Short Story
By Laurens
It was a dark night, the wind made the branches of the trees dance under the moonlight, and large rain drops hit the ground like an everlasting barrage of artillery. "Nothing unusual for this time of the year," some of the locals assured Jack while he was nipping his beer away. Born and raised in Tillman’s Corner, Alabama, Jack was used to long hot summers and mild winters, and he wondered how on heaven's earth people could cope with this kind of weather.
Somehow the weather outside reflected the state of being Jack currently found himself in: empty, emotionless, and without any clear goal in mind. He had left America with great enthusiasm to see and explore the world, but he never pictured himself in a nearly deserted pub, God knowing what he was doing there.
While sitting at his table and enjoying the comfortable warmth of the fireplace besides him, Jack was observing a couple of Scottish maps. Suddenly a feeling of unease crawled up his spine. Jack looked up and noticed a man sitting in a corner, with his gaze pinned at Jack. For an instance, there was a kind of stalemate between them, without a word being said.
Finally, Jack responded "Is there anything in particular I can help you with, sir?" "Nothing in particular, you just don't strike me as from around here, that's all." Jack was startled for a moment and he couldn't figure out the exact intentions of the stranger. Before he could respond, however, the man stood next to his table. "Do you mind?" pointing at the empty chair in front of him, and without an answer the man sat down.
Curiously, Jack studied the facial expression of the man. He had a crude face, like an old building weathered throughout the years. "So, what brings you to a small Scottish town like this," the man started, "We don't get a lot travelers passing by in these Northern parts."
“I reckon you don’t,” Jack replied. “I’m making a trip through Great Britain, and I’m moving up as far North as possible, you see.” Not a single emotion could be detected on the man’s face, instead his glassy eyes seemed to inspect Jack like he was some sort of tropical specimen recently discovered.
Lost Abroad