Something Happened Here

            When he entered the room, he immediately knew that something had taken place. There were only two other people in the room, but he could see it in their eyes. A brief glance revealed a flicker of acknowledgment, or a confession of sorts. He knew it and he was certain that they had no idea what their eyes had confessed.

              There was a darkness in the room that he felt immediately upon entering. Though everything tried to be bright and cheery, a darkness hid in the corners, in the crevices, and in the words that were not spoken. "A well-lit room, a smiling and happy face, and the glint in an otherwise dead eye gives it all away," he thought. He had the ability to read a room, to read the body language, and the facade they all projected.

              Knowing what he knew and knowing that they didn't know that he knew, gave him a huge advantage in his awkward interaction with each one of them. He put on the smile, he said he was doing just fine, and a burning like acid reflux rose up within him. He hated lying but he knew full well that telling the truth with types such as these had little to no value.

              As time passed, more and more people joined them and somehow, he thought, everyone else seemed to be in on the secret. "The depth of depravity here is painfully clear," he thought. "There is a hatred, a perversion, a deep corruption within each of them. I know full well that I have my own issues so I'm not one to judge."

              The obvious princess or queen, or whatever descriptor suits you best, flitted about the room chatting with everyone, carrying the same plastic smile behind her dead eyes. He was introduced to more people that he could even remember and always gave the same answer. "Yep, I'm doing great," he would say. The inane chit-chat that followed turned his stomach, but he knew he had to play the game. The larger the crowd became, the more the hushed whispers became evident.

              He floated from one pointless conversation to the next and worked his way toward the massive bay window on the east side of the room. For reasons he could only guess at, it seemed that no one else wanted to stand in the glorious, gold sunlight that poured through them. As time went on, he stood in the warmth of golden light, a vast channel developed between himself and all of the others in this beautiful, well-decorated, and pretend social space.

              A group of well-built, handsome men had gathered and were all speaking to one another in hushed tones, frequently glancing toward him. Preparing for the worst, he sat his half empty glass of sparkling water on the nearest table. A quick review of the window revealed a wonderful secret that he was certain no one else realized. "The windows crank open," he thought. "That makes this much, much easier."

              He slowly and casually stepped in front of the first window and reached behind him to disconnect the crank mechanism. "Thank God, we're on the first floor," he thought. As if someone had suddenly flipped a switch, all of the smiling faces and friendly comments turned dark and hostile. The one against many separation in the room didn't change but the normal, casual mixture of men and women across from him disappeared and was now women on the right and men on the left.

              The men all removed their dinner jackets and rolled up their sleeves. Two of these men moved in front of the only door leading out of the room and unbuttoned their collars. "Okay then, here we go," he thought. "I should have known better than to stay here with the obvious darkness I saw at the beginning."

              "Who are you and why are you here?" one of the men said to him, in a volume far greater than was normally and socially acceptable. He played dumb and looked around the room a bit, hoping to find someone else upon whom to divert the attention. "Don't try to be smart," the man continued, "we all know that I'm talking to you."

              He moved himself a step closer to the window behind him and gave it a gentle nudge to assure himself that it would give way under his weight when he threw himself against it. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by a sudden and violent knock on the door. The two men standing guard jumped at the sudden noise and braced themselves for the unknown.

              The door behind them slowly opened and an incredibly large man with a very kind face pushed past them and entered the vast, empty space between him and the crowd. "Whatever it is that is going on in here," he said, "will not end as you think it will. My associate and I will be leaving, right now. You all had your chance, but you chose wrongly. The loss is yours."

              The large man crossed the empty space and placed his massive hand upon his shoulder, leading the two of them out of the room. Everyone stood in silence, motionless, looking as if they really wanted to do something but were uncertain what that something would be. The two men left the room, traversed a long wood paneled hallway, descended the marble steps of the front entrance, and climbed into a jet-black Bugatti with its engine still running.

              "I'm sorry, do I know you," he asked.

              "Of course, you know me," he answered. "I've been with you all along. I am the light that has moved you from circumstance to circumstance. I am the subtle hint at the back of your mind in every decision that you've made. I am the fire in your chest that moves you to act. I hoped that you would have recognized me when I entered that room. You should not have been there, and you realized that a little too late. So, I intervened."

              "Oh, wow," he said. "I had no idea. Thank you."

              "But don't worry, it is never too late to make the right decision," he said. "Our journey forward from here is very long but it will be the most beautiful journey you've ever taken."