Sit down with the bear at the table
From Create Your Own Story
“Hi,” you say, and sit down.
“Hi,” he says back, raising an eyebrow.
“Sorry to sort of intrude, but…” You trail off. “Uh, I’m new to this bar.”
He laughs at that – a good, deep, laugh. You smile.
“You’re doing fine,” he says. “You’ve never been here before?”
“Nope,” you admit. “It’s my birthday.”
“No shit,” he says, and then you chat for a bit. His name is Don, and he is a rugby coach with the local college. You tell him a bit about your life, and he seems genuinely interested, though the way he’s looking at you sometimes makes you blush. You finish your beer, and Don gets up and gets the second round. You clink bottles, but when you’re finishing the second bottle, something weird happens.
The lights go really dim.
“It’s Friday night!” a man’s voice announces over some sort of speaker. “Time for Blackout at the Midtown Pub!”
The bar has been filling up for some time, and at the dimming, there are cheers. You look around, confused.
“Blackout night,” Don says, over the hoots and hollers.
“What’s blackout night?” you ask.
He laughs. “Once a month, the lights go off, and what happens in the dark, stays in the dark.”
You look around. It’s hard to see much past a few feet in front of you with the lights so dim, but across the room where the hallway starts, the letters of ‘Daddy’ on the t-shirt are barely visible. He still seems to be facing you.
“Oh,” you say.
“Mostly people fuck around a little in the bathroom,” Don says. “Or grope each other out here. The back room upstairs is where it gets more… fun.”
“Ah,” you say, and then, of course, totally need to piss. You manage to hold off for a while, but eventually you lean over and admit it.
“So. I need to pee, but uh… the guy in the hallway there? I think he’s sort of waiting for me…” Don laughs at your dilemma.
“Oh, that guy.” He smiles, and rubs his beard. “I know that guy.” He doesn’t say more.
You nod.
“I can come with you if you want, or do you want me to just watch him?” He offers, obviously amused. “If he follows you in, I’ll come in, too.”
You say...
