You See...

• Esther Houweling, Grade 9
• Short Story
• 2010

“So tell me, Miss Saunders, what exactly happened that night,” he breathed in on his cigar and exhaled smoke gently. His elbows are leaning on the table and his cigar twiddles in his mouth.
“Well, I was starting to clean the exhibits in the museum while the last group for the day was about to finish up their tour. I was cleaning in the mammal section and had found that someone had vomited in one of the igloos in the Inuit exhibit,” the man’s eyebrow rose impatiently and telling me to skip the irrelevant things, “It took a while to clean so I didn’t exactly know when I left the museum.”
He leans back in his chair; his bulbous head has a large concentration of hair on his brow and moustache area but none on his head. He looks rough and I examine the room to escape any threatening thoughts he is no doubt sending me.
The room is small and grey; all that is in it is me, the man, two chairs, a table and a microphone. There’s a large tinted window tilting over the table. I squint to try and decipher the figures that lurk behind the barrier. I fail and shuffle my balled, sweating hands, turning my attention back to the man who raised his eyebrow impatiently at me, again.
“Was there anything suspicious about any of the people in the last group?”
“No... Wait,” I tilt my head up and tap my chin with my index finger, “There was someone who had a hoodie and had his hands tucked into his pants. He kept looking around, I thought it really odd,” the man leans in as he became more interested. “I locked up after everyone had left and I was walking to my car when...” I pause at the memory bubbling back up to the surface; I had been spending the past few minuted trying to force it deep down.
“Take your time ma’am,” he is annoyed at the sight of my emotions. He leans back again, his badge shines in the light. It reads New York Police Department.
I sighed and went on, “I was walking to my car, which was parked on one of the side alley ways and was about to unlock the door when I heard someone yelling. When I heard the yelling, I dived behind my car and peered over to look what was happening, there were two men and one had just shot the other. That’s what happened.” He huffs, thanks me and walks out.
You see... That man is only a figure to me.