You know how sometimes people say that they feel like they’re being watched, even if they can't prove it? I always assumed that feeling was just something people felt when they were paranoid. That is, until I met him.

I spent last winter working at a place called the frozen village. It was a sad attempt at a theme park smaller than a traveling carnival, but people loved it because the structures were mostly made of ice. There were lots of different stations that needed staff present, so we rotated jobs on a daily basis. I was working in the ticket booth outside the entrance when he showed up.

The day was going by slowly, with only around one group trickling in every half hour. I usually spent the dead moments on my phone browsing Instagram or r/aww, and this particular day was no exception. I was congratulating my friend on getting official with her boyfriend when something started to feel…off. It started as a tingle in the pit of my stomach, the center of my body’s brain. Dread suddenly filled my mind, so quick and complete it was as though a lightning bolt of malice had struck me on the head. A hot flash of adrenaline spread through my body. I got goosebumps, and the little hairs on the back of my neck stood up. What the hell is going on? I thought to myself. I worried that my lunch had given me food poisoning. Nausea sent saliva flowing into my mouth. I frantically searched around the ticket booth for an empty trash can to throw up in when my eyes grazed something that stopped me in place and sent lunch tumbling back into my stomach. Far off from the ticket booth in the parking lot was a man staring at me. He stood alone, far from the few cars in the lot, and wasn’t talking on the phone or taking a picture. I couldn’t really make out his facial features, but he was definitely older, probably in his fifties, with gray hair on the sides and nothing on top. A beer belly stuck out from his tan winter jacket; his hands were in the pockets of acid washed jeans. My heart started to pound in my chest like Vikings knocking down a castle gate. I didn’t know what to do.

After a moment of fear-stricken paralysis, I decided to wave. I waited, but he didn’t react. Should I call the police? I wondered, but eventually decided that that would be stupid. What would I tell them? I didn’t even know if he was looking at me or just the castle. I took a deep breath. I’m probably just overreacting, I told myself. I sat back down and picked up my phone.

Wait, what was that? I could have sworn that, right as I looked away, he waved back at me. I looked back up towards the lot. He stood in the same position, motionless, but his right hand was now out of his pocket. I shivered.

“Hi!” I jumped back and yelped. Outside the ticket booth were two old ladies with confused looks on their faces. I was so distracted I hadn’t notice them at all.

“Sorry!” I stammered. “I didn’t see you guys! What can I do for you?” I exchanged the ladies’ money for two tickets and ushered them in. When they left, the man in the parking lot was gone.

After the village closed, my boss came up to congratulate me. Someone had mentioned to her what a good greeter I was. They said I had an “inviting spirit”. Since no one had ever received a compliment at the ticket booth, she decided that I would work there permanently. The news caught me by surprise in a good way. I had totally forgotten about the man in the parking lot by then and was excited about being able to stay in the booth, which was the easiest job in the village. I also felt a little giddy because I thought I knew of who had given the compliment. A young single father had come in with his son around 11, when I still had the energy to be extra chipper, and we had casually flirted for a little while after the ticket scanner crashed. I could have just gotten a backup, but he was cute and I liked the attention so I waited for the machine to come back online instead. His wife died in a car accident two years ago, and he made sure to mention that he was just getting “back in the game”. The more I thought about it, the surer I became that he was the one who complimented me.

My boss left and I got to work stowing the equipment away. It was dark by then, and I thought I was alone. I finished closing up and went to open the door when I spotted him standing at the edge of the village wall, just behind a corner. My heart stopped. There was something off about his appearance. Maybe it was just shadows playing tricks on me, but it looked like he was eight feet tall. His protruding belly like a beachball rose and fell as he breathed, but the rest of his frame stood slender and motionless. I couldn’t see his face behind the shadow of nightfall, but I knew it was him. His body was facing the window of the ticket booth, which was now the only thing separating us. Suddenly I couldn’t breathe. There was no way for me to get to my car without walking right past him, and no one was around to protect me. I was trapped. All the oxygen left the room. "What do I do?" I whimpered to no one. My knees wobbled and tears began to swell up in my eyes when I heard voices coming from the village exit. I turned to see who it was, and no face could have put me more at ease. It was the hunky single dad I had flirted with earlier. When he walked by the ticket booth I sprang out.

“Woah!” he shouted, half startled and half teasing. “Were you waiting for me in there?” He smiled but that smile faded when he saw the tears in my eyes and look of fear on my face. “Hey, are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost!” I opened my mouth, but the lump in my throat blocked the words from coming out. All I could do was point to the dark corner where the man stood waiting. “What, is that guy bothering you?” He asked, getting agitated. I nodded feebly. “Don’t worry, I’ll take care of him.” He started off towards the dark corner, but I grabbed him.

