The Thing

Jacques woke up from a deep slumber and looked around trying to piece together where he might be, he was surprised that he was even awake. The last time he had fallen asleep he was sure it would be the last time. Wherever he was, it resembled a cave or some kind of shelter underground. As he blinked his eyes hard to wake up he realized Hal was no longer beside him. He frantically started searching for Hal. He started walking around the shelter, cautious to call out his name, for fear of startling what brought him here.

“Hal,” he whispered. 

Suddenly, a thing appeared before Jacques who was not Hal. It was not someone he had ever seen before. He wasn’t quite sure the thing even resembled the human race. They were extremely tall and lanky and spoke in a hushed voice, as if they were in charge of keeping a large secret. Its face was slightly distorted, making it impossible for Jacques to read its facial expressions. 

Jacques didn’t feel scared at the moment. He didn’t sense he was in harm's way. The thing hadn’t spoken, so Jacques asked it if it knew where Hal was. The thing shook its head. 

“Okay, well, what’s your name?”

The thing shook its head. 

Jacques rolled his eyes. “Okay, do you know how I got here, or why I’m here?”

This time, the thing responded. “I brought you here. I saved you.”

Jacques was pretty sure he was right, so he didn’t argue. But he did have one question. “Why?”

The thing’s answer was simple: Jacques needed saving.