a reality check

Alex entered the restaurant like any other day, looking forward to lunch and to greeting the always
friendly staff. A particularly hectic morning at work meant that he was feeling hungrier than usual,
and as he sat down at one of his favourite tables - at the front, near the corner, a place where he
could survey the bustle of this popular restaurant in relative privacy – he attempted to catch Marie’s
attention, today’s waitress. Having recognised him, Marie came over, warmly greeted him, and after
the usual pleasantries, promptly dispatched herself to the kitchen with his order.

As he relaxed in his chair, he immediately took out his phone, and after checking and answering his
emails he watched videos while he waited for his order. All these daily routines were reassuring – his
life was stable and filled with interests. However, he started to feel that today something wasn’t
quite right, and a sense of dislocation arose within him. Glancing up from his phone and looking
around him, he sensed that he was being watched, but despite the normality he saw around him, he
remained uneasy.

Marie finally came with his steak and chips, and as he attended to his hunger, he managed to put
aside his unsettled emotions. But, as he casually surveyed the restaurant while eating, his attention
was suddenly caught by a male figure he hadn’t noticed before seated on the opposite side. It was a
man that looked exactly like him. The man was looking towards the restaurant floor as he sipped at
his cup, and then, perhaps sensing that he was being watched, he looked straight up at Alex, and
gave him a look that was so blank yet piercing that Alex froze, unable to understand what was
happening to him.