when they keep coming back ...

i peeped inside the room through the wide open door. He wasn't there. Some one else was sitting on a chair near the window... i was leaving when something struck my mind and i turned back... i felt i know this guy... i wasn't able to see his face as i was standing at his back.. he was probably not aware of my presence in the room... i was taken aback when i started to realize who he could be.. i was afraid... i was happy... i was confused ... i did not know what was going on within me... and then I said:
"Excuse me!"
[No reply]
"----" [I called him by his name. let's not write that out here]
"hullo..."
[No reply yet. my voice isn't so low, why doesn't he turn then? may be he is in his own world!]
"----"
[Still no reply]
Now, I was still standing there half inside the room when he suddenly turned back, got up from the chair and moved slightly closer to me. I said:
"Oh my god! is that you? but how could it be? i mean is this all real what am seeing?"
He stood still. He stood silent. He stood puzzled. And he was constantly looking at me... almost staring me. I was more puzzled than him. I continued:
"You are ----, rt?"
"Yes"
[i went closer to him, observed him carefully, controlling myself and suddenly realizing that he was someone else. now even more confused, i asked him:]
"You are not ----! You look a little different. And if you are ----, then why didn't you answer when i called you twice by your name before ? And after all, why did you say that you are ----"
"Did you call me, oh.. i didn't know, i was lost in my thoughts really. [Smile, so familiar] but i still don't know what you're talking about. And yes, my name is ---, so what's wrong with that?"
I had never seen such a thing in my life. I was almost going mad at that moment.
"Man, you look surprisingly similar to ---. trust me, for few minutes i started to believe the impossible"
"I still haven't understood what's going on?"
"Lemme explain it. I had a friend called ----. Strange enough that you look so very similar to him and even have the same name. Anyone would confuse you for him. Well, he left us some time back. so when i saw you from that distance, i felt you were him and so ...."
"okay okay i got it... i understand. so he was your good friend, rt?"
"yes. and i miss him"
"yea that's natural. anyway, let's go out for a stroll."
He didn't even ask my name. And next moment we were walking on the road under the shadows of tall trees with bright sunlight making their way to the ground through the not-so-dense leaves.
My new friend was laughing at something while i was still wondering at things and telling the third guy what all had happened just few minutes back. I still don't know who that third guy was, as i never saw his face, neither do i know how and when did he join us... but i remember telling him that see how my new friend so closely resembles ---- even in the manner he laughs.

And suddenly i opened my eyes to realize it was morning. i was wondering why did i see all that ... it had left me severely disturbed. i was in pain again. sometimes people don't leave you even when they are not around... even when they've left, even when they have left to places far far away, even when they've left forever ...

they just keep coming back...

i looked at the calendar. one month and a day had just passed.