The Unexpected Visitor: Too Real for Life
Knock, knock.
It wasn’t a soft knock. It had that kind of rhythm that made you stop and think: Is this someone I know, or someone selling something I don’t need?
Opener sighed, setting their mug down. “Of course. Let’s see who the universe sent this time.”
They opened the door to find Knocker standing there, a bright smile on their face and an energy that felt entirely too chipper for the hour.
“Hey!” Knocker greeted, stepping forward like they’d been invited. “Wow, your space! It’s so… intentional.”
Opener blinked. “Intentional?”
“Yeah, you know,” Knocker said, gesturing vaguely. “Everything looks like it has a purpose. Really efficient.”
Opener shut the door behind them, leaning against it. “What, were you expecting a room full of clutter? Or random trip hazards? What exactly would unintentional look like — things just floating midair for fun?”
Knocker laughed nervously. “No, no, I just meant it’s… refreshing! It feels very put-together.”
Opener tilted their head. “As opposed to what? A circus tent?”
Knocker hesitated. “I… I guess I was just trying to make small talk.”
“Well, don’t,” Opener replied, crossing their arms. “Small talk’s a waste of good air. If you want to say something, make it matter.”
Knocker seemed a little thrown but quickly recovered. “Okay, then. What’s one thing you’ve always wanted to do but haven’t?”
Opener gave them a look. “Are you kidding me? If I wanted to do it so badly, why wouldn’t I have done it? What do you think, I’m sitting here waiting for things to fall into my lap?”
Knocker blinked, caught off guard. “Uh… I mean, I just thought — ”
Opener cut them off with a small grin. “Relax. I’ll tell you. There’s one thing, though, if you’re really desperate to know: go to paradise.”
Knocker tilted their head. “Paradise?”
“Yeah. Can you give me that?”
“Uh… no.”
“Well, there you go,” Opener said with a shrug. “Now sit. Tell me the most interesting thing you’ve ever done.”
Knocker relaxed slightly, taking a seat. “Alright, alright. Well, there was this one time I got stranded in another country because I got on the wrong train…”
Opener raised an eyebrow. “Now that sounds like a story worth hearing.”
