The sun had set as I caught the evening bus home. It was almost empty. So I chose a seat in front of two girls. Immediately I felt eyes boring into me. Not wanting to be obvious, I pretended to look out of the window but scanned its reflection for clues. Immediately I spotted her.

A thin lady dressed in a long burgundy prairie-like dress. She had messy wire hair. And circles so dark under the eyes it made them pop out. Those eyes. Still, unmoving, lifeless, staring at me.

I wondered if she saw me looking at her reflection because in the next minute, she moved across the aisle and took the seat next to me. And stared.

Not wanting to acknowledge her presence, I took out my People Magazine and flipped the pages calmly. But my mind was churning. What if she follows me down the bus? Where should I stop? Who can I call? Will the 2 girls at the back help me if she whips out a knife? Should I move to another seat now? Should I even try?

I peeped from the corner of my eye. Her head was down like she was dozing. But as I flipped another page of my magazine, her head shot up and she went back to staring mode. This dozing and staring pattern went on for a while. I resigned myself to staying still and screaming if she attacked me.

Mercifully, she eventually got up and moved back to her original spot. By this time, more people had boarded the bus and I felt safer. So I didn't move. She continued to stare from her vantage point until I got off the bus. It was a huge relief that she didn't exit with me. I wouldn't have known who to call really.