The Smiling Man of Seattle, 2011

On a deserted Seattle sidewalk in April 2011, a man in a pressed suit stood perfectly still at 2am, his mouth stretched into an unnatural, permanent smile. Every streetlight flickered just behind him as he followed step for step, never blinking, always grinning wider. The air was so silent my shoes sounded deafening, but he never once broke his silence or pace-just that frozen grin locked on me. For three blocks he stalked me, arms hanging limp, head tilted, until without warning, he stopped and melted into the shadow of an alley. The police never identified the Smiling Man, and no resident has confessed to playing the part.