Nobody else believed your words as you happily told your friends about the tale. The man with the umbrella, oh not to keep the rain out but to assure that his top hat would not blow away through the wind.

He came on the weekends in the evenings of rainy days. You never asked but something about it felt odd. Perhaps it was easy for him to burn in the sun like a vampire. Maybe one day you will ask. For now though, you enjoy the silent walks you do back from the library when he shows up.

Butterflies stick to him often. He claims they like to avoid the outside world, the water too harsh against their wings for them to fly through it. He told you that your eyes reminded him of their wings. You wore butterfly hair clips the next day to school. Nobody else commented such a nice thing.

Their words were nothing but harsh whispers and you found yourself slowly wilting under their harsh expectations. When he ultimately came to you the next time, you asked him why you couldn’t go with him like the butterflies. A sad smile formed on his face as he reached over to ruffle your hair.

“It isn’t your time yet, dear.” You looked down quietly when he left after that. He didn’t come by for a while after that. You almost worried that he would never come back… but then he finally showed up months later.

It was Halloween and much like you had expected, you were alone. Your parents were busy, one taking your younger brother trick-or-treating while the other gave candy out to trick-or-treaters. You told them you would go with friends. You thought that Jeremiah’s Haunted House would be harmless enough. Maybe you could prove yourself as cool to them finally; maybe you could fit in.

You were wrong.

Your vision was blurry from tears as you ran through the street. The jeers of your peers sounded from behind you as you went. The image of the masks in your face filled your vision with every blink. No light was out this late and you had no idea where you were going but you needed to get away. You were alone out here. Your hair was messy now, the bands holding it in place hastily thrown down after their mean remarks about your costume. The wind blew it around you, adding to the difficulty to see. You stopped for a minute, away from their calls as rain poured down around you. You shakily caught your breath, letting your mask drop from your hands. You looked up and you saw him. His eyes were sad despite the small smile on his face.

You were about to move over to him, to hug him and cry when you saw the lights. You looked over but not fast enough. The pain was brief before you felt him pull you close.

“You don’t have to stay here anymore. I promise I will take care of you.”