Skip to main content

"The Hat"

Things aren't always as they seem. You may see two people fighting and believe them sworn enemies when they could very well be a married couple after a rough day together. A misunderstanding from a miscommunication that never happened. But what if the misunderstanding was far more confusing and far more darker than it seemed?

It was difficult and seemed to take forever, but I managed to escape from work. The place was understaffed, leaving everyone there, even those that opened, to work well over ten hours that day without a break. It was something that made me want to walk out but I knew I needed the money far more than I needed to be petty.
As I drove away from the store, I came across several hand-written signs stapled to poles that advertised a yard sale, just a few blocks from where I was at. I figured I might as well. A little measure of the outside world before turning in for the day.
I pulled up to the house and saw several tables scattered about the yard, out front the house. There were a few racks of used clothes, a few boxes with old toys for kids sitting on the tables, and a small collection of hats on a table all alone. One hat in particular caught my eye. I left my car and headed over to the hats. I sorted through them until I found the one I wanted.
It was something like a beanie, only it was solid black with a bill attached to it, as though it was some kind of baseball cap. I had to buy it, so I picked it up and paid for it. I threw it on my head and headed back to my car to retire for the day.
When I got home I was completely swaged out by the hat that lay over my head. I fell in love with it like a woman in a shoe store. The way it was pulled over my hair, the way I combed my hair underneath it to look a little better made me feel on top of the world.
I headed to work the next day with it on. I wish I could have captured the looks on everyone's face when they saw me. Were they surprised? I'd assume so. After all, they could have been easily jealous of the way it changed my looks for the better.
Perhaps they thought it ridiculous, snickering at it behind my back and never mentioning a word, instead laughing at me when I'm not around, just like this very moment. I didn't want to stick around and find out. Before starting work, I took off my hat and hid it amongst my stuff so no onw would be tempted to steal it.

After the day had ended, I went back to check my things. Sure enough everything was together just as it was before. I threw on my jacket and picked up my hat. I was about to put it on my head when I felt a sharp object poking my head. I took it off and inspected it. I saw a slip of folded up paper that hid beneath the bill of the hat.
I took out the paper and read it. 'The wearer of this hat has 24 hours to live.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

"Hooked"

T he summer can be the perfect time to get away, to unwind while kicking your feet into the cool water while the hot sun is beaming down on you. But what if the bright summer sky was hiding behind it something even darker? I had been waiting for today all week. They'd finally opened the stream up for fishing. I was a little upset at the fact they'd decided to raise prices, but I didn't care, it was a nice day outside and I wasn't about to waste it sitting inside when I could be fishing. With my tacklebox in hand and my fishing pole in the other, I made my way to my truck. I threw everything in the back seat. I was about to head to the driver's seat but hesitated when I thought about bringing my cooler. I had one in the back ready for fish, as well as housing some canisters of worms. But what if I brought one along for some drinks? After a few moments I decided it might not be the greatest idea. It would be too much to carry and I didn't trust anyone that...

01 "A Monstrous Storm"

  The shadows crept in through the window is the dark clouds overtook the mid-afternoon sky. A feeling of dread and hopelessness flooded me, tying my stomach into a knot. Looking at the clouds, I saw a streak of purple lightning streaking across the sky until it crashed down somewhere along the skyline with a thunderous boom, followed shortly by the ground rumbling beneath my feet. It was jarring. what started as a regular summer afternoon was quickly turning into something dreadful. The nearby trees were all swaying lightly in the breeze as rain gradually started pouring down, eventually creating a curtain of turrential downpour that threatened to flood the streets. Another flash of light followed by another thunderous boom forced me to look away from the window. It was becoming far too real for me. The oncoming storm was becoming too much to bear. I walked back into my bedroom and sat in front of my television. There was a news guy standing before a weather map. He was po...

"Checkmate"

W hen my best friend and I got into a small disagreement, I didn't think all that much of it afterward. When he and I fought, it didn't really end in much besides us stepping away from each other for a few hours before reuniting as if nothing had previously taken place. I knew it meant we had a strong friendship. The argument we just had, however, was completely different from the small disagreements we usually had. Instead of it being about videogames of films, this one got a little personal. Pretty much, I had deeply judged the guy because he wasn't a fan of my speedrun tournament. He swore that I had agreed to hang out with him just before going live with my greatest world record speedrun attempt yet, one I had been spending three weeks practicing for. Before we went our separate ways, instead of wishing me luck or doing our usually angred goodbyes, he snickered at me, saying "Good luck with your stream." Before I could ask him what that was about, he left ...