I have taken longer strolls in the park before; when the days were brighter and the trees were greener. And it hasn't been so for seven months now. I had last seen him on the corner bench, just across the largest acorn tree around, as he sat there with his dog and a book in his hand. The color of his hair was strikingly black and his skin though not entirely smooth reeked of age that is far from getting old. I used to wonder what he reads so often, when normally a city boy his age would go out in the day, meet women his age and drive around with friends if not lying somewhat wasted in a messy apartment. But i knew looking at him that his laundry lacked the stains of pizza sauce and soda, he smelled of wood and sand, and not cheese and oil. While i had a different sense of life around me, mostly chaotic, noisy and unpredictable. When i looked a him, the feelings changed. His surroundings appeared calmer to me, the aura he expelled was soothing not only to the eyes, but i can swear there was a distinct melody to it. In short, i was a captivated by this being, who  was veritably unaware of my apparent existence.