stray shot 2006 - The Gunnery

“Am I supposed to say thank you?”“No, you’re supposed to laugh and smoke another other cig.”We had run out of cigarettes so Sen went downstairs to get another pack.“Let’s get back to the question; how much do you know about me?”“I know your name. It is Sen.”I paused.“I know how you are; you are Sen. And I know what you like. You like cigs, that’s whywe are best friends.”“That’s good. The answers are why we are best friends.”“Why are you asking me this question anyways?”“Do you feel lonely standing in the middle of a crowd of people?”“I don’t think you do, because you can’t feel.”“True. I have not been lonely for a long time, not even when I’m by myself. Do youknow the feeling of having Nostradamus’s eye?”“You mean you can see the future?”“No, but I see further. I see the real cause of things. I see the best solution. What do youthink the future is?”“The future is tomorrow.”“Don’t you think the next second is part of the future?”“Things I can control are not the future.”“You never know what will happen the next second.”“I do. For example, I know I won’t be drowned in the next second.”“Now you should know what I mean. We are best friends because we have so manysimilarities. We see things the same way but express ourselves in different ways.”I thought about what he had been saying. I found it persuasive, beyond doubt.“Can you see your future now?”I paused and thought about the answer.“I can’t.”“It is because of Meng.”“How so?”“Because she is changing you. You can’t see your future because you don’t know whatyou’re changing to.”“But I can see your future. You’ll be successful, you’ll be bright, but some things have tohappen before you succeed.”“Like what?”“Love.”“You are talking about Meng, aren’t you?”“There are surely other paths that can unshell you, but love is the quickest.”“So what should I do?”“You shouldn’t do anything. Let your instinct guide you through the darkness that hasbeen created by the shell.”“Why do you talk like the freakin’ old man in The Lord of The Rings?”“You mean the ‘wise’ old man? Because I see further than you, further than mostpeople.” Sen laughed as I gave him my middle finger.“Why did you invite Xue?”47