“Wait!” I managed to say, “Don’t. It’s okay, I just need someone to walk me to my car.” He nodded. I linked my arm with his and he marched us off towards the parking lot, but by then the man had already left. When we got to my car, I thanked my new friend, whose name was Damion, for escorting me. Before I left, he asked me something.

“So, this guy who’s been staring at you. What does he look like?”

“Well, he’s balding on the top with long gray hair on the sides, and he has a big belly but other than that he looks pretty thin. Oh, and he’s tall. Like, super tall…” I trailed off as his expression suddenly changed from concerned to really angry. “Do you…know him?” I asked. He looked away, like he wasn’t comfortable discussing it.

“Just make sure to stay away from him,” he said ominously, “and don’t believe anything he tells you.” This last part struck me as a little strange. I was afraid he was going to cut up my intestines, not lie to me, yet somehow that made his remonstrance all the more frightening. What could that man tell me that would warrant such a warning? Damion gave me a hug and said good night.

“Wait! Should I call the police?” I squeaked. He shook his head.

“Trust me, that won’t make things any better. If anything, it’ll make it worse,” he answered. I searched his eyes to discern what he meant but couldn’t read him. “It’ll be okay,” he said, then gave a calming smile and turned to leave. I don’t know why, but I trusted him and that everything would be alright. I watched him walk with child in arm and wondered if I would ever see him again. For some reason it seemed like the people who I wanted the most never wanted to stay, and the people who loved me the least never wanted to go away.

I spent the long, lonely trip back from the frozen village deep in thought. It was one of those times where you forget you are even driving until you pull up to your house. I thought about the tall man who Damion inexplicably knew, and whether either of them would ever revisit the frozen village. I thought about how angry Damion looked when I described my stalker, almost like he was personally offended. When I got home that night I went straight to bed. I didn’t want to eat or even take a shower. Exhausted, I climbed under the covers and sent a quiet prayer to whoever is out there in the cosmos, asking for protection from my watcher. It didn’t take ten seconds for me to drift off into a deep sleep. The last thing I remember is a floorboard creaking in the kitchen, which I assumed was just the cat on his nightly prowl. I was so tired I didn’t realize that Mr. Whiskers was already in bed with me.

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The next day started off just like any other day in the frozen village. The ticket booth was a bit more active than it had been the day before, but I didn’t mind. The work kept me from thinking too much about him, the watching man.

Everything was going smoothly, and I had almost totally forgotten about him, when that same feeling of fear hit my stomach. Sweat seeped from my forehead and my mind went on high alert. I looked out towards the parking lot but couldn’t see him anywhere. My eyes swept to the same corner where he had waited for me, but this time there was no pot belly protruding from behind it. I told myself that it was just a reaction from the night before and tried to focus on my work. That was when a familiar face showed up.

“How’s the prettiest toll booth operator ever doing?”

“Oh my gosh, you scared me!” I reached under the window and hit Damion in the arm. He was smiling.

“Listen, after everything that happened last night, I forgot about something important,” he started. My eyes opened wide and I braced myself for some kind of frightening detail about my stalker. “Can I get your number?” He asked with a smile, and I giggled.

“Jesus, I thought you were going to say something about that creepy guy!” And I giggled again in spite of myself. Damion was cute and way more charming and mature than any guy I had ever dated before. It felt nice to be noticed by a real man. “Of course, you can have my number. To be honest, I was a little disappointed when you didn’t ask for it last night. I thought I would never see you again!” This time he giggled.

“Sorry about that, I guess I was just kinda nervous. I’m not used to flirting with pretty girls.” He flashed a dashing smile and I swear his eye literally twinkled. I wrote down my number on a scrap of paper and handed it to him under the window. He took it, then paused. “I was going to call you later but maybe I’ll just ask you now…Um,” he chuckled nervously. “would you, um, would you like to maybe, uh,” he stuttered.

“Go out sometime?” I finished for him. He blushed and looked down at his shoes.

“Yeah, haha. I thought we could go to a movie or something, somewhere that isn’t made of ice.” I laughed. “Can I pick you up Friday at eight?”

“Sure, I’ll text you my address and what movie I want to see later.” He laughed and I couldn’t help but giggle a little.

“Sounds good, I like a girl who says what she wants.”

“Then we’re gonna get along great.” We smiled and stared into each other’s eyes for a second longer than normal. “So, is this why you told my boss I was a great ticket scanner?” Damion looked confused.

“No, I don’t even know who your boss is. Did someone say that?” he asked. Now I was the one who looked confused.

