The Son of Every Man

Chapter 5.5

"Fancy seeing you on a Saturday night." His voice bounded brightly over the concrete.

Gabe said a silent prayer of thanks to someone—anyone—as he was pulled into a tight hug. Even the faint smell of cigarettes was a comfort. "Thanks for coming," he said to Miguel.

"I wouldn't dare leave my favorite work buddy out in the cold during his time of need."

Gabe led Miguel toward home.

They walked a half-block north and then Miguel said, "So, what's going on with you?"

Gabe turned to him. "Could we head down to the boardwalk instead?"

"Lead the way."

They took bracing steps down the street, plunging steeply toward the ocean. As they waited to cross Belmont, Gabe tried to dispel the tension. There was no sense in making Miguel wait. "Yeah, so I was having a pretty bad night."

"That's what you said on your message."

"Things get weird when I spend too much time alone." Gabe knew it was now or never. He couldn't keep it to himself forever. "I start seeing things."

"Things like what?"

They descended from he street onto the worn planks of the boardwalk. They began walking south over the bubbling holes where millions of tiny crabs made their homes. Far in the distance, a stone jetty thrust out from shore. At the end, a green light pulsed, its enormous filament illuminating and extinguishing so lazily that it never seemed to arrive fully at either state. The sight had long captured Gabe's imagination. On darker nights, alone, Gabe had walked all the way out to it, only to witness the magic fading as he got too close.

He knew it was time to tell Miguel. They trudged along slowly, side by side. Gabe looked up into the face of his companion. A rush of confidence came to him. "Have you ever heard of the Willow Man?"

Miguel hesitated. "The skeleton thing from the desert?"

"Yeah."

"Sure I have."

"Okay, good."

After a few seconds of silence, Miguel turned to him, laughing. "Is that all you have to say? Yes, I've heard of him. Go on."

Gabe hoped Miguel wasn't laughing at the absurdity of the subject, but at his own frustrating inability to fill the gaps in conversation. "Did you know that some people think he's real? Even my neighbor does. She's this crazy old lady who always tells me to watch out for him. She says he'll come for me. I think she believes he came for my mother."

"And you've seen him, too?"

Gabe paused. "I don't know."

"You said you start seeing things." His tone grew suspicious. "And then you brought up the Willow Man. So you've seen him, right?"

Gabe sighed. He wanted to object, but there was nothing to object to. No part of Miguel's assertion was false. "Yes."

"Huh." Miguel glanced over. "Doesn't sound so strange to me."

Gabe looked at him skeptically. "Don't say that just to try and put me at ease. I know how weird it is."

"I just mean a lot of people see things other people don't. People believe in all kinds of things that can't be proven."

"Except I know what I'm seeing isn't real."

Miguel shrugged. "You still see it, though."

It was true. The logic bridges he had slowly erected in his mind collapsed as they were exposed to the warm, misty air of the night. "I wish I could explain it better."