Ivan by the River

Fear for my very life fills my chest to the brim, dread clouds my mind. I find comfort by the river. My feet sink deeper into the still-hot sand, burning my skin while a cool breeze combs my hair and slaps my face. I hear a voice… not my own. I blink and he appears on a grimy old bench I have never seen before.

The man stares straight through me, his bloodshot eyes unblinking. Two pits where a nose should be. Hollow. Narrow. He has only one limb… a leg. The form of a butterfly burned into his skin.

I want to look away, but there is something about him that captivates me. My eyes don’t move. The voice comes back, and this time, he says my name.

Lips appear on his cheek, almost like a birthmark but not quite. His real mouth: nothing but ash and smoke.

“Those who long to know what the future holds call out to me.” His voice—hoarse like he forgot he ever had one. On his chest is a single word. His name perhaps: Ivan.

I look at his leg as it catches fire for a split second. What was once a butterfly is now a swan taking flight. I try to understand but nothing comes.

“Ah yes, a swan.” I hear him speak but his lips, unmoved. “The swan… is ready for something new.”

“I see you live in a nightmare… It does not end…”

I stare at him, unable to speak.

“There’s a man, a lover. He has you trapped in a cage…”

 “You came here, hoping to be able to escape.”

I feel my head slowly nod, still unable to speak.

“There’s another. Gentle.”

“He does not trap, he frees.”

“I see you will escape… maybe.”

“Little swan…” I feel my mouth open slightly, but no words come.

“I see you following a new path…”

“But not alone.”

“Your friend…” Breath.

“He follows.”

Before I’m able to ask who he is referring to, he dives into the water flying like the swan on his leg. I look to the river and he has dissolved into nothing. He’s gone but I can still hear his voice, calling my name.

A week has passed since that strange occurrence. I find myself going back to the river daily, hoping he will appear and give me answers, yet nothing happens. I still hear him saying my name, but he remains only a voice.