The Crossroads And The Cane

There Javier sat, expressionless and alone in his apartment. The room illuminated by the computer monitor revealing the trash surrounding his desk. On the computer screen was the image of his boss, visibly irate for failing to notify the company president that the numbers were skewed. In his head, Javier could not hear the condescending words spoken over the fantasies he was creating of different fates that would befall his boss. Grisly images of death overshadowed the current mood in the room, and Javier was just fine with it. He had come to terms with getting passed over for promotions despite the long nights at the office, and the missed dinners and outings on the weekends. He even came to terms with the fact that his wife, disillusioned by what her life had become had taken his daughter and left. It was a constant struggle to awaken and log in to be insulted for hours at a time, and only complimented when he was needed. Javier slowly slipped into a depression and felt like there was no way out. How else could he afford to pay for what he had as other companies in the area could not match his salary? There were a few nights when he logged off, that he would sit by his window with a cigarette and contemplate taking his own life. No more worries, no more insults, and no more feeling subhuman. It could be all over in a flash and he would never have to think about it. After a few minutes of the one-sided verbal lashing, his boss took a deep breath and ended with a friendly, "Have a good night and we will speak tomorrow." Javier did not change his expression and calmly logged off the computer, reaching for his pack of cigarettes. He waited until the computer shut down and the screen went black before getting up and throwing on his jacket. A smoke outside was what this moment called for, and after several hours it was what he needed.

Javier closed the door behind him and headed down the long corridor to the elevator already taking out a cigarette from the box and returning it to his pocket. With one of his hands in his pocket, he pressed the elevator button with his free hand and stood looking at the floor numbers with his cigarette in his mouth. The door opened, and there stood a tall man wearing a black suit with red gloves and a cane. On his head was a bowler hat, and from what was visible from his face, a handlebar mustache with the ends curled upwards. Javier entered the elevator and stood next to him inhaling the familiar aroma of cigars and whiskey that surrounded the man. Javier pushed the "door close" button and placed himself in the furthest corner of the elevator. He didn't recognize him and it was odd for any of his neighbors to be a host to such a dapper individual. The descent to the first floor felt like an eternity as the elevator would stop on every floor, but the doors would not open. The lights within the elevator started to flicker and Javier could hear whispers and cries coming from outside the elevator with each floor. Confused he looked over to the man and said, "Did you hear that?" The man did not respond and stayed in place. Another flicker of the lights and Javier could hear his name mentioned outside the elevator. A shudder ran up his spine as the elevator door reached the ground floor and opened to a dark hallway faintly recognizable to him. At a hurried pace, Javier exited the elevator and after creating some distance he turned to see the door closing with a shadow of what looked like a hairy appendage of a spider.

Javier stepped outside to the stoop and looked behind him to see that the lights had come on, and the hallway looked fine. His heart was beating quickly and he looked up at the night sky and back to the hallway through the window of the front entrance. "What the fuck?", he said to himself finally thinking that he was beginning to crack. He started to think about taking a vacation to finally calm down, however, the thought of going away without his family was proving to be painful. He lit his cigarette and wiped a small tear that had crawled down his face. How he missed the days when things were ok and when he felt as if his ambition created opportunities. It had been a long time since he felt as if he were worth something, and suddenly the thoughts of suicide crept in again. Javier took a pull from his cigarette and puffed the smoke into the cold night air, the smoke so thick it covered the moon from his view. The streets were empty even though it was no later than six p.m. and the air grew windier and colder, prompting Javier to close the zipper on his jacket. As he looked around the street, he noticed a figure in the distance standing at the intersection of the street. Weirdly enough, the figure resembled the silhouette of the man he had just seen in the elevator. Thin and tall with a bowler hat and a cane, although the details were hard to make out from where Javier stood. Javier laughed to himself and looked away. "Who is this freak?" Javier said to himself. Minutes passed and neither a car nor person could be seen at the intersection where the man stood. At this point, Javier was confused but at the same time intrigued, and something was motivating him to walk toward the man. He walked off the stoop and made his way to the man in the intersection, looking both ways before crossing the street. It was as if it were midnight as the only lights that could be seen were the traffic lights changing in sequence, but no cars or people could be seen for blocks.