Soldier

Children saw it more clearly for some reason, and would hide whenever I looked at them. I had become Boo Radley, at the ripe old age of 33. Russell didnt seem to mind though. To tell you the truth so much has happened between now and then that I cant even remember what struck up the conversation, but something did. We sat on the bench and talked. We talked about the pigeons, the weather, the Tigers. For some reason it didnt feel alien when he spoke, I felt somehow connected to him. Drawn to him. We began to talk about the war. Something that I hadnt even been able to tell my father. I told him everything. He nodded, listening intently. He looked at me, and I will never forget this, he looked at me and said "You see things dont you.". At that moment, the relief that washed through me shook the foundations of the misery that ran through my soul. I felt almost jubilant, and aghast all at once. I tried to hide it, but he saw it, saw right through my eyes to the pain under them. He placed his hand on my shoulder, I couldnt speak, I just sobbed, and nodded. Whatever came from that day one thing did leave me forever. I never in dream or otherwise saw that man's face again, and I never heard another scream. When I finished I looked at him, with what must have been a queer look, because he laughed. Despite myself and my feelings, I laughed with him. The ridiculousness of a man in my situation caught me as amusing as well. But despite all humour, I still had to know how he knew. More than anything, now I needed answers. He told me that I was not alone, far from it in fact. That indeed he too saw the same types of things that I did. He told me that I was not crazy, and I was not what was wrong. He admitted that he didnt know how, or why it happened to me, but that the man, or at least the event with him had something to do with it. He began to explain. What he could explain anyway. He asked me about Einstein. More specifically what I knew about him. I had taken college level physics, I was studying to become and engineer, it was required, and so recently after Mr. Einstein's conjectures, he was all the rage. I told him what I knew, about relativity and special realtivity and asked him why it mattered. He said "Suppose that everything was that way, and what happened to people happened because they wanted, or needed it too, not on a small scale, because everyone would be rich, but on a big one.". I was dumfounded, but he continued "Im not talking about getting the big job, or landing the prettiest lady, well maybe on some level, but I am talking about living and dying, and seeing what you see when you look..at a..pigeon for example.". As I watched the pigeon reached under its feathers and pulled out a hat, placed it on its head and flew off. I looked astonished, and looked over to an older woman near us, she had seen it too. She looked equally confused, but after a moment she shook her head and shuffled on. I looked at him, and he was all smiles. He told me that I wasnt imagining things when I thought things were changing because of me, that I can change things, but not without a price.