Shadow People

Flickering candle light softened the starkness of the bare room. For a moment his shaggy head and broad shoulders were outlined in stark relief against the wall as he reared over the tumbled pile of pillows and bedding. Slender arms reached up towards him. His hoarse guttural cry matched soft cries of delight then all was quiet. Here, for this moment, passion ruled.

St. Peter’s clock stuck the hour as the two crept down the creaky, attic stairs. He reached back then and taking her hand he pressed the soft palm to his lips. As he walked away the full moon that had been illuminated the sky retreated behind a bank of clouds leaving the street and the stairwell in near total darkness.

A few minutes later, on a quiet residential street, he opened a gate and quickly walked up the path to the door. Inside, he busied himself with his usual routine without turning on a light. The small nightlight was enough for him. After the customary snack of cookies and milk he brushed his teeth and then lay out his things for the morning on the living room sofa; keys, watch and wallet. He slid between crisp sheets in the dark room. His body made a mound of shadow under the otherwise smooth expanse of the bed. He glanced once at the clock to be sure that it was set. Moments later the familiar warmth of pillow and blanket lulled him to sleep.

Perhaps he dreamt or he could simply have been a bit restless because the weather had begun to change that evening. Usually he slept very well after leaving her with the appetites of his body sated and his energies depleted. The quick darting movement of his eyes, the twitching of his lips or the clenching of his hands could have meant that he was dreaming of her. Or perhaps in his dreams he pursued vague thoughts of the work he needed to attend to the next day. Whatever thoughts passed through his dreams that night they didn’t trouble him greatly. He had had many nights with her like this and the routine had become familiar. He slept peacefully never giving another thought to this particular evening or to her.

Sighing she pulled the wrap tightly around slender shoulders and settle onto a seat on the edge of the roof. There would