“Yeah, someone told her I was doing a good job and now it’s my permanent position.” When I said this, Damion’s golden smile suddenly broke into a frown. His face concerned me. “What’s wrong?” I asked him.

“Nothing. That’s nice someone complimented you. I guess maybe I have some competition.” He smiled again, I could something was troubling him.

“So, do you want a ticket?” I asked.

“No, of course not. One day was more than enough ice for me.” We said goodbye to each other, and he left. Once he was out of my field of vision, that dreadful feeling returned. What is going on? I was beginning to worry that I had some kind of mental illness. I searched for the man again, and even stepped outside the booth to get a better look around. I couldn’t see anyone outside, but then I peered through the entrance to the frozen village and that's when I saw him. He was just standing there, only a little past the entrance, staring in the direction of the booth. I gasped.

How the hell did he even get in there? I didn’t remember letting him in or scanning his ticket. He looked exactly the same as before, except his height was back to normal and he was wearing sunglasses. Suddenly, anger grew inside me. I was tired of letting this guy scare me senseless. I marched over to the security guard and explained the situation. He said he would kick out whoever was making me feel uncomfortable and asked me to show him which guy it was. I gathered up all the courage left in me and marched over to the creep.

“This is the man who’s been staring at me,” I said. The security guard looked at him, then at me, then at him again, then back at me. He cracked a smile, and then began to laugh. “What’s so funny?” I demanded.

“Ma’am,” he said, “this man is blind.” My jaw dropped.

“What? No he’s not! That's not possible!” I asserted. "He's been following me!"

“Is someone there?” the creep asked in an innocent voice. I walked up to him and waved my hand in front of his face. I pretended to punch him, stopping just centimeters in front of his nose. He didn’t even flinch.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but I think this was just a misunderstanding” the security guard said to me.

“But, but-” I stammered, trying to think of something that proved he wasn’t blind. But I couldn’t. I thought over everything that had happened and realized that it could all be explained by him not being able to see.

“What’s going on here?” the man asked. The security guard turned to him.

“This young woman says you’ve been staring at her and following her. Obviously, it wasn’t anything you were doing on purpose. That’s all.”

“Of course I haven’t been stalking anyone! I don’t even know who you are! I can't see!” He yelled at me.

“How did you get in here without passing by the ticket booth then?” I asked.

“Well, my wife got us checked in, then she guided me inside.” He explained. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Maybe everything had just been a misunderstanding. The security guard walked back to his post, leaving me alone with the alleged blind min.

“I’m sorry,” I began. “I guess I just got scared when I saw you the other day and I –“ He turned towards me, and even behind his sunglasses I felt his eyes looking into mine.

“I would be careful if I were you,” he said in a low, menacing tone, and then turned and walked away. I stood there, frozen in the frozen village. I didn’t know what to make of the situation. Was that a threat? Was he really not blind, then? A shiver ran down my spine, and the same feeling of dread sprouted inside me. I ran back to the ticket booth and found a bucket. I felt like vomiting again, and this time I actually did.

I didn’t see the man again for the rest of the workday, which had actually gone rather smoothly. After throwing up, the feeling subsided and I spent the rest of the shift just scanning tickets and texting with Damion. It wasn’t until my drive back home that things took a turn for the worse.

I pulled out of the frozen village parking lot onto the desolate roadway back home, and it wasn’t long before I felt my stomach churn and the hairs on my neck stand up.

“What the fuck!” I yelled at my body. “What is wrong with me?” Then, in my rear-view mirror, I saw a car pull out from the side of the road. My muscles tensed. Somehow, I knew it was the same man. The road was dark and empty, with no other cars around. I slowed down to get a better peak at the driver. The car grew closer to mine, and in the mirror I saw the unmistakable gray hair and tan winter jacket. My heart began pounding. I slammed the accelerator to the floor and took off. Behind me, the other vehicle sped up and stayed close behind. I frantically grabbed at my pocket. Going 90 mph down the windy and icy road, I used one hand to unlock my phone and call Damion. He picked up on the first ring.

“Hey, I was hoping you would call.” He said in the same flirty tone as before.

“He’s following me!” I wailed into the receiver. “I’m in my car and he’s in the car behind me. I’m trying to lose him, but I can’t.” Damion was silent for a moment.

“Do everything you can to stay ahead of him and go straight home. Don’t worry about trying to lose him, you won’t be able to. He won’t try to run you off the road or anything, he just wants to follow you. It’ll be okay, but whatever you do, don’t call the police! Alright?”

“Alright, alright. I’m scared.” I started to cry.

