The Stalker

Joan wasn't convinced. When she'd woken earlier that morning, she'd had the strong sense that someone was peering through her window; watching her. That feeling didn't go away when she'd showered and dressed either. She'd had this feeling the last few days, but thought nothing of it... until today. Today she was going to end this.

Sitting in the coffee shop, Joan had that eerie feeling she was being watched again. Her eyes quickly scanned the room as she sipped down her decaf coffee. No one was looking at her, but that didn't mean anything. There was a man in the far corner, wearing a long black trench coat, who appeared to be studying a physics book. Joan then noticed a group of construction workers settling into their chairs near the door, one of whom kept glancing at his watch, as if he was appointed by the group to announce when their break would be over. There was a couple near the window, who was clearly in love, sipping on iced coffees, and kissing like they were at home, and not a public place. A few people sat at the WiFi center, all absorbed in the website in front of them. One man, who looked like he belonged on Wall Street, was getting angry at the stock market; while another man, with his hand under the jacket draped across his lap, was clearly happy with what he was watching on his screen. The only woman at the WiFi station, was busy looking up recipes for some holiday dish, and when she thought no one was looking, at the Wall Street man beside her.

Joan got up, and walked out of the shop, watching carefully for anyone who paid a special interest in her exit. The guy who was making out with his girlfriend looked up at Joan, then down, and back up again. No one else noticed her, or at least she thought.

“I think I'll enjoy the afternoon in the park.” Joan said to herself.

She loved feeding the ducks that lived at the park near her home. It brought her a peaceful memory of her childhood, which wasn't quite as peaceful. As Joan walked the two blocks to the park, she had the feeling she was being followed. Jerking around, she saw a mother and her toddler walking a few yards behind her. The child was jumping around excitedly, and the mother was trying to calm her down. Joan glanced across the street, but no one was there, at least no one was walking close enough to be following her. She continued walking, and turned the first corner, the far edge of the park coming into view ahead of her. The hairs on her neck started to stand up. She twisted her head around, and saw the mother and child still following her. Joan shivered as she picked up the pace. Walking faster, she decided to sit at the bus stop bench at the edge of the park.

“Only ten feet to go.” she thought to herself.

Sitting down at the bus stop, Joan held her breath, waiting for the woman and her daughter to walk past her. Just then, the little girl burst out into a run, heading straight for the jungle gym, her mother following with a relieved expression. Joan exhaled, and realized that the family wasn't following her, just heading in the same direction. Yet the feeling that she was being watched didn't pass. Glancing around, she saw an elderly man walking towards her, his old cane smacking the ground where the rubber tip had worn off.

Joan got up from the bus stop, and walked away, just as the old man sat down, his old bones creaking like a door that needed oiling. She headed over to the secluded pond near the opposite end of the park, peering over her shoulder at the old man, as he crawled up the tall steps of the public bus that had just arrived. Relief and fear hit her again, as she realized the old man wasn't her prowler. She was getting closer and closer to the pond, but not her stalker.

“Who could it be? Is it just my imagination?”

“No.” Joan said aloud to her thoughts, “It's not my imagination.”

She reached the pond in record time, and sat at the beat up, forgotten bench near the pond's bank. Reaching into her purse, she pulled the stale loaf of bread onto view. Suddenly, she felt a breeze to her left, and screamed. Her scream was joined by a scared honk. The goose beside her flew to the other end of the pond. Joan laughed. She'd been scared by a hungry goose. Then her laugh was cut short, as she realized that her troubles were not over. She was still being followed.

Eager to forget it all, she tossed a handful of crumbs into the pond, and watched the ducks and geese enjoy their feast; all except one goose who stayed at the far side of the pond. Her bread was soon gone, and her troubles came back like a boomerang. Cautiously, Joan looked around her. There was no one in sight. Joan panicked. If no one was around, yet she knew someone was watching her every move, that meant only one thing...

“Okay God. You win. I'll do what you've called me to do.”

Suddenly, Joan felt peace once again.

The Stalker by Amanda Jones is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.