A Rather Peculiar Watery Encounter
He looked in the pond. I wouldn’t have really noticed it, for the fact that when I glanced at him, he didn’t as so much move. Back ramrod straight, he stared down at the water, like he was using all his attention to find something. His length of stare was unordinary, and the longer I looked at him, the longer he didn’t move.
I stopped running and slowed to a walk, moving toward the pond. I peak over the edge to see what he is looking at, if anything.
Nothing. It was literally nothing. No water left in the pond. The empty square of concrete was out of place inside glistening boughs of leaves and bushes.
“Huh.” I watch a black bug scurry across the bottom. Maybe he’s wondering too. He looked wary, his scuttles not in line. He’s probably expecting the water to gush down at him any minute.
I looked beside me, to the stranger. He’s noticed the bug too, and at my glance he looks at me.
“Do you know where all the water went?” I ask.
He sticks out his hand. “ I’m Jack.”
“Denise,” I shake his hand.
He smirks. “I’m part of maintenance. I took out the water this morning.”
Oh, I just now notice the emblem on his t-shirt Water Maintenece and Supply. Embarrassed, a hollow laugh barks out of me. He was checking to make sure if there was anything else he missed. Of course.
“Well,” I say, putting my earbuds back in. He blinks, a quick shutter of his eyelids. “Looks good. No speck of water left.”
He smiles and nods, moving his attentive stare back to the empty pond.
Only later on my run, at his last glance towards me as I continued, did I notice.
Eyes. Quick shutter.
His eyes were amphibian.
# ChallengeoftheWeek CXXXIII #theprose #poetry #stranger #encounter #amphibian #frog #eyes #pond #stacksofbooks #bottleofbooks
