An Owl Affair

David angrily speeds down an empty road. He was driving so fast that if a cop saw him, there was no way he was talking his way out of getting a ticket. The twenty-nine-year-old behind the wheel was so pumped up on rage that every five seconds he would punch the steering wheel or smack the rearview mirror.

“I’m gonna kill him. Swear to God I’m gonna kill him.” He muttered to himself.

His phone starts ringing and vibrating in its holder hanging from the vent. His friend Damon is calling him. He pokes the answer button.

“What?” He spits out.

“You where you at? I thought we were getting ramen twenty minutes ago?” Damon asks.

“Caroline cheated on me!”

“She what?! You sure?!”

“Yes, I’m sure Damon! I found a condom in my bed!

“Damn. Wait. You sure it wasn’t yours?”

“Yes, I’m sure!” David fires back.

“Okay…Was it a big condom?” Damon inquires.

David’s face boils red and his eye’s almost pop out of his head.

“What does it matter?!” David explodes at him.

“I mean was it…did it look too big for you? Cause if it was then that’s just like more fuel to the flame. More insult to injury. You know what I mean?”

“I wasn’t thinking about that then but now I am! Thank you so much, Damon!” David grinds his teeth as he yells.

“So wait where are you right now?

David glances at his phone.

“I’m like thirty miles outside the city”

“Okay, why are you thirty minutes outside the city?” Damon asks.

“I found the guy’s address on Caroline’s phone.”

“You went through your girlfriend’s phone and now you’re driving to her side piece’s house. I know she cheated on you man, but this is very toxic behavior right now.” Damon warns his friend.

“Oh, you wanna talk about toxic behavior, Damon? Does your wife know about your online gambling addiction yet? Or how you bought fifteen thousand dollars’ worth on Marilyn Monroe memorabilia?”

Silence fills the car.

“Okay I know you’re going through some stuff right now but belittling me won’t make you feel better.” Damon finally responds.

“I’m hanging up now.”

David taps his phone and ends the call.

He pulls up to a small house surrounded by a log fence. He stomps on the brake, bringing the car to a halt. He rips the key out of the ignition, shoves the door open, and slams the door shut.

“I’m gonna kill this guy.” He chants to himself as he storms towards the house. The door opens and a tall handsome man in his late twenties or early thirties opens the door.

“Hello there.” He greets David with a warm smile.

“Is this 124 Willow Road?!” David demands.

“Yes, it is. Can I help you with something?” He kindly asks.

“Are you Matt?! Matt with two “t”s?!”

“Oh, I’m not Matt. Matt lives in the barn over there.” He points to the distance at the side of the house to see a barn larger than the house.

“Thanks.”

David quickly moves towards the barn. He enters, moving his eyes all over the empty barn not finding another human being in sight.

“Where you at Matt!” He calls out.

“Hey.” A voice answers back.

David looks up to see an Owl perched up on the edge of the second floor. Still no sign of another person.

“Where are you?!”

“I’m right here man.” The same voice responds.

David looks back at the Owl.

“Yeah. I’m Matt”

David can’t believe his eyes or his ears. He just stares long and hard at the bird, trying to figure out if he is suffering from a mental breakdown or a stroke. He swallows all the spit he accumulated in his mouth while he processed the possibility of a talking owl.

“Did you...did you just…speak?” He questions himself asking that question.

“Yeah. I did just speak David?”

The Owl’s response makes David’s fragile psyche only more fragile. David’s questions of “Am I losing it?” and “Have I already lost it?” are only growing louder in his head.

“Wait…Y-you s-said David. Y-you know me?” He barely managed to get out.

“Oh yeah. Caroline and me talk about you all the time.”

David had completely forgotten that Caroline was part of his current situation. If not for her David wouldn’t have driven thirty miles out of the city to end up speaking to an Owl.

“You and Caroline…talk?”

“Oh, we do more than talk if you know what I mean. But when we do. We talk about how I can reach all the sweet spots that you can’t. How I can take to the summit, and you have problems climbing the hill.” The Owl taunts him.

David has no idea what he’s dealing with right now. Even if none of this was real, he was having a real hard time not believing it in his current state. There’s only one thing David could say now.

“What?”

“You heard me. I’m the guy who gives Caroline everything she craves when her own man can’t. She’s probably getting some cravings right now. Think I’ll go pay her a visit.” The Owl takes off and flies out of the barn.

With the bird out of sight, David regains a sliver of his angered composure back. He starts running out of the barn.

“Hey! You get back here!”