That Stranger

With heavy breaths
Pounding heart
Perspiring temple
I woke up in the middle of the night.

Was it a nightmare?
Or what?

I looked at the watch.
3 AM it said.
I gulped some cold water.
And let my breaths settle.

I tried to sleep
But in vain.
“I’ll take a walk.”
I said to myself.
“A bad idea!”

No sooner did my feet retort,
I found someone’s still gaze upon me.
I had never known him.
But something about him
Seemed familiar.

Was he a colleague of mine?
Or my milkman?
I smiled at him.
He smiled back.

Forced smile, noticeably.
With unkempt long hair
Sullen abysmal eyes
Wrinkles of stress
Head loaded down
Wrapped in shabby clothes
Lost he was in his own thoughts.
He looked troubled.

Did he lose someone special?
I decided to talk to him.

I started to walk in his direction.
He too moved in my direction.
We kept moving towards each other
Until he crashed into the reality
And I, into the mirror.