I winked and smiled at the cute blond standing just 10 feet away from me in the packed subway train. I'd seen her almost every workday for the past month and never made more than eye contact with her. Even though she was so close, with the droves of people pouring in and out of the train during this rush-hour time, she might have been across the Atlantic Ocean from me. There was no way I'd get close enough to talk to her.
I never expected to get to know her, never expected to know her name, but it was nice to make some kind of contact. And a flirty gesture always seemed to make people smile. She was no exception to the rule, smiling and blushing a little. The train lurched a little, causing us all to hang on to the bars even tighter. We pulled into the next station and a great majority of us got off the train, including me, leaving my fantasy girl behind.
I walked the 4 blocks to the office building and made my way to my little office, pondering my lack of dating recently. Ok, more than recently. I hadn't dated anyone for about 8 months now. Ever since my last girlfriend broke up with me. She was certainly no prize, having all sorts of emotional issues to deal with. But something just kept me from even trying.
I set my briefcase aside and noticed an invitation of some sort sitting on my desk. I pulled the chair out and fell into it, and clicked on my computer monitor, just staring at the invitation. I couldn't imagine what it was for... some kind of company Fall party or something most likely. Halloween was getting closer, but it was still a month away.
I tossed the invitation aside and got right to work. Not far into the morning, one of my best friends came in to talk for a while. I mentioned the invitation and showed it to him in order to find out if he'd seen it. He told me he didn't know of anyone else that got one of them, which piqued my interest.
How was it that I got an invitation, hand delivered to my office, and no one else got one nor saw who delivered it? And why me?
I thought about it for a little while and then my curiosity got the better of me and I opened it. It was a very nice invitation, written in a beautifully flowing script and directly addressed to me by name. It was an invitation to a costume party on Saturday night at one of the nicest downtown hotels. As a point of mystery there were a list of rules regarding the costume and the nature of the party.
It seemed it was to be an anonymous party, where each attendee wore a mask and didn't reveal their identity until the end of the night. It seemed like something from a movie. It certainly didn't answer many of my questions, but did build my curiosity.
I wasn't a party-person normally, especially when I didn't know anyone there, so I just set it aside in my in-box and delved back into my work.
I saw the invitation again when I returned from an afternoon meeting, sitting in the middle of my desk. Whoever it was that gave it to me definitely wanted me to go. And it had to be an employee nearby. But I had no idea who.
At this point, I decided I just had to go. I had to figure out who sent me the invite if nothing else. That night after work, I went downtown and checked out a few of the costume shops, trying to find the right one for me. I saw all sorts of costumes from Star Wars, Gone With the Wind, and tons of different movie characters. I finally found one that was simple and me... a pirate. There was no mask for it, unfortunately, but I did find one separately, a simple black mask that covered a good portion of my face. I paid for the costume and then took the subway home.
The rest of the week seemed to be a bit of a blur. I kept talking to other people around the office, trying to figure out who else got an invitation or who passed me my invitation, but found no one admitting it.
Saturday came and I anxiously dressed. My costume fit me perfectly, with a very comfortable, light-weight, white shirt and loose black pants. I fastened the belt around me with the flimsy sword and knife at my hip. The boots fit me perfectly, too, coming up to my knee. The large hat with it's peacock feather would dominate my head and definitely distinguish me from a distance. I held my hat and mask in my hands and went out to hail a taxi.
I was picked up and transported quickly to the hotel, having, of course, to explain my costume, but the driver seemed jovial enough. I'm sure he'd seen a lot stranger things than some guy dressed as a pirate.
I decided to splurge a little and figured I'd probably drink a lot anyways, so I went to the front desk and got a room for the night. The three women behind the counter gave me a second look. I guess they liked the costume on me, too. I just smiled and flirted with them, telling them they should join the party, too, that hotel clerk costumes were hot this year. They laughed and I made a mental note to visit them again later.
When everything was set, I walked into the ballroom seeing dozens of people milling about, all wearing elaborate costumes and masks. It certainly had the look of a party for the wealthy. Some of these costumes had to have cost a fortune. But with everyone masked, no one had any idea who anyone else even was. There was an air of surprise, mystery, and discovery about the room. People didn't seem to care who the other person was, but just enjoyed the chance for anonymous flirting and playing.
I went to the bar and grabbed a drink, then moved back to the wall to wait. My eyes scanned the crowd, seeing people talking in groups and dancing. The music was very upbeat and definitely invited people to the dance floor. My foot was tapping when I saw the blond from the subway across the floor. I was absolutely shocked that I saw her... but even more shocked by her outfit. She, of course, broke the rule about not taking her mask off, because as soon as I saw her she pulled it over her head. That was the only way I would have ever recognized her.
I felt my pulse race a little, felt my excitement grow. I not only knew someone here, it was a woman that I wanted to get to know anyways.
She was smiling at me, just standing there. She wore a very erotic outfit, full of lace and leather. The red fabric across her breasts was open, exposing her ample breasts and large, rosey nipples to everyone in the room, although no one around her seemed to notice. Small, white wings jutted from her back. She had a small bow and a quiver of arrows in her hand, which probably meant her costume was a female Cupid or something. She was one hell of a sexy Cupid!
We smiled at each other, recognizing the other instantly, although with my mask still on, I figured she was simply flirting with a pirate. I smiled and laughed as she played picking up her bow and stringing an arrow on it as if to fire. I'm not sure I would've minded a shot from a cupid like that, I joked to myself, laughing.
Her face suddenly got serious though, worrying me, and she pulled back on the bowstring. The arrow was aimed right at me, scaring me. And then with a quick release,it flew. I watched it soaring towards me, as if in slow motion, as it arced through the hall and pierced right into my chest. I felt the thud hit me and stumbled back against the wall... scared... helpless... wondering why.
