One day, I was waiting to get on the subway. I was eating the apple I always have for breakfast, and I decided to sit next to a homeless man on the bench. While waiting, we saw a fat man walk by us. The hobo then muttered, "Pig."
I didn't give it a second thought, except that the comment was rude. There were still a few minutes until the next subway train arrived, and another man walked past us. He was tall, wearing a business suit. As he walked past, the hobo said, "Human." I thought nothing of this remark, other than he was, obviously, a human. The subway finally arrived, and I left for work.
The next day, the hobo was still there at the subway station. Today I watched from a distance. Several people walked past him; a skinny woman, a muscular man, and an old lady. In turn he muttered, "Soup," "Pork," and "Cookie."
Odd labels, I thought, because obviously none of them was a cookie. I got on the subway again, and proceeded to work. I could not stop thinking about the odd man at the subway station.
I observed him for days to come, and he continued this odd behavior. He would call people bread, carrot, rabbit, milk, and other strange things.
The next day, I walked by the homeless man once again, and he silently muttered, "Apple."
At that point, I finally recognised what was going on. Then, remembering something, I was stricken with horror.
What was the hobo's ability, and why was I horrified?
