I was in the parking lot of the grocery store near my place, my arms straining as I tried to maneuver the heavy grocery bags into my trunk.

That's when I heard a voice behind me.

"Need a hand?"

I turned abruptly.

A man stood there. He was well-dressed, in his mid-to-late fifties, with neatly combed hair and a polite expression. He held out his hands, waiting for me to decide.

I hesitated for a second.

In a world where we're taught to be cautious, especially as women alone in parking lots, something about him still put me at ease.

"Yeah, actually, that'd be great," I said. "These bags are heavier than I thought."

He grabbed the heaviest ones, placing them carefully into my trunk.

"You must've stocked up for the winter or something," he said with a small chuckle.

"Just a normal grocery run," I replied, offering a half-smile. "I swear they make these bags flimsier every year."

He nodded, closing the trunk for me. "There you go. All set."

"Thanks," I said, shifting my purse over my shoulder. "That was really kind of you."

"Anytime." He nodded once, his eyes meeting mine for a moment before he turned and walked away. No lingering, no expectation of conversation. Just a stranger helping out.

I watched him for a moment before getting into my car.

By the time I pulled out of the parking lot, I had already pushed the encounter to the back of my mind. It was just a simple act of kindness. Nothing more, right?

Wrong.

It was something much more than that.

The first time I saw him after that day, I barely reacted.

It was outside the café where I picked up my morning coffee. He stood across the street, hands in his pockets, looking down at his phone.

I frowned but rationalized it. Maybe he worked nearby. Maybe it was just a coincidence.

Then I saw him again. Near the bookstore.

The next day, outside my gym.

Always at a distance, never approaching. It was like a game of déjà vu that I couldn't shake.

I tried to tell myself it was nothing.

After all, people in a town frequent the same spots. But there was this uneasy feeling that settled in my gut and wouldn't go away.

One evening, I reached for my phone to snap a picture, just to prove to myself that he was real.

But just as I lifted the camera, my phone died. Battery drained. Typical.

I stuffed it back into my pocket, shaking my head.

A week passed, and the sightings continued. It wasn't just at my usual spots anymore. It was everywhere.

One night, I was sitting at a café, stirring my tea absentmindedly, when my eyes lifted to the window. And there he was again. Across the street. Watching.

I muttered under my breath, "There he is again."

I was about to pick up my phone to take a picture of him when the woman at the next table interrupted.

"Who?" she asked, following my glance.

"That man," I said, turning toward her. "Right there, across the street."

She squinted, then frowned. "There's no one there."

I whipped my head back to the window. The sidewalk was empty. He wasn't there.

Not only did I fail at clicking a picture of him, but the woman at the other table thought I was crazy.

I can't explain how awful I felt.

That night, I took a different route home. I parked in a different spot. I even stayed inside for two full days, pretending it was just exhaustion keeping me away from the world.

But when I finally stepped outside, he was there. Across the street. Again.

I turned sharply and walked straight toward him, my pulse roaring in my ears. But before I could cross the street, he was gone.

I stood frozen on the sidewalk.

What was happening? Was I losing my mind?

Overwhelmed, I drove to my best friend, Elaine's jewelry store.

As I parked, my eyes darted to the sidewalk across the street.

There he was.

Standing still, his hands in his pockets, just watching.

I forced myself to look away and hurried inside.

Elaine glanced up from behind the counter. "Hey, stranger. You look like you've seen a ghost."

"I think I might have," I muttered, leaning onto the glass display. "There's this man. He helped me with my groceries a couple of weeks ago. But since then, I've been seeing him everywhere."

Elaine raised an eyebrow. "You sure it's the same guy?"

I nodded.

"I tried to get a picture of him, but every time I do, something stops me," I told her. "And just now? He was outside. Right across the street. Watching."

Elaine's smile faded. "That's creepy as hell, Mags. Maybe you should call the police."

"And tell them what? 'Hi, there's a guy existing near me and it makes me uncomfortable?'" I let out a humorless laugh. "I need proof. Something tangible."

My stomach turned as I glanced toward the window.

"He's there. I just saw him outside the store," I whispered. "Look for yourself."

Elaine walked over to the door and peered outside, then frowned.

"Maggie… there's no one there."

"That's impossible!" I protested. "I just saw him."

Elaine studied me carefully before speaking.

"Let's check the security cameras," she suggested. "If he was there, we'll see him."

"Alright," I said before we walked toward her office.

My hands trembled as she pulled up the footage and rewound it.

The footage showed me walking into the store. But there was no one outside. No man. No figure standing across the street. Just empty space.

My stomach dropped.

"Oh my God," I whispered. "What the heck is happening to me?"

Elaine and I stared at the screen, silent. I replayed the footage because I couldn't believe what was happening.

Still, nothing. No man. No shadow. Just me.

That's when Elaine placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Maggie, are you okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," I admitted. "I saw him. I know I did."

"Umm, Maggie…" she began. "Maybe you should talk to someone. A doctor, maybe? What do you think?"

I stood there, staring at her.

"A doctor? I… I don't know…" I shrugged. "I think I need answers first."

And I knew exactly where to start.

I immediately left Elaine's store and drove back to the supermarket where I first met him. I could feel my heart pound against my chest as I approached the front desk.

"Hi, I was here a couple of weeks ago, and I think I lost my ring in the parking lot," I lied. "Is there any way I could check your security footage?"

