The Stranger in His Eyes

"Oh!" Julie cried out in fright, pushing Mark away with both hands as he leaned over the bed to kiss her. "Oh, my God!"

"What is it?" Mark stared at his wife in bewilderment. "Why are you jumping away from me like that?"

"Mark, your eyes..." She practically poked a finger toward his face. "That's not my reflection!"

"What?" Mark drawled incredulously. "Think about what you're saying."

"I swear, it's not me!" Julie shook her head frantically.

"Then whose is it?"

"I don't know... but it's a stranger." Julie looked at her husband with terror, pulling her head back into her shoulders. "What does it mean, Mark?"

"It means it's time for you to see an eye doctor," Mark said. "Come here, let me kiss you, and everything will be fine."

"No... wait... let me look one more time." Julie moved her face close to his, staring intently into his eyes. She winced again, looking lost. "It's definitely true. That's not me in there."

"Stop messing with me!" Mark grumbled irritably. "It's time for sleep, and you're saying things like that. That's enough, turn off the bedside lamp."

"No... I'm afraid to sleep now," Julie moaned. "There's another woman in your eyes while I'm lying right here next to you. It's creepy."

"Now what?.."

Mark scrambled out of bed, walked quickly to the mirror, and tried to examine his own eyes. Realizing there wasn't enough light, he switched on the overhead fixture and stared at his reflection again.

"You're making it up," he finally said with a sigh of relief. "There's no one in my eyes. Just me."

"Exactly," Julie nodded from the bed. "You're looking at your own eyes, not me. That's why you see your reflection in the mirror. But when I look into your eyes, some strange woman is looking back at me. My face should be the one reflected in your eyes."

"Knock it off!" her husband said sternly, flicking the main light back off. "What can you even see in my eyes by a dim lamp? You're just seeing things."

"No, I'm not!" Julie insisted stubbornly. "You know, I read somewhere once that when a hunter shoots a deer, the hunter's reflection is frozen in the animal's eyes forever. Have you heard that?"

"Those are just urban legends," Mark chuckled. "I've read the same kind of nonsense. It's ridiculous."

"No, it isn't! And that means a strange woman didn't just show up in your eyes for no reason."

"What do my eyes have to do with anything?"

"Everything!"

"Like what?"

"You can't guess?"

"Believe it or not—no!"

"Well, think about it!" Julie sat up in bed and began to stare fixedly at her husband. "Think long and hard!"

"I'm not thinking about anything!" her husband replied defiantly. "You're imagining things... 'the wrong reflection.' Tomorrow you're heading straight to the optometrist to get your eyes checked out."

"Come on, admit it—who were you hunting today, hunter?" Julie wagged her index finger at Mark. "Which lady did you take a shot at today?"

"Are you crazy? How could I have 'shot' anyone?"

"With those eyes of yours!"

"And where exactly would I have done that?" he smirked.

"Anywhere! At work, on the street. You know how you are!"

"How am I?" Mark asked, surprised.

"A real charmer, that's how!"

"Listen, Jules, are you having hallucinations by any chance?" Mark suddenly asked.

"What?" she asked, confused.

"Hallucinations. Where were you today while I was at work?"

"I was out window shopping."

"I see," her husband smirked again. "Did you buy yourself anything?"

"Why would I?"

"What do you mean 'why'? You were shopping!"

"You don't have to buy things to go shopping. The most important part is trying things on."

"There," Mark nodded. "Now we're getting to the point. How many outfits did you look at and try on today?"

"A ton," Julie admitted.

"And I bet you were admiring how those clothes looked on other women too, right? Am I right?"

"Well, yeah..." Julie suddenly turned thoughtful. "What are you hinting at?"

"This: back when I was younger, my friends and I used to play poker all night. After you've played until you're sick of it and finally go to bed, kings and aces just keep spinning and spinning before your eyes. Aren't there clothes and women spinning before your eyes right now?"

"Oh..." Julie exclaimed again. "Yeah... they really are. As soon as I lie down, they start waving right in front of me. Let me see, let me see..." She leaned over her husband's face again and peered into his eyes. "Now it's just a fitting room reflecting in there... yeah... You're right, Mark. I think I've got them... those hallucinations. I wonder when they'll go away?"

"Well, I'm going to kiss you right now, and they'll stop immediately," Mark smiled.

"Really?"

"I promise!"

"Well then... kiss me."

And just as Mark said, that's exactly how it turned out.