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I saw the tall man today. At this point I’m sort of getting used to him. I guess he’s just going about his business, no matter how freaky he looks… I saw him on my walk home from work. It was raining, but I had my umbrella with me, and I like to walk home on a nice rainy day. When I get home it’s extra cozy to change out of my clothes and make a cup of tea or a pot of soup. Anyway, the rain was starting to come down harder while I walked, hitting my umbrella in great big splats. I looked up and that’s when I saw him. He was standing at the bus stop near my house. It’s just a small stop with one sign, and no benches or awnings, so he was standing right in the rain. He was tall and straight as always, not hunched over and holding himself against the cold like I would have been, and I thought that his nice black suit must be getting soaked. To my surprise, I felt kind of sorry for him. I was almost home, and the thought crossed my mind that he needed the umbrella more than I did.
I must have been crazy, but I acted on my impulse. His empty face watched me closely as I nervously approached him. Standing right next to him gave me a fresh chill. He was so tall I had to look right up into the rain to see him. I saw drops of water sliding down the smooth white side of his head and along the edge of his jaw. I said “Here” and handed him the open umbrella. At first he just stared back down at me, and I wasn’t sure if he understood, but then he took the umbrella from me in his long white hand and slowly held it up over his head and shoulders. The picture he made was so strange I almost laughed, but being this close, he was also kind of starting to freak me out again. And besides, now I was the one getting soaked. I sprinted the rest of the way home and didn’t look back.