Zwei

die Erscheinung

[Die drei Erscheinung]

ii.

1613

It began when Danveur was merely ten years old. He was at the vineyard behind their manor, picking at grapes that has yet to ripen, when not far across from where he sat, stood a man cloaked in a suspiciously dark long coat.

Danveur had been accustomed to such expensive and exquisite fashion but what made it dubious to the young boy's eyes was the manner of clothing itself. It was summer and the heat was immensely unbearable that even Danveur himself was sweating through his thin dress shirt. He wondered how the man could possibly abstain himself from pulling the ridiculously long and thick coat off of him. But, the more Danveur thought of how uncanny he was, the more unpleasant feeling grew in the pit of his stomach.

He could have stood up and returned back inside but he stayed rooted on his spot, eyes never leaving the stranger.

It was that then, when his older brother, Lucius, arrived that he tore his eyes away. When Danveur looked back, the man in black coat was gone.

1618

Several years had passed since that one unusual event in his life. He had squabbled about the incident to Lucius but the older merely shrugged and told him it was a trick of one's eyes, that no one with half a brain would wear a dark coat under the blazing heat of the summer sun. He had made himself put the idea behind, but as he turned fifteen, the man was back once more.

It was the same ridiculous coat, the same shade of dark hair, the same lean and tall figure. The only two difference this time were the distance and the location. He was closer, but not close enough within an arm's reach.

They were in the busy town and Danveur had spotted him when he was about to enter the carriage. He abruptly ceased his movements and pointed the man out, but Lucius was too preoccupied with his newly bought item that the moment Danveur had convinced him to look, he was gone.

He had never been so peeved.

1623

The third was when Danveur turned twenty and the mystery man showed up at his grand celebration in the manor house. Danveur at first didn't recognise him for he had persuaded himself to forget about the whole ordeal, but once the figure appeared, a wave of familiarity went crushing onto his very soul. Like a cold, gigantic wave of salty ocean water that lapped at him in one go.

He stood so fast his chair skidded backwards and he started walking towards him with quick long steps, ignoring the surprise gasps and murmurs. The moment Danveur was within his reach, he stopped and swallowed thickly.

He didn't know why but he was unnerved, frightened, frozen as fear began nipping at his skin and he mentally shivered. The man on the contrary just smiled and as flamboyant as one could, walked away and disappeared into the crowd as if he just wanted to give Danveur an eerie greeting. He never saw him again that night.

A few hours later, when he was sitting and toasting along relatives, his fingers began to feel numb and they gradually weakened as he raised his glass to his lips. He realized that the reason why he was so terrified was that the man never grew, nor changed in form all throughout the years.

It was the same coat, the same height, the same body, and the same blank and hard stare. And when Danveur had a closed up with his face, the only thing he had processed was that the man owns a pair of red, luminous eyes.