The assignment: Your character comes across someone from his/her past who doesn't remember your character – and your character wants to take advantage of the situation.

The winner: Debra Wilson (dmwilson1955)

An Unlikely Stranger

It was hard to believe that one of her classmates had passed away. There hadn't been a huge crowd at the funeral and now she satquietly off in a corner; waiting – as she always did – for someone else to make the first move.

"Oh my gosh!" the middle age stranger exclaimed as she reached out and literally yanked Renee from her seat and embraced her in a hug that signified they must have once been best of friends. "I can't believe it … I was hoping you would come."

Renee searched her memory, desperately trying to place the face,the voice. She came up blank. She tried to hide it because thiswoman obviously knew her and it would be embarrassing to have toadmit that she didn't have a clue who she was speaking with.

"How are you?" Renee asked, stalling for time.

"I'm great, how about you?" Before Renee could answer the woman continued, "What has it been, twenty years? Remember when…" and off she went into a detailed description of a past Renee had long tried to put behind her. She looked around, praying no one was listening to their conversation. This woman was recounting a time when she was young and stupid and had done things that brought her shame for years to come.

The stranger seemed oblivious to the distress she was creating in Renee. She could feel her palms breaking out in a sweat and though she longed to escape she was mesmerized by the detail in which the woman recounted her sins. Over and over she went through her memory trying to place the face. She had never had many friends, usually just two or three close friends. Perhaps one of them had betrayed her. How else would this stranger know so much about her?

"Oh my, I've gone on and on and haven't given you achance to say a thing, how stupid of me! So, how are Leah & Jess?"

"You know them too?" Renee asked, puzzled.

"Well, of course. They were your best friends. Ah – you have no idea who I am, do you?" With the realization the stranger threw back her head and laughed.

"I'm sorry," Renee apologized, "I'm trying to remember. I never really had many friends. I'm sure you remember that unless I was drinking, I was pretty much a loner."

"Sure, I remember, but I was beginning to think you had forgotten."

"Frankly, my collage days are something I would prefer to forget."

"Well then, I guess I best be on my way." Renee detected rejection and anger in the voice of the stranger.

"Please, I didn't mean to offend you. Won't you tell me who you are?"

"That's easy. Remember the old saying, `Your past willcome back to haunt you?'" With that said, years began to melt away from the strangers face and Renee stood staring at a reflection of herself – twenty years ago. It was in that moment she realized that she was the classmate who had died.