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It is a cold, rainy night, the streets have become turbulent rivers, and I am trudging along, sheltered under my umbrella.
In the tangle of blurred silhouettes rushing for shelter, I spot a woman walking slowly, soaked to the bone.
Without thinking twice, I hurry to catch up with her.
-Please allow me, -I exclaim as I cover her with my umbrella.
A shiver runs down my spine as I approach her, as if an invisible force warns me of the danger ahead.
The woman, thin as a wraith, is dressed in grey from head to toe. Her night-black hair falls over her face, completely obscuring it from my view.
We walk in silence, side by side, as I fight the urge to push aside those dark strands to uncover her countenance.
-Who would have thought the rain would come down so hard, right? I try to make conversation, but she remains mute, as if she hadn't heard me.
After what seems like an eternity, she stops abruptly.
-A man is following you, -she utters in a guttural voice that chills my blood.
I glance back slyly, and there he is, a sinister-looking individual stalking us at close range. Fear paralyses me for a moment, until she speaks again.
-I don't usually do anything for mortals, but you have done me an act of kindness! Go across the street, take the taxi that's about to arrive and leave, now!
Then he looked up, and what I saw made my blood run cold in my veins.Where his eyes should be, there are only two empty, dark sockets. And his mouth... his mouth is a disproportionate, jagged opening that seems to swallow reality itself.
Panic takes hold of me, and in a fit of terror, I throw down my umbrella and rush across the street, boarding the taxi that has just arrived.
From the back window, I witnessed the hellish creature pick up my umbrella and walk away around a corner, closely followed by the offender.
When I get home, my wife greets me with concern, showing me the umbrella the woman had left behind.
But I was no longer the same. I had witnessed the deepest darkness, and I knew that night had changed my life forever.