“Don’t worry, you're gonna be okay. I’ll help you take care of it, just try to get as much distance between you and him as possible. I’m heading over to your place now.” He hung up. I was so nervous I started to see dark spots in my vision, much too nervous to wonder how Damion would know where I lived. I couldn’t believe something like this was actually happening to me. As we got closer to the city, I tried to lose him in traffic, but every time I weaved between cars, he did the same. Eventually I was able to put a little bit of distance between us, such that I couldn’t see him anymore, but that didn’t do much to calm my nerves. When I got home, I didn’t even bother to turn the car off before running inside and locking the door. Damion was already inside, playing with Mr. Sprinkles.

“How did you get in here?” I asked airily. I was borderline hyperventilating and trying not to pass out.

“The door was unlocked,” he said. “Is he right behind you?”

“I don’t know, I couldn't see him when I got here but I think he was still behind me.”

“Good job putting some space between you and him.” Damion nodded and embraced me, enveloping me with his arms. “Everything is going to be okay, you’re safe now.” Then came a knock on the door.

“Hello?” the visitor yelled from the outside. I recognized him from his voice, but his tone was much more aggravated. “You have to let me in!”

“Just ignore him,” Damion cautioned. I held him tight.

“You have to listen to me; your life is in danger!” the man shouted. What does that mean? “You can’t trust Damion!” He yelled. This last sentence made me freeze. How did he know about Damion? Why did they know each other?

“Go away!” I shouted. Damion squeezed me tighter.

“Don’t listen to him,” Damion said, his voice just a little shaky.

“Please, you have to trust me. Damion was married to my daughter and he killed her! He killed his first wife too, and now I’m afraid he’s after you!” He yelled, and for the first time it sounded more like he was pleading with me than threatening. First wife? I thought. Damion had never mentioned anything about being married twice. I tried to pull away from the hug to look at Damion’s face, but he held me tight. Damion shouted back at him.

“You’re crazy, Jack! You stay away from here, got it?” The man, who apparently was named Jack, fell silent for a moment. Then, in a lower voice, he asked,

“Is he in the house right now?” Neither of us answered. Then there was a loud thud at the door. And then another, and another. He was trying to bust down the door. I tried to look at the door, but Damion had me pulled in even tighter now.

“What’s he talking about, Damion?” I asked. He ignored my question.

“Shit, he’s breaking down the door. Well, I guess I better make this quick.” Damion said. I was about to ask “make what quick” when he answered the question for me. With the swiftness and strength of someone who had done it before, he wrapped his hands around my neck and began choking me. I sputtered for air, but nothing came in. A cough built up in my throat, but nothing came out. My eyes began to water as I looked at Damion. His face had completely changed, and he was now almost unrecognizable. His eyes were filled with rage, and his mouth twisted up in an animal snarl. My body writhed, screaming at me to breathe. “Fucking Jack, I had everything planned out so perfectly!” He pushed hard with that last word, shoving me down to the floor. Big black spots filled my vision that grew and eventually collided until everything was black. My ears were ringing, and the only thing I could hear was the now distant thud of Jack ramming the door. Shit, I thought. I was going to die.

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Damion met the same fate as his wives that night. Jack had eventually broken down the door and did to Damion what he had done to his daughter. I don't like thinking about the specifics, but let's just say that it's a good thing I kept a variety of kitchen knives around the house. When the police showed up, they said that Jack did the right thing and that he wouldn’t face any criminal charges. I was unconscious for all of it, and only came to when a paramedic splashed cold water on my face. When I saw Jack in my house I screamed, but the police explained that he had saved my life. Gradually, I began to remember the events of that night, and realized that Damion had been the real monster. Jack and I are friends now. He lives alone and has few friends to visit him, so once a week we meet at the park to play chess and snack on ham sandwiches. I bring the game, he provides the snacks.

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The whole time I thought Jack was stalking me, he had actually been stalking Damion. I guess there was never enough proof that Damion had murdered his wives to get him arrested, but Jack knew it and knew he would strike again. He said he owed it to his daughter to make sure no one else suffered what she did. I’m glad that he was my watcher. In an ironic way, he was the answer to my prayer that night. Sometimes blessings come from unexpected places.

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I haven’t felt that dreadful, sinking feeling of being watched since the incident with Damion. I hope I never do. If YOU ever get that feeling, that shiver down your neck, that pit in your stomach that makes you want hurl and run away, take a second to think. You may think you know what is causing you to feel that way, and there is a good chance that you're wrong. Think about it carefully, because an incorrect assumption can get you in a lot of trouble. If that ever happens, just pray that somewhere, somehow, you have a watcher nearby.