I never knew his name. I don’t think anyone knew and I was too afraid to ask. He never stayed long in that huge house on the edge of town. Every year, he would come here at the end of summer when the sunsets were long and drawn and disappear before the first snow arrived on Conlon’s Square. He was a mysterious stranger that everyone was afraid to talk to.


I hated living in Abbington. The town was too small, too secluded, and the people here talked too much. I couldn’t understand why anyone would want to stay in this boring place and I also couldn’t wait for the day when I would finally leave. One thing I knew for sure was that this boy had the right idea about not staying in this town for too long.


It was the end of another boring summer wasted in Abbington and I decided to head down to the ravine with my friend, Rachel. Our sudden game of truth or dare ended with me alone on the front porch of that strange boy’s house.

No, you ring it, I dared you! Rachel’s words kept echoing in my mind and a shiver went down my spine as the wind blew my wet towel

“Alright, alright,” I said to myself.

I slowly touched the cold pewter knocker on the door and slammed it back. What I saw almost made my mouth drop. The strange, mysterious boy answered the door and he was just as handsome as I had always pretended him to be.

“Hello?” the handsome boy asked with a serious look.
“Um, no, I was just curious to see who comes to live here in the fall every year,” I almost choked on my spit as I blurted this out.

“Oh, well I do. So would you like to come in?” the strange boy’s look softened.

“Uh, yeah, s-sure,” I stammered.


After a few months, I had come to realize that I was at Drake’s house almost everyday. To my surprise, we had a lot in common. His house was beautiful and actually looked much longer and taller than it did from the outside. The ceiling was high and was lit with majestic chandeliers.
One day, he led me up the stairs and into a hallway of doors. He had told me these doors would go to any destination on earth. Today, he seemed anxious.

“If you could go anywhere in the world, where we it be?” Drake asked.

“I don’t know, anywhere, but this town. Why are you asking me this?” I was in wonder and shock by the randomness of his question.

“Come with me,” he laughed at first, then became serious as he looked in my eyes.

“No, I can’t. I just met you,” I replied. After I said this, it felt as if I had just awoken. It was like I had been in a trance.
“What?! Fine,”
With those words, he left and I was still in Abbington.