The Window in the Hedge

 The hole in the hedge appeared one night. I noticed it as I was taking the kitchen compost to the garden heap.

It was a rough hole, about the size of a LP.

The next day I inspected the hole and found that it been worked on further.

It was now a perfectly square-shaped gap near the top of the privet, excellently formed and precisely cut. 

Literally, a window in the hedge.

At head height.

It was even more peculiar as no-one lived next door. The property had been empty for years. Even so, I went there to see if I could find any clues as to who the secret topiarist was.

There was nothing. 

The following day, watering our herbaceous borders, I let out a loud shriek.

There, in the hole was a man's face! 

He was standing in the garden next door staring through the the hedge directly at me.

I was so startled I dropped the hose, the nozzle twisting and spraying a little water on the stranger's forehead. 

He blinked as the drips ran into his eyes. 

Other than that he made no sound whatsoever.

His face was almost uncharacteristically plain. 

A bland countenance of indiscriminate features, as if they were still forming.

Hello!

I spoke but was uncertain that I should have done. 

I was also uncertain that I was facing an actual person, rather, some apparition from the derelict garden itself or a figment of my own imagination.

The man mouthed a reply, but omitted to produce a sound.

In silence he lipped

Hello.

I swiveled and waved to get my wife's attention at the kitchen window, but when I returned my gaze to the stranger he was gone.

My wife found the story hard to believe, so marching her outside I said

Look! 

Yes, I see a hole, I grant you dear, but no-one behind it. And besides, it's in the middle of the hedge, not near the top like you said.

What?

I was gobsmacked.

The square had moved straight down to the middle of the hedge, now about half way-up.

I couldn't believe it.

It was as if someone had dragged the gap straight downwards, whilst perfectly re-instating the missing hedge above.

It was both miraculous and frightening.

I couldn't sleep that night.

I got up around 3 am and walked out to the hedge with a torch.

I screamed again.

To my horror the man was back, this time sitting down on a chair in the dark, his face now more pronounced, his features becoming clearer.

As I shone my torch in his eyes I again attempted contact.

Hello!

This time the response had sound. 

Maybe half-sound but I could discern the word

Hello.

The whisper sounded somehow vaguely familiar.

Suddenly my torch went momentarily dead and when the beam returned the man had once again disappeared. 

I woke my wife and frantically explained what I'd seen.

Darling, it's 3.30am in the morning. You're simply overtired. We'll discuss it in the morning!

When we woke I asked my wife to join me in the garden.

Darling, is this a joke? Are you pulling my leg, because it's not funny!

No, no, I'm not. You have to believe me. The hole was in the middle last night. Not where it is now!

The square gap had once again migrated downwards leaving no trace of it's former location.

It was now positioned at the base of the privet. A perfectly cut square hole at the bottom of the hedge.

I went inside with my wife, who phoned the doctor for an appointment for me.

You're better off phoning the police. Or maybe even a priest!

I laughed nervously when I said this.

I felt odd. Woozy. Weakened. 

You're so pale Darling. Sit down and I'll make you a nice cup of sweet tea.

I couldn't get my mind off the hole and when my wife left the house to buy some Lucozade for me, I tip-toed back into the garden.

Fatigue robbing me of my normal stamina, I crouched down on my stomach and peered through the gap into next door's garden.

Once again I yelped with fear.

Staring back at me was the man.

His face was fully formed. 

To my absolute terror I realised that I was looking at ....

myself!

Hello!

It was the stranger who spoke first this time.

He spoke using my voice!

I wailed,

My God, what is happening?

Without warning the man who looked like me now quickly crawled through the gap onto my side.

He stood up and I could see that he was a perfect facsimile of myself.

What the ...!

As I shouted I found myself also scrabbling through the hole into the other side. It was impossible to stop myself and before I knew it I was standing in next door's garden.

Somehow the square hole had returned to its original head-height and I found myself staring through it at the stranger who looked exactly like me.

 Tears formed in my eyes, as somehow I knew I would not be returning home and my worst fears were realised when I asked,

Who are you?

The stranger, now me, replied, smiling.

I. Am. You!