"Yeah, see ya," Donna said to the stranger in her house. She turned away from the man and continued her conversation about a friend. She laughed aloud as she walked into the bedroom so she could talk in peace.
As soon as she reached the bedroom she felt queasy. Her head became light and she could no longer stand straight. "Can I call you back?" she asked her friend. Donna hung up the phone and sat down on the edge of her bed, placing her head in her hands. The migraine was a surprise; she didn't remember ever having to deal with migraines. She massaged her head between her hands and let her mind wander.
What had her friend said about the planets? That there had been some that you could see in the sky? Did she think she was thick? Her friend was probably trying to pull a quick one over on her.
But what if she wasn't lying? What if she had missed out again and there really had been planets? Donna shook her head to try to clear it. Of course none of that was possible. She was a logical person and she wouldn't be fooled.
Who had the strange man been in her house? Certainly not anyone she had ever met, although his look was familiar to her. She felt as if she had known him a long time, yet was sure she had never seen him in her life. She wouldn't let him know, but she was fascinated by the thin man. Perhaps she had developed a small crush in the little time she had known him.
I wonder if I will ever see him again. Perhaps I should ask granddad, she thought. What did he say his name was again? Oh right, John Smith. Well that doesn't help me any, does it?
She saw a flash of light behind her eyes and instantly sat up. What in bloody hell was that? She didn't dare close her eyes again for fear that it would happen again.
The man had seemed sad, like he had lost something valuable to him. She wondered what had happened. He had seemed deeply saddened and hurt, and the thought made her a little sad. John had clearly been through many struggles. She wanted to know more about him.
She tried to stand and found that she could, despite the pounding in her head. Donna noted that it was raining outside. There was a strange whirring noise as she exited the room, and she entered the living room just as her granddad sat back down next to her mother on the couch.
"Who was that man and why was he here? Do you guys know him? Is he coming back any time soon?" All of her questions spilled out at once.
Her granddad looked up at her with pain in his eyes. "He won't be coming back."
Donna felt her heart sink a bit. Whatever hurt had been infliction John was now reflected in her granddad's eyes. She didn't understand exactly what was going on, and she wasn't going to figure it out with this headache.
Her legs felt weak again. "I'm going to go rest," she said, going back to the bedroom. She lay down on the bed and dosed off, dreaming of volcanos and snow, as well as the man who was never to enter her life again.