There once was a man named Jasper who had many regrets in life chief of which was the loss of a great Love. Though many years had long passed since Jasper and this woman parted ways the memories of times both good and bad haunted him.
Friends and family would urge Jasper to get out into the world more often and meet new people but he knew that they really just wanted him to meet a new woman and fall in love again. Now this was not a completely unpleasant idea to Jasper but the prospect of finding someone who would accept him and all his quirky, damaged traits was daunting indeed. So he slowly began creating a new life, not so much searching for someone outright, but quietly hoping to chance upon someone kind and wonderful. But as time passed and the months came and went Jasper never found that special someone and began to lose hope.
Until one misty Tuesday evening when Jasper decided on a whim to go for a walk in the park down the street. He had spent many hours in this particular park, contemplating life and his many regrets so this was a very familiar place to him. But on this evening something was strange, not an obvious difference and possibly not even noticeable to those that do not frequent the area often, but strange none the less. The air was cooler as Jasper walked deeper into the park and though there were no light posts or street lamps in the immediate vicinity the light fog had a glow to it and the grass glistened with moisture.
Jasper slowed his pace after realizing he had walked a great distance farther than the parks borders should actually allow, but upon turning around he noticed the fog was much more dense than it had been previously and there was not a single landmark to orient himself with. Jasper was quietly trying to explain the situation to himself when a creeping panic began to override his logic. He began to pace back and forth through the fog, determined to find a familiar tree, or rock, or anything he could identify as an exit path with no luck. Suddenly he came across a short wooden bench he had never encountered before but paid it little attention. Though he continued in what was believed to be a straight line the same bench continuously crossed his path. Exhausted, irritated, and fearful of his present predicament, Jasper sat on the bench to rest and collect his thoughts.
As Jasper was sitting with his head in his hands, lamenting the fog and the cold he was now feeling, he became aware of another presence and glanced up to find a beautiful woman with a slight smile on her face. His first thought was of how bright and full of life her eyes were but then, after remembering how utterly lost he was, his focus shifted to curiosity and, again, desperation.
"Good evening miss, I was wondering if you knew the way out of the park? I seem to have lost my way" Jasper inquired, trying to mask his nervous panic.
"Lost your way? That has got to be the most original opening line I have heard in a long while" She spoke in a playful but sweet voice, continuing to smile."Mind if I have a seat? I love evenings like this in the park"
"Not at all, my name is Jasper...I live down the street. I come here all the time" Somehow the anxiety disappearing, he wondered less and less about where the exit was and gestured her to sit.
"So you come here often yet your lost? You either have a terrible sense of direction or your even worse at flirting"
Jasper smiled at this remark, noting that yes he was indeed out of practice when it came to talking with the opposite sex. There was something oddly comfortable about this girl, who revealed that her name was Natalie and that she in fact lived the opposite direction down the same street. They talked for what seemed like hours about anything and everything, completely ignoring the unchanging landscape around them until a strange whistle broke through the fog.
"What was that?" Jasper remarked with a startle.
"Oh that just means its time" She said with an even, matter of fact tone.
"Time for wha......."
When Jasper awoke he was back home on his bed. Confused and shocked his first instinct was to get dressed and bolt back to the park. It was morning and there was not a hint of fog or even a cloud in the sky. In but a few moments he had reached his destination, and even shorter still was the trek across the length of the entire park. Never was there any sign of the mysterious bench, nor of Natalie.
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