From Bernard.

Firstly, you may think that you truly know someone, perhaps a close friend, or a relative, maybe even a family member that you like spending time with. However, no matter how much you may think that you understand and know someone, that might not always be the case. Now, this isn’t my story, as it is the experience of my friend Bernard and someone he used to think of as a friend. Let’s call this ex-friend, Terry. Bernard has also approved of me sharing this story, so don’t worry, already got his consent. The first time Bernard met Terry was during his last year in university. Terry seemed like a social and likable guy. They met during a school project where multiple different classes were grouped up. The project itself is not important. From what I gathered, it went well enough. Bernard instantly liked Terry. That is what good charisma can do for you. They bonded over their shared interests for the outdoors and wildlife. They began meeting up to have a drink and talk about random stuff that they recently learned. Even back then, there were red flags making themselves clear. Terry had mood swings. He would get easily frustrated at the most mundane things. He also had a tendency to embellish a story. Bernard realized this when he noticed that the stories being told by Terry about his background didn’t match up. Bernard reasoned that every person had some negative qualities, and these just so happened to be Terry’s. It was a year after they graduated that the story took place. Bernard still occasionally met up with Terry, but these meet-ups became less and less frequent. It was during this time that Terry’s temper got even worse. Terry would go into a screaming fit and insult Bernard for simply being in the same room as him. Bernard began to realize that Terry was not a good person, much less a good friend. Bernard had decided that it was time to cut ties with Terry. Let’s just say, things didn’t go over all that well. But before we get to that, they decided to meet at a local park that they frequented. It was awkward from the very start. There was this uncomfortable silence between the two. Bernard didn’t really get into detail about what exactly he said. Bernard has never been that good of a storyteller. Anyhow, at some point, Bernard just got to the point and tried gently to explain to Terry that there is little reason for them to continue to meet up. The thing was, Terry didn’t seem to react. Bernard described it as if Terry didn’t care, his expression was this blank stare. Not sure about the details of how things led up to this, but as they began making their way back to the entrance of the park, Terry just wordlessly took off into the forest. Bernard was left stunned. He just watched as the shape of Terry disappeared between the trees. Bernard tried calling out to his now ex-friend but was met with no reply. In the end, Bernard made his way back to his car. He started the engine and turned on the headlights. The light illuminated a figure peering out from behind a tree. Bernard could make out the face of Terry staring back at him. Indescribable rage was plastered on Terry’s face as he glared at Bernard. And then, Terry stepped out from behind the tree, brandishing a kitchen knife. Bernard isn’t sure as to how or when he could have gotten that knife, unless he had been carrying it with him from the very start. Bernard floored it out of there and didn’t look back. After that, he blocked Terry on all platforms and hoped that that would be the end of it. And for a while, it was. But when Bernard one day opened the door to his apartment, he found a message carved crudely into the door. 'I know where you live, you backstabbing traitor.' Bernard contacted the police, but due to a concerning lack of security cameras in the building, there was nothing they could do besides taking a report. Bernard moved shortly thereafter. He hasn’t seen or heard from Terry ever since. All in all, be careful out there. You never know just how dangerous and troubled some people can be.

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Doug Friends April 28, 2026 at 7:20 pm 0 0