He was sitting on the bench across my parents house, looking bored and licking a cherry lollipop. That reminded my how hungry I was. Couldn't wait to get inside and eat a slice of cake. Or two. Or four. Depends on how I was feeling.
But the oddest thing was the wings.
The sprouted from his back like they were natural, and I had to give him credit. They sure looked natural to me. They were a brilliant, almost blinding, shade of gold. I wondered if he was waiting for a costume party to start, though I hadn't heard about that, and other than the wings, he was dressed completely normally. I wondered if the rest was in that rucksack he had with him.
I nudged Sherlock. "Look at that ridiculous man."
He looked exactly where I was pointing, than looked back at me, confused. "What man?"
I laughed. Gee, who could I possibly be talking about?
"The man on the bench, with the giant golden wings. His dress sense may be even more awful than yours."
He looked at me, even more confused than he was a second ago. "There's no man there."
Oh god. If only Christmas wasn't enough, but no, It had to be one of those days.
I shook my head sadly. "Well, I'm going to talk to this man that YOU apparently can't see."
He looked at me like I was off my rocker, then shook his head and went into the house. Suit himself. I'd rather be out here talking to a man nobody else could see than in there with the family.
"I know how you feel." He called to me. See? I knew there was someone there. I went over and sat next to him.
"Nobody else can see me." he said, after a second.
"I know, right?" I responded. "I'd think they could come up with a better prank than that."
"No." he said, looking at me "It's not a prank. Nobody else can see me."
Now it was my turn to be confused "Are you having me on too?"
"I'm dead Serious."
"Uh huh, sure."
"Why hasn't anybody else noticed?" He said, pointing to the people around him.
"Okay then, I'm dreaming. I'm going to wake up in the middle of July. There is no way I can see a man that nobody else can see."
"I know it's hard to believe, but it true."
"Okay then," I said, starting to get a bit annoyed. "Why is it only me?"
"Because I've come to talk to you."
"About what?"
He smiled at me sympathetically, as if we were about to discuss golf or the weather.
"Stupid younger brothers."