The Mannequin Man

I know Old Lady Winters' home is empty when she's out, but when I walk home from work late at night I swear I see somebody in the upstairs window alone.

I think it's a guy. It could be her son, or grandson. If she has either one.

Sometimes I see a shadow, sometimes a man. Sometimes it feels like a shadow of a man.

Sometimes when I'm walking, out of the corner of my eye, I see the shadow-man holding a sign.

“Help me” said the sign. I blinked and saw “Please”, what a quick decline.

I know you think I'm crazy, but if you were here, you'd be seeing the same. If only I knew his name.

I walked closer to Old Lady Winters' home and saw the shadow-man had moved windows.

The closer I got, the more the shadow-man looked familiar. Or similar to someone, something...

“Please help me Gabbie” was the next thing I saw after I blinked and I swear blind that the shadow-man winked.

You might think I'm crazy, it might all be hazy.

The closer I got, the more I could see. The shadow-man wasn't winking, or blinking.

Was this even a man at all?

What had Old Lady Winters done to this pleading Paul?

As I stepped onto the porch, that's where the light started to scorch.

You see, the shadow-man? He was really the mannequin man.