mysterious stranger

she was sitting on the rocky slope near the edge of the water. she knew she was invisible to the road that passed right next to her. but somehow he seemed know where she was. she was sitting there tonight, cold and lonely, trying to convince herself that she wanted to be alone, that that was why she had gone to such a secluded spot, when he appeared at the top of the slope. he ambled down a few feet, stopping just a bit above her, acting as if he wandered up to strangers at midnight all the time. she watched him, the surprise on her face easily read in the bright moonlight.
"he didnt show up did he?" the guy asked. she didnt know what he was talking about and said so.
"the guy who you are obviously waiting for," he responded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"no." she said, still somewhat confused. where did this guy get the idea that she was waiting for someone? "there's no guy."
"fine. i'll pretend to believe you." he said simply, shrugging his shoulders as if he didnt really care either way. he deftly changed the subject and kept her talking until she started to get tired. by that time, she had forgotten her lonliness and had been animatedly talking about her life. finally, he stood up, claiming a sore butt and cold hands. he reached over to her and gripped her hands to help her stand up. his hands were pleasantly warm to her nearly frozen ones, but she decided not to call out his bluff, because she was so cold. she thanked him and started to walk away. after a few steps, she turned and said, "you were right." he looked at her confused, "what?"
"you were right," she repeated. "i was waiting for someone. but he did come." with that, she turned and trotted back to her dorm. smiling, the stranger walked into the dark.

a few weeks later, she was feeling depressed about life once more and so she headed down to her lonely perch next to the river. by this time, she had nearly forgotten about the stranger she had met last time. as she sat there this night, a night that was just as bright with moonlight as the last but much warmer, she started thinking about how that stranger had managed to make her bad feelings go away with no effort. she was just wishing she would see him again, when she heard a rustle not too far away. she looked up expectantly, but her shoulders drooped when she saw a rabbit run past.
"looking for me?" she heard a quiet voice behind her say. she spun, trying to force herself not to hope. her face lit like a newly born star when she saw it was him. once more, he sat next to her and talked with her until she was too tired to stay out any longer. as they stood, him helping her up once more, he said, "i fear this may be the last we see of each other." seeing the saddest expression on her face, he reached into his pocket and pulled something out. turning her hand to face upwards he placed that object in her hand and closed her fingers over it.
"keep this with you. if you are ever feeling sad or lonely, pull it out and it will take away the pain." he said it as if it were magical. as soon as he said it he bid her a good night and farewell and disappeared into the dark. she tried following him with her eyes, but within seconds she could no longer see him, despite the bright moonlight. looking down, she opened her hand. in it was the most beautiful stone she had ever seen. the stone fit perfectly into the hollow of her palm, its edges smoothed by years of wear by the water. it was a magnificent blue, deep in color but completely translucent. if she held it up to the moonlight, it shined out a rainbow of colors.

she kept this with her for the rest of her days. she went back to that spot near the river many times the next year, but never once saw that stranger again. she eventually gave up, going through boyfriends, graduating college, finding a job, getting married and eventually growing old and passing on. throughout all this, she pulled out that stone whenever she was sad or lonely and looked through it in the moonlight. and every time she did, those feelings were whisked away and in their place a feeling of great warmth and happiness was felt.