wrong, Angelina?! Come in, let's sit down." Mia said as she brought me inside and sat me down.
She tried to calm me down, gently patting my shoulder. "It's okay. Everything's going to be alright."
After a while, I started to feel calmer. I told Mia what had just happened to me.
"I met a man at the edge of the forest. He wore a black suit and carried a matching umbrella."
"When I was about to walk past him, he suddenly spoke and asked weird questions that made me feel uncomfortable. He asked for my name, where I lived, and who I lived with."
"I've never met or known him before, but he talked like he already knew everything about me."
"Wow, that's insane! I think he's a psychopath! You're lucky you made it home safe!" Mia said, shocked by my story.
Mia got goosebumps after hearing what I'd gone through. She also suspected that the man might have followed me home. Afraid something might happen to me, she agreed to spend the night at my place.
"Just in case, I'll stay over at your place tonight. I'm worried that guy followed you and might try to break in when you're alone."
"Alright, thank you, Mi." I hugged Mia tightly.
"You're welcome, Angelina. Don't worry, everything will be fine." Mia replied, hugging me back.
Thankfully, my bed was big enough, so neither of us had to sleep on the floor. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but I couldn't.
In the silence of the night, I stared at the ceiling of my house. The wood was starting to rot. Ah, right... I've lived here since I was six years old.
I could've just moved to the city and left this old house behind. But I couldn't bring myself to do that. There were so many memories in this house.
Jimmy... if only he were still alive. It feels like a surreal dream. I still can't believe Jimmy is gone. Three years without him has left such an emptiness in my life - especially at night when we used to share the same bed here.
I loved him deeply. He had taken care of me since I was a baby until I turned sixteen. He treated me with such warmth and love, and that's what made me fall for him.
That day, I had planned to confess my feelings to him, but before I even had the chance to speak, he suddenly said, "I'm sorry, Angelina. I'm not someone worthy of you."
I was so angry at the time. How could he say that before I even started talking?! And that very night, I got the news that Jimmy had been found dead - right at the spot where that strange man appeared tonight.
It's all so strange. That man suddenly approached me and asked weird questions that made me uneasy. And at the end, he told me to keep the lights on in my house.
Ugh!!! My thoughts are a complete mess right now! I can't even close my eyes for a second because I'm scared something bad will happen while I'm asleep.
I'm so exhausted right now. My life is already difficult, and now a creepy stranger is after me too. Haa... I just want to live in peace, God... You've already taken the life of someone I loved, are you going to take minetoo…?
Forget it. I don't want to think about it anymore. I just have to stay awake… so we both stay safe.