Just eat the sub... And get a surprise visit

As I chew on the sandwich, a gentle voice resounds behind me, seeming to effortlessly penetrate through the traffic: "Enjoying it so far, Lewis?" I turn around and look at who's talking to me. A bizarre sight to say the least: It seems to be a bald Asian woman dressed in a brown cloak with some weird sigil on it, like some kind of nun or something. My mouth full, I grumble: "Yeah it's pretty tasty." Just then my eyes widen as I realize this is the first time anyone has talked to me unprompted since I 'became intangible', no to mention that this woman I've never seen before knows who I am, and I'm about to remark on those things, but am interrupted as she continues: "I wasn't talking about the sandwich." She lifts her hand and I calm down just as quickly as I got confused, shrugging off the oddity of her contacting me and knowing my name. She keeps going: "Your Release. We sensed your distress and decided you were in need of liberation." Without really thinking of what she means, I respond: "Liberation? What the hell are you talking about? Who are you, anyway?"

She smiles with calm written all over her anachronistic form and explains: "I am Teng-Wai-Tsoi and I represent the Phantom Window. We are an order who seek Release from worldly suffering and to grant that Release to others who have undergone great distress."

At this point, what she's saying is no stranger than what has happened prior to me meeting her. I swallow to empty my mouth and notice that she's being ignored as much as I am. I keep up the questions: "Alright, Teng-Wuh... I'll just call you Teng, alright? You mean that you and your Phantom Window groupies are the ones who made everyone ignore me?"

She immediately answers: "Yes, we have granted you your freedom. My sisters noticed a cry for help in the void while in meditation and immediately directed their compassion to its source. Thus you were pulled away from the worldly distress into the position of an untouched observer. They then sent me to affirm that the Release was successful. It seems the distress was born of... Guilt and shame? Are we correct?"

I remember almost everything that has happened today. The act of **** my ex- Chelsey Owen- pulled on me, must have resulted in the worst emotional pain I've felt in my life. Worse than when my goldfish died, for sure. Could that be the moment I 'disappeared'? It must have been. I think I can even pinpoint where it happened; in front of that elevator where I had... Oh, God. I literally wished I would 'become nothing'. Seems it came true.

I set the sub down onto the snack stand's counter that I'm still standing in front of and take a moment to admit: "...Yeah. I guess you could say that."

She gently steps forward, her bare feet curiously causing no ripples in the puddles she steps into, and probes: "We need not know the specifics, but you may confess to me if it would make you feel better."

She really is a nun. I do think about confessing, for a moment, but then decide against it. Whatever happened to put me in this position no longer matters. I have to admit, I did think of taking **** on Chelsey, but a more careful examination made me realize that whatever I was to do to her would be shrugged off like a cloud passing by overhead. There's no point in tormenting her if she feels nothing. The only thing I'd be doing is pointlessly amusing myself, as I have thus far. She probably doesn't even remember me anymore, which is exactly what I wanted, so the pain is more or less gone. Still, the temptation may yet re-arise...

"Nah, I'm good." -I say to her and pick the sub back up to finish it. A thought occurs to me, so I ask Teng: "Say, am I the only one who has this ability?" She responds: "No, far from it. All of Phantom Window does. We are all over the world, there's, let's see... About five million of us right now?" I nearly **** on the bread as I react: "Pff-WOW! What? How come I've never heard of you guys before?"

She clarifies: "Well, perhaps you have, but how would you ever know? We are rather..." -she giggles- "...Forgettable!"

I realize what she meant by that. Wow, it's so obvious now, isn't it? Back before today, I've probably ran into them a few times without ever giving it a second thought, just like people now do with me. So how far does this order reach, I wonder? I voice my concern: "So am I a member of Phantom Window now?" She shakes her head and answers: "No, not quite. Only those who choose the path of the liberator are considered a part of Phantom Window. You are simply 'Released' by us. We liberators work together to seek those who are in need of release, people like you used to be. There's quite a lot more of you all than us." She's probably had this exact conversation hundreds of times by now. I decide not to bother her any longer, so I leave with one final question: "How long does my 'Release' last?" She plainly states: "Until your ****, and upon that, you will not be reborn anywhere in the realm of suffering." Oh, sweet mercy. I don't know anything about that rebirth stuff, but to know that I'll be like this until I die is an immense relief. My sandwich finally fully eaten, I experience a spontaneous sensation of intense gratitude. I walk forward and kneel down in front of her, grab her hands, and place my head upon her chest to show my appreciation. "Thank you." -I whisper- "Thank you." She smiles and encourages me to stand back up, which I do. I have to think about if I might want to join Phantom Window, but for now I'd rather get used to my new life.

Teng tells me: "I am simply doing my duty. Now, I have other matters to attend to. If you ever wish to talk to a member of the Phantom Window again, all you need to do is wish for it deeply, and we will contact you. Membership applications are also handled this way." She turns away from me and I almost want to stop her, but knowing that I have nothing smart to ask of her, I let her leave. I turn to look at the unflattering teen manning the snack stand and ask him: "Did you see that nun?" He says: "Uh, yeah. What about her?" I continue: "Do you remember what she was talking about just then?" He scratches his dandruff-ridden hair and then replies: "Something about a phantom something... Actually, I don't remember. Whatever, it didn't seem like anything noteworthy. Why do you ask?" I flick my hand at him dismissively and urge him to: "Never mind."

So, Phantom Window is to thank. It seems I'm immune to this neutralizing aura that both the Window and their Released emit, and vice versa. Downtown Manhattan at my mercy, where oh where should I head now..?