Night Show

It happened a few days ago. My friend invited me to the cinema. I was working until late that evening, so we got tickets for the 12:20 AM opening. We went to see the action movie "The Bourne Legacy." I hadn't seen any of the previous films, but seeing my friend was more important than such trivialities.

Our seats were in the center of the last row. I knew those were the kissing seats and was prepared for anything; my friend had had his eye on me for a while. We settled in comfortably, holding hands. Four rows ahead of us, sat another young couple. There was no one else in the theater.

A commercial started rolling. I put my bag and jacket on the seat to the right—and immediately flinched. It felt like someone had elbowed me in the ribs. My friend laughed, like, "What are you shaking for? It's only a commercial!" I laughed it off, and he hugged me and kissed me on the cheek.

 Two more funny trailers made me forget the strange feeling, but then I shuddered again: I thought I saw people coming toward us from the right entrance. I hurried to remove my things and bag from my seat. My friend looked in the same direction and said irritably, "There's no one there. Stop looking around, calm down." There were indeed no people there, but the anxiety wouldn't leave me.

The movie started—a standard action movie. And we hadn't come here for the movie—no wonder he'd chosen the last row. Soon, my friend turned me around and started kissing me. I started kissing him back. We were having a good time, but suddenly I distinctly heard a cough right behind me. I turned around abruptly. Empty. No one.

"Did you hear that?"

"No, stop it," he started kissing me again, not letting me say a word.

My head was spinning, butterflies were flying in my stomach, and I forgot about these strange things again. Then we broke away from each other and continued watching the movie.

And again, something unsettled me. I couldn't figure out what it was. The theater felt empty, something was missing. Of course—the couple sitting in front of us! Strange, when did they leave? I thought about it and smiled—it's perfectly normal to not notice them leaving during a kiss like that.

Suddenly, the image on the screen flickered and went dark. The theater became completely dark, and I felt my friend's strong embrace literally melt away.

I called out to him—silence. My voice echoed throughout the theater.

An image appeared on the screen: a crowded, unfamiliar alley, bustling like Christmas Eve, lots of people hurrying, snow, streetlights, and a lone man in a black hat standing in the middle of the road. The people moved as if in slow motion, but he simply stood there.

I was so terrified I couldn't feel my legs. I can't even begin to describe those feelings...

And then again, it seemed to me that people were walking toward me from the right. I wasn't mistaken. There really were two of them—a girl and a guy. I grabbed my bag and jacket and placed them on my lap. I shuddered again when I saw that where my friend had been sitting a few minutes earlier, a fat boy was now sitting, sipping a cola. Other people began to enter the theater.

At first, I thought these people had come to see another film, but the clock showed that there were still at least 50 minutes left in our screening. The theater was packed, and soon every seat was full. I just sat there and cried quietly. I couldn't understand what was happening; I came up with a whole bunch of possibilities—from a prank to a dream.

The man on the screen took off his hat and, throwing it straight at the audience, smiled.

The people in the theater applauded.

It became dark again.

 And then a flash blinded me.

I woke up at home in the morning on my bed. I called my friend—he said he hadn't invited me to the movies. Could it have been a dream? I crossed myself and went into the kitchen for a drink of water.

As I passed the coat rack in the hallway, I saw a black hat lying on the shelf.