I met a man today
I met a man today. He wasn't really what he seemed. But he was ok. In fact, I had no idea what to expect and yet I was surprised that he was who he was. You see, he was tall. Taller than most people. Perhaps taller than all people. So tall, that had I not walked in to him on my way to work I would never have noticed him, just like you rarely notice the existance of anything above you because you are so preoccupied with looking straight ahead or even at the ground, despite there being nothing to look at on the ground, but so much more to notice if you looked up.
I looked up after I walked in to him. All dressed in black, apart from a red detail on his hat. Because he was so tall, his head was also bigger than most people's heads and therefore he had to wear a very big hat. The hat blocked out the sun for many people and because of the enormous shadow that was cast they all thought a small cloud was passing over them and so they never looked up.
The tall man in black with the big hat with the red detail looked down on me after I walked in to him. But it never felt as if I was looked down upon. It was a look of equals. As if I was not to be intimidated by his size. His eyes seemed calm and reassuring as he laid a huge hand on my shoulders. Its weight almost tipped me over.
With a nod he made me understand that I should look behind me. When I turned around everyone seemed to be preoccupied with some other thing and didn't even seem to notice neither the tall man nor me. That they didn't notice me was one thing, but now that we stood almost alone the tall man must be very visible to at least some of them. But they were preoccupied with some other thing.
The tall man did not seem to mind being unnoticed and instead he pointed with his long index finger to a spot where the crowd opened up a bit, enough for me to see through.
In the street a man had been hit by a car and laid lifeless with his face down. Under these circumstances, I thought, it was no wonder me and the tall man would go unnoticed. As I turned back around the tall man in black nodded his head once again for me to turn around. As I did I began to understand what he was trying to say.
As the ambulance and police arrived to take care of my dead body, the tall man and I walked down the street in silence. The silence was not uncomfortable felt very natural. Whatever needed to be communicated between me and the tall man was said in other ways.
I looked up after I walked in to him. All dressed in black, apart from a red detail on his hat. Because he was so tall, his head was also bigger than most people's heads and therefore he had to wear a very big hat. The hat blocked out the sun for many people and because of the enormous shadow that was cast they all thought a small cloud was passing over them and so they never looked up.
The tall man in black with the big hat with the red detail looked down on me after I walked in to him. But it never felt as if I was looked down upon. It was a look of equals. As if I was not to be intimidated by his size. His eyes seemed calm and reassuring as he laid a huge hand on my shoulders. Its weight almost tipped me over.
With a nod he made me understand that I should look behind me. When I turned around everyone seemed to be preoccupied with some other thing and didn't even seem to notice neither the tall man nor me. That they didn't notice me was one thing, but now that we stood almost alone the tall man must be very visible to at least some of them. But they were preoccupied with some other thing.
The tall man did not seem to mind being unnoticed and instead he pointed with his long index finger to a spot where the crowd opened up a bit, enough for me to see through.
In the street a man had been hit by a car and laid lifeless with his face down. Under these circumstances, I thought, it was no wonder me and the tall man would go unnoticed. As I turned back around the tall man in black nodded his head once again for me to turn around. As I did I began to understand what he was trying to say.
As the ambulance and police arrived to take care of my dead body, the tall man and I walked down the street in silence. The silence was not uncomfortable felt very natural. Whatever needed to be communicated between me and the tall man was said in other ways.
