Keyword of the week: Fear- My friend the stranger-

I met him when I was in high school, and I knew as soon as I saw him for the first time that we would be friends. Not because he made me want to exploit him to earn points or anything like that while I was studying; I approached him because I saw that he was very vulnerable. He was a complete mess.

It reminded me of myself on the first day of school, asking where the classroom was, where this and that was. It wasn't because I was worried about being made fun of. It was because I was embarrassed to ask and have someone realize that I was the new kid.

Mi friend

That's what happened to this boy. I knew his name was Luis, because they called him out when taking attendance. When I could, I approached him, introduced myself, and said...

“Hi, I'm Carlos. I was also new a few months ago, but not anymore. I'd like to teach you a few things so you don't go through the same things I did.”

He smiled, and it seemed to me that he had a different kind of smile, one that was sincere, pleasant, and somewhat sad. Over time, we became friends, and it didn't take long.

He was very intelligent; Luis understood everything that was explained to him right away. While most of the class asked the teacher for further explanation, Luis just bowed his head and began to solve the problems with impressive efficiency.

What were the most difficult subjects, such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics, were a piece of cake for Luis. I don't know who benefited more from being friends with the other. I think I hit the jackpot with his friendship. At least that's what I thought for a long time.

We got used to being together in games, in classes, in tasks that were only for one of us, helping each other. Luis was the friend, the brother I never had. My family admired him for the strength and drive he always showed. Over time, Luis developed a personality that was appreciated by everyone everywhere.

He was a kind boy, honest and sincere when he spoke. He didn't try to cover things up. Even when I told him that we could be reprimanded for something we did, he immediately corrected my opinion, assuring me that the truth was the shortest path to success.

I understood him; he meant a lot to me. The time came to finish high school, and now we had to prepare for the next level.

There was something about Luis that caught my attention. He never liked to do certain things in public; he tried not to expose his body to the air. He always looked for ways to keep warm.

The day came to go out to a game with friends. When we finished, we went to the showers, but Luis told me he was going straight home because he had things to do, and he ran off with a “see you tomorrow.” I didn't have time to ask him to wait, so I grabbed my clothes and ran after him, but I lost him.

I went to his house anyway. I knocked, but no one answered. His parents were away for the weekend, so I knew he was home alone. First, I called him, but he didn't answer. I went up to his room to wait for him, as I had done on other occasions.

I lay down on his bed, playing with my ball between my fingers. I heard noises downstairs, so I went down carefully, in case his parents came home and found me alone in the house without him.

It wasn't his parents; it was Luis, and he had a rat in his hands. He took it out of a container in the refrigerator. He immediately put it in his mouth. His throat opened as wide as a reptile's, and he swallowed the rat.

Fear took hold of me. What was I seeing? The ball slipped from my fingers and bounced down the stairs. At the same time, Luis turned and looked at me.

The same forces that had petrified me to the floor with fear immediately sent adrenaline rushing through my veins and made me run out of that house in terror.

I couldn't think of anything. I just looked back, and I didn't see Luis, but my instinct told me to keep running.

My God, my friend was some kind of reptile that ate rats. Or maybe even worse, my friend was an alien. I got home and as I reached for the doorknob, I felt Luis's hand grab it too.

He asked me to be quiet and let him explain. He asked me not to judge him so harshly...

“You know I've been your unconditional friend all these years. I would never hurt you.”

“Please, Carlos, don't turn me in. We're about to finish what brought us here, then we'll return to our planet.”

“We are carnivores, but we don't eat humans, only small animals. We buy them by the box and refrigerate them. That's how we've lived all these years.”

My God, as Luis spoke to me, my legs began to buckle. The adrenaline was wearing off. My sanity was returning. He had been my friend for four years. He never did anything to hurt me. On the contrary, he is the best friend I have ever had in my life.

So, I let him explain. I was convinced. Luis hadn't told me anything, but his parents were finishing their time on Earth. Their ship had broken down, and they had gone through many difficulties to get it repaired.

His parents were a kind of navigators, engineers, who searched for worlds where they could find enough materials to repair their ships. They had found little in my world, repaired their ship, and in a few days, they would be leaving. I shouted at him and said...

-Weren't you going to tell me anything?

-Weren't you going to say goodbye to me?

-Why didn't you have the courage to tell me the truth before?

He replied that it was best that I never knew the truth, but since everything had turned out this way, it was for the best. He apologized, and we hugged. It felt like a farewell. And I was right.

I never heard from my friend Luis again; he and his parents left. I never told anyone that my best friend was an alien.

This is a story inspired by a conversation I had with friend @wlin in another contest.

This is my entry in the "Keyword of the Week" contest.

This is the link