The stranger’s twitch at the park (600 words))

The park was a pleasant escape, but the stranger on the bench beside me brought an air of unease that I couldn't ignore. The sun was setting and it was slowly getting dark. I was watching a few children play, their laughter mingling with the noise of the traffic on the road, when I noticed him staring at me.

"Sir, if you can spare me some time, I wish to clear a matter of doubt," he said, his grin somewhat unsettling. "I will not take much of your time."

As I had nothing pressing to do, I nodded. "Sure, go ahead."

"Don’t I look like a normal person? People, however, look at me as if I am slightly insane. Even at my office, they terminated my services without any reason. They told my wife the job was open when I became 'normal' again. But I am normal. Can a normal person become normal again, looks funny, isn’t it, Sir?"

His story trickled out, disjointed initially and strange. He was dressed well and spoke fluently, yet his words painted a different picture.

"My wife is beautiful," he continued. "When we walk in the park, everyone stares at her. After they overtake us, the men turn their heads to catch a glimpse of her again. It makes me uneasy and I stare at them or make faces. She says I'm being paranoid, but I'm only protecting her. Am I wrong to get upset if someone looks at her with bad intentions?"

He paused, eyes boring into me, waiting for my response. I nodded for him to continue, feeling a growing unease.

"There were two incidents recently, I must tell you There's a dog in our colony that barks at me always. Strangely it does not bark at others even vendors, delivery boys and strangers. The other day, it wouldn’t stop barking at me, so I threw a stone at it. The stone possibly hit it on the head and the dog died. The neighbours were furious and swearing to complain to the authorities. My wife cried all night. In retrospect, I also felt bad but I could not contain my anger then. This was, however, a small matter compared to what happened today. Are you listening?" he asked with some doubt.

His voice grew softer when I nodded, eyes darting around as if checking for eavesdroppers. "Today, I saw the colony treasurer, my neighbour, talking to my wife in the drawing room. She was laughing, but when I entered, both stopped. I could guess he was interested in her. I felt something take over me. My wife says my left eye twitches when it happens. I blocked his way and accused him of lustful intentions. When he vehemently protested, I hit him with a stool. He escaped with a minor injury. The neighbours were angry and overpowered me, and now they want me out of the colony. My wife was crying again. I became calm again and came here."

He looked at me expectantly and asked “Am I not normal and react like what others would in similar circumstances?"

It was getting dark, and the park was nearly empty. I felt a chill as his left eye began to twitch rather frequently. "I think you are normal nevertheless you should see a doctor soon," I said, standing up quickly.

As his twitching intensified and he looked around for something, I backed away. Fear gripped me, and I ran as fast as possible with the man approaching fast behind me. The disquieting encounter lingered in my mind long after I reached my apartment.

( Readers who post anonymously may leave their names under the comment)