The attendant hesitated. "I'd have to get approval from the manager, but… are you sure it was here?"

"Yes," I said quickly, forcing a nervous smile. "I'd really appreciate it."

After a long pause, the manager agreed. I sat beside them as they pulled up the footage in their office.

"I think this is it…" I said as I watched myself walk to my car with the grocery bags.

I saw myself pause upon reaching the car. And then I started talking to someone.

But there was no one there.

My breath caught. My hands trembled as I clutched the edge of the desk.

"No," I whispered. "That's not possible."

I watched myself smile, nod, and even reach out as if shaking hands. But the stranger wasn't there.

I was alone.

"Ma'am, are you sure you lost the ring here?" the manager asked, glancing at me. "And… who were you talking to here?"

I didn't answer. I just stood there, staring at the screen.

"Ma'am?" he said. "Are you alright?"

The manager sounded quite worried, but I was too shocked to answer anything. I struggled to catch my breath as I stumbled out of the office.

He wasn't real. He never had been. The man I had seen, the man who had been watching me… was all in my head.

Once I'd calmed myself down, I drove back to Elaine's store. I nearly tripped as I pushed through the door.

"Maggie, what happened?" she asked.

"He's not real, Elaine," I whispered. "The cameras… they didn't see him. He was never there. That man was never there."

"Maggie…" Elaine began. "I think you need to see someone."

"No," I shook my head. "I just need to figure this out. Maybe I'm just tired or stressed."

Elaine sighed.

"Maggie, listen to me. You saw someone who wasn't there. You've been seeing him everywhere. That's not just stress. That's something serious."

I rubbed my temples. "But what if—"

"No ‘what ifs,'" she interrupted gently. "You need help. There's no shame in that. Please, just talk to someone. A doctor, a therapist… anyone who can help you make sense of this."

I swallowed hard.

At that point, I didn't want to accept what Elaine was saying. She thought I wasn't well. She thought I needed help.

But deep down, I knew she was right.

"Okay…" I said after a long pause. "I'll go."

***

The waiting room smelled sterile, and the hum of quiet voices filled the space.

My hands fidgeted in my lap as I waited for my name to be called. Elaine sat beside me, making sure I was feeling okay.

"Margaret?" a voice called from the hallway.

I exhaled sharply and stood, following the nurse into a quiet office. A man with kind eyes and a calm demeanor greeted me as I sat down.

"I'm Dr. Levin," he said. "Elaine told me a little about what's been happening. Why don't you tell me in your own words?"

I hesitated, then took a deep breath.

"There's a man," I began. "I've been seeing him everywhere. But… he isn't real."

"And how do you know that?" Dr. Levin asked.

Dr. Levin nodded thoughtfully.

"Maggie, after Elaine told me what you went through in your life and analyzing your situation, I believe what you're experiencing is related to prolonged grief," he said.

"Prolonged grief?" I repeated.

"Yes," he said. "When we go through intense loss, sometimes our mind tries to create familiarity… Something or someone that gives us comfort, even if it's not real."

I swallowed hard. I knew where this was going.

"So, you're saying I imagined him?" I asked.

"Not consciously," he reassured me. "Your mind likely created him as a way to cope with your grief. The fact that he helped you with groceries? That's significant. Was there someone in your life who used to do that for you?"

"Y-yes," I stammered. "My husband, Michael. He used to help me with groceries all the time…"

Dr. Levin gave a small, understanding nod.

"Your mind may have taken that memory and shaped it into something tangible. It's not uncommon, especially in cases of unresolved grief. You're not losing your mind, Maggie. You're grieving. And grief can be powerful."

Tears welled in my eyes.

For so long, I had been running from my grief, refusing to face the loneliness that had taken root in my life after Michael passed away in a car accident. His sudden departure had left a void in my life that I was trying to ignore.

Now, that same void was staring me right in the face.

"Can this… stop? Will it go away?" I asked quietly.

"With time and the right support, yes," he smiled. "Therapy, processing your loss, and acknowledging it… those are the first steps. And you don't have to do it alone."

"Okay," I managed to say. "I'll try."

The first therapy session was the hardest.

Talking about Michael, acknowledging the weight of his absence, and letting myself grieve instead of pushing it away. It was overwhelming.

But slowly, I started to feel lighter, like the burden I had been carrying for so long was beginning to lift.

Elaine checked in on me often, and for once, I didn't push her away. I let her be there for me, let her help in ways I'd been too stubborn to accept before.

And let me tell you, the stranger didn't appear again.

Not in the café, not across the street, not in the supermarket parking lot.

And for the first time in a long time, I didn't feel like I was being watched.

I still think about how the mind works in such mysterious ways. How grief can shape reality and how memories can manifest into something we believe is real.

But through it all, one thing remained constant. Elaine.

She was my anchor and the one who kept me from being lost in my own mind. And for that, I'll always be grateful.

If you enjoyed reading this story, here's another one you might like: I came home one night and laid next to my husband on our bed. But when he woke up, I saw the face of a stranger who revealed a huge secret that I didn't want to believe.

This work is inspired by real events and people, but it has been fictionalized for creative purposes. Names, characters, and details have been changed to protect privacy and enhance the narrative. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.

The author and publisher make no claims to the accuracy of events or the portrayal of characters and are not liable for any misinterpretation. This story is provided "as is," and any opinions expressed are those of the characters and do not reflect the views of the author or publisher.