Something else

Yesterday I decided to take the forest-park route after work. It's longer but more scenic. My walk was interrupted in the middle by a naked man, lying on the ground, muttering something under his breath. He was smearing himself with wet soil and fallen leaves, sometimes rising up and trying to draw in air. I listened: "Something else, something else..." I was taken aback, not sure what to ask first. What are you doing here? Have you lost something? Do you need an ambulance? I don’t exactly recall what I ended up asking, but his answer covered everything: “Something else, something else. It's where it shouldn't be, and it may not be where it always seems to. Something else that gives us vigor. You might think we're all connected by love, sex, strength or weakness. It's something else." Something else, something else. Something else, something else. He continued to mumble, ignoring me. Then the man stood up, spread a golden membrane from under his ear and jumped into the park backwater.