For a while neither of us spoke. Up close, now that I had seen the truth hidden inside his soul, the illusion had become impossible to maintain.
The old man noticed my silence and smiled faintly.
"You have that look."
I glanced toward him.
"What look?"
"The look people get when they discover something that explains far too many things at once."
The smile widened.
"It is usually followed by either a question or a headache."
"Maybe both."
"Reasonable."
I studied him for a few more moments before speaking.
"You know, I once knew someone."
The old man raised an eyebrow but said nothing.
"He was my mentor for a time. Not officially. He would probably complain if I called him that. He preferred pretending he wasn't helping anyone while somehow ending up helping everyone anyway."
The old man chuckled softly into his drink.
"I know the type."
"I'm sure you do."
The corners of his mouth twitched. I looked out toward the horizon.
"He died."
