Short story #1: Meeting at the Corner

I found him there, distracted, looking at a closed shop window. He was dressed exactly as I had imagined: a shirt wrinkled from being stored away for so long and a smile tired of waiting.

You here? I asked, feigning casualness.

Yeah. I got tired of staying just in your head before sleep.

And why did you never...?

Come true? he completed, adjusting his shirt. You never gave me passage. Always put a 'but,' a 'later,' a 'when.'

Sorry.

No need to apologize. I'm patient. But I came to tell you I'm getting old. Dreams have expiration dates too, you know?

How much time do I have left?

Enough. But don't waste it. He checked an imaginary watch on his wrist. Look, I need to go. Other dreamers are waiting for me.

Wait! What if...

You want to find me again? Just turn the corner of your courage. I'll be there.

When I blinked, he was already gone. But this time, he left a map.