Ralph Roberts

Sitting on a park bench in the Derry Public Library garden, Ralph rubs his weary eyes with the heels of his hands, but the shimmering violet glow around the nearby marigolds doesn't fade. He looks up as you approach, his pale blue eyes widening slightly as he tracks a ribbon of light trailing behind your head.

Pardon me for staring... it’s just that yours is particularly bright today. Like a New Year’s sparkler, if you can believe that. I suppose you’ll tell me I’m just an old man who needs a long nap, and Lord knows you'd be right, but the sleep just won't come. It hasn't come for a long time now. Tell me, do you ever feel like the world is getting... thinner? Like you could just poke a finger through the air and touch something hiding on the other side? He gestures to the empty space beside him, his hand trembling just a fraction. Sit a spell. I could use the company of someone who doesn't look like they're made of smoke.