• It was roughly two in the morning when it woke me up; the feeling of being stared at. Everyone gets that feeling, of being stared at, I mean. I seem to have that problem more than most though, but I guess itʼs a flattering thought. People just seem to stare, so it really canʼt be helped. However, some of them, the “starers,” stare more than others, you know? But I donʼt mind it. I like being stared at most of the time…most being the operative word. I didnʼt appreciate it this time, I was trying to sleep!

    I could feel them looking, all six of them, through my closet door. I sighed, normally they werenʼt quite so…persistent, but I guess I canʼt blame them. If I didnʼt have eyelids, I would stare all the time, too. I opened the window to let the street light in, and the breeze felt nice as well. Alas, though, they wouldnʼt like the breeze, but maybe the light.

    Eventually, after much debate, I did get up and open my closet door. They sat there, in their jar, facing the back wall as if theyʼd never been looking in my direction. I picked them up and swirled the fluid, letting them dance until they faced me.

    “So it was you,” I said to the one that met my eye, “I thought it might have been. Itʼs very rude to stare when someoneʼs trying to sleep, you know.” But it just kept staring, not that I suppose it could hear me…eyes donʼt hear, you see, though I assume they could read lips.

    “Are you bored?” I asked the one looking at me, “Iʼm sorry, if thatʼs the case. You see, I donʼt think youʼd make too many friends if you came out with me…thatʼs why you have friends in there.” I paused, trying to figure out what it could possibly want from me, “I donʼt think I can get your match, Iʼm sorry. No, that wonʼt do at all. How selfish of you! Well, Iʼll forgive you,” I told it, “and to help you feel better, we can go into the yard. No one will judge you at night, they wonʼt know, donʼt worry.”

    Once in the yard, the breeze was so clean and crisp I was tempted to spend the rest of my night out there. “Isnʼt it pleasant?” I asked, but remembered suddenly and with sadness that they would not know.

    “Iʼm sorry, how rude of me. The moon is brilliant tonight, donʼt you think?” They were all gazing now, out into the black and white world of the night. I set them beneath a tree so that I might wander a bit on my own. It was then, however, that I felt someone staring at me yet again. These eyes did not belong to someone I knew! They felt new, fresh, young! And there they were, a boy with the largest eyes, watching me through my gate.

    “Good evening!” I greeted him, excitedly, “How kind of you to visit me at this hour!” His eyes grew larger, rounder, when he noticed I had addressed him. “Please, come in, itʼs all right. My garden is very beautiful at night,” but he simply watched.

    I was becoming slightly frustrated. Itʼs common courtesy to reply to someone who has spoken to you isn’t it? Even if itʼs simply a “No thanks” to those people in the mall, itʼs just simply rude to ignore anyone so completely as this boy was doing. “My name is Terrance,” I told him, and though it wasnʼt
    a lie, it was hardly the truth either. “What are you called?”

    “Uh…” he seemed reluctant to reply at first, “Fauster.” I nodded to him.

    “Itʼs nice to meet you, Fauster. Isnʼt it too late for someone your age to be out?” He was standing now, though why he had been crouched behind my gate I couldnʼt comprehend.

    “Uh…no, Iʼm eighteen, I donʼt have a curfew.”

    “Oh! Is that so? But you look so young, are you sure youʼre not at the most, fourteen? If you are you should be ashamed. Itʼs not very kind to lie to people, especially people you share similar traits with. You see, Iʼm also eighteen, if you are, in fact, eighteen.” It did seem to me that he was
    slightly offended by my accusations, but he also seemed slightly nervous.

    “Yes, Iʼm eighteen,” though I could hear the lie in his voice, “If I lied, then you could call the cops on me.”

    “Well I still could, mind you, but I donʼt think I will.” He seemed to relax only slightly after that, which caught my attention, “Why? Dearest Fauster, have you done something to warrant your fear of the police?” He shook his head vigorously and assured me of no such thing, but this boy had caught my curiosity. “If thatʼs the case, then I will trust you. Why donʼt you come in? My garden is so very beautiful at night.” Again he declined my offer.

    “But, Fauster! We have barely spoken!” I reached my hand out to him, inviting him again, “Then you have a question? Donʼt deny it, I can see it plainly.” He hesitated, caught off guard by my awareness.

    “Well, itʼs only, that jar? Whatʼs in it?” I explained to him that they were a kind of taxidermy, made easier for studying. I saw his eyes spark with a kind of fire Iʼd never seen before.

    “Are you interested in anatomy?” I asked him, “If so, thereʼs so much inside I can share with you!” I trotted over to retrieve my jar and headed towards the house. “Please, Fauster, come in. Weʼre more alike than I thought.” I was scared, terrified at first that he would leave, but he followed me! The excitement that filled my blood was unmatched. His eyes, so alert, so brilliant in the pale light of the moon, they were so close now! “Can I get you anything to drink? Please, have a seat.” I set the jar on a shelf and walked into the kitchen, though he didnʼt ask, I made him tea. My hands shook as I made the blend, though I couldnʼt let my nerves get the best of me. I reentered the room and set the cups down, pouring tea into each. I took a sip, “This is a blend I like to make. It helps to calm me.” He smiled vaguely and drank some of his.

    The tea wasnʼt helping me, maybe it needed to be stronger, but I tried to avoid looking at him, but his eyes were round under his lids as he looked into the teacup. I couldn’t bare it! If it didnʼt end just then, as it had, Iʼm not sure what would have happened. Just then, though, he fell asleep. Luckily for me, after setting down his teacup his head simply rolled back and he was fast asleep. It was then I made the decision that would be the end of everything. It had to happen, it was going to happen, and it had to happen now! I needed his eyes; there was just nothing for it.

    I got all the tools I needed, everything was set, and he wasnʼt going to wake up for a long time. He wouldnʼt even notice, of course, until he woke up. It didnʼt take long, and Iʼll leave out the details, but it was a simple operation and I placed both of his eyes in a jar of their own. They were too pearled, too radiantly blue with brown centers to be mixed with the others. But then came the task of where to set him until he awoke. I couldnʼt leave him in my house until he woke up, that simply wouldnʼt do, so I decided the park would be best. It wasnʼt far, and I could carry him there, so I set my new acquisitions in a sachet and hoisted Fauster over my shoulders. I carried him as best I could, though he was heavier than I had anticipated...and then we arrived. I set him on a bench, making him as comfortable as I could imagine, and I took out the jar. I sat down on the bench and looked them over. How glorious they truly were! However, they were sad. I wondered what I could do.

    “Can you never be happy without your person?” They stared past me, full of despair, “But I can show you so much,” I told them, “Why wonʼt you listen?” But alas, it was no good. There was no hope for their happiness, and therefore no hope for mine. So, of course, I set them next to him on the concrete in front of the bench. “Iʼm sorry that you wonʼt let me show you everything I know, and Iʼm afraid this is where we say goodbye.” So I stood and told them, “Goodbye, and goodbye, dearest Fauster, Iʼm sure we will never meet again.” And thus I left them where they were and came here, Officer. So, you see, the reason Iʼve come is not because Iʼve done a crime, sir, but because Iʼm beginning to feel I may be slightly...disturbed.