Vanished!

“Excuse me sir,” a voice said as I approached the post office. I looked to my left into the eyes of a husky, bearded man. Although he was somewhat rumpled looking it was obvious that he was not your everyday panhandler or such.

I stopped and turned toward him.

“I think this is the most embarrassing thing I’ve ever had to do,” he said. “I don’t have a cent to my name and I haven’t eaten in two days. Could you possibly provide me with a dollar or two so I can get a little food? Even a package of cheese and crackers would taste wonderful.”

I looked again into his eyes. For a man with red hair and beard he had the most unusual eyes I’d ever seen. They were clear as a bell and an astonishing, shocking blue. They had an unearthly depth to them. I felt as if I was peering into eternity.

Without hesitation I reached into my pocket. My fingers closed on a bill, which was all I had with me. When I pulled it out it turned out to be ten dollars.

I held it out to him. “This is all I have but you are welcome to it.”

His eyes widened. “Are you sure?” he asked.

When I nodded my head tears welled up in his eyes. He tried to speak but was unable to make a sound. My own eyes began to water too and I blinked them.

And during that one blink of my eyes, the man disappeared. There was no place close by he could have walked or even ran to. He simply vanished.