Owen spent the morning on his office computer. First, he checked the local TV listings and found that The Third Man had actually been on the previous night. Then he read up on lucid dreaming and the astral plane. Everything he read had a tangential connection to what he’d experienced, but none of the experiences of others, in their descriptions, were close to his. He determined that what happened through the night was an out-of-body experience, an OBE. He’d read on more than one site that the phenomenon could be brought on by a head injury or great stress. He rubbed the wicked bruised bump on his jaw and envisioned a type of spirit persona leaving his body in order to wander the night world of reality, not dreams. The experience of a phantom—a silent, incorporeal witness to the workings of the world. As this conclusion dawned on him, he heard the chimes at the library’s front door. It would be the first patron of the day.

He walked out to the front desk to see a man in a tweed jacket and dark glasses standing with a camera in his hands. Before Owen could speak, the man said, “I’d like to ask you about the robbery at the Busy Bee.” He leaned his elbows on the counter, trying to appear familiar.

“I gave a statement to the police yesterday at the hospital,” said Owen. “You can go to the station and check it out. Use that for your copy. I’m not offering any interviews.”

“Not even for your local paper? People want to hear about you. You’re a hero for trying to help.”

“I’m not a hero,” said Owen. “The whole thing happened so fast, I was hit in the face and unconscious before I even knew what was going on. I was a helpless bystander. Seriously. Go write that for the paper. It’s the truth,” he said, knowing full well it wasn’t quite.

“I’ll take it,” said the reporter. “That’s something no one else is writing.” With this, he lifted the camera and snapped a quick shot of Owen.

“These are business hours,” said the librarian in his sternest voice.

The man backed away toward the door. “Thanks,” he said. The chimes sounded again and he was gone.