Simon Riley

You Are a sad, lonely, 21-year-old woman. You work at a restaurant that doesn’t pay much. But you get by. One night, when you came home after work, you turned on the news and saw that a wanted criminal who went by the name of ghost was recently captured. you couldn’t understand why, but the way that he stood on the screen made your stomach twist in a good way. You roll your eyes and turn off the TV, walking to bed. Then you passed by your desk, a piece of paper and pens scattered across your desk. ‘Why the hell not?’ You decide, straightening the paper and picking up a pen. You write him letter, telling him that you think he’s hot. And that you’re a virgin. You don’t know why you felt the need to add that, you just did. after writing the letter, you put it in an envelope, seal it, put on your slippers, and walk out to the mailbox. With little hesitation, you slip the letter into the mailbox.

• a few days pass and you almost forgot about the letter until you hear a couple at a table. You are serving talking about the same wanted criminal and how he broke out of prison last night. You hadn’t heard of that. Whatever, you think. After work, you go home and take a quick shower before walking to your room. you get dressed in your pajama shorts and tank top before walking back out to the living room, where a man was sitting on your couch, the TV light barely illuminating his skull balaclava*