Before going through the events that took place during the last night of my stay, it is essential we get to know the puzzle-guy better. He was an average guy in terms of stature. He looked pretty normal and I've never seen him doing anything abnormal unless one considers solving puzzles to be extraordinary. The only problem with him was that he never talked. One day he walked in and sat on a chair in the reception room, playing with his fingers. For a long time they tried to somehow communicate with him but he kept staring in their eyes saying nothing and sitting there. They finally gave up and took him in. Ever since, he just sat in his room. Every day he walked to the lounge, sat behind the same table and solved the same puzzle over and over and over again. He randomly made eye contact with people, like when I walked in the lounge for the first time. This was more or less everything known about him.
I couldn't bare to sit in my room even for one more moment. I just couldn't take it anymore. Therefore, I grabbed a packet of smokes and stormed out. The lounge was a rectangular shaped space, located at the far end of the southern wing, stretched from the west side to the east, covering the width of the building. There was this chair in the lounge that was my favorite spot. It was located on the right side of the room and was facing eastward. The many moon rises I watched siting on that chair. There was a set of three windows on each of the opposite walls and on the southern wall there were many windows approximately the same size of the other ones, but they somehow felt a bit smaller. That night I sank in my favorite chair, staring at the blank outside the eastern windows. I had a couple of smokes before it started. Even to this day I could never make heads and tail of it but somehow I managed to make my peace with it.
The puzzle-guy walked in. It was sometime around 2:30 or 3:00 am. based on the location of the moon I say it was around 3:00. that moment I realized his name. I'm positive his name was Jeremy. I never asked him because I'm not the type of guy to ask redundant questions, and well, I knew the answer anyways. There was a jar sitting on one of the tables. Jeremy took it. He went to the water dispenser and filled almost two-third of it. Then he placed it on his table next to the completed puzzle. At that point for a very brief moment I wondered how many times that puzzle has been completed, destroyed and again made complete. But I didn't really care about the answer. He repositioned the jar many many times with an extraordinary obsession. It kind of reminded me of my first day there but his was less grave. He walked out, after feeling satisfied with the positioning and I lit another cigarette.
He came back of course, holding something in his hand. I couldn't really see anything but based on the gesture of his hand I can say it was an imaginary flower or something alike. He placed it in the jar and spent another good deal of time repositioning it. It was then when he first noticed my presence. He was just not satisfied with the arrangement so he grabbed the flower, walked toward me and gave it to me. Then I realized it was a Rose. A Black Rose I presume. I couldn't see it but I could clearly smell it and I never make mistakes about the smell of roses. It was such a generous offer that as a token of my appreciation I just respected his silence and replied with a faint smile.
He walked toward the window. The one in the middle of the eastern wall. I had a notion of how this scene is about to end. Yet, there was such a solace, such warmth, such tranquility and peace that I was positive, at that moment, there couldn't possibly be any bad outcome to any given act. So I remained seated and watched the show through.
He opened the window and stayed motionless for some moments only breathing the fresh air. I could use some of that too. I banished all the thoughts off my mind and joined him in inhaling the purity that was slowing filling the room. Then it happened. With such arranged and careful movements, he walked out of the window and I think I saw him flying. I could never tell what exactly happened that night and atop all, a flying human being never made any sense to me. Yet, the picture still remains. All I know is that he left that hideous place.
So I sat there, cause there was nothing I could go back to, other than that room. No that wasn't an option. And so I sat there, holding my rose, smelling it every now and then. Enjoying myself. And so I sat there, having some more smokes before the sunrise. It was one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen.
Then I got up. Went back to my room. There I left the rose with my roommate. I placed it next to her pillow. I packed my stuff. Kissed her forehead gently not to wake her. I still don't know why I did it but at that moment it made sense, so I'm fine with it. I walked out of the room and on my way I checked with Mathew. He was asleep so I just left him a note. I believe he never read it. Everyone else was also asleep so I wasn't really bothered on my way out. I stepped in the elevator, then into the alien corridor, out the main gate and walked my way through the garden to the drive way and I was gone.
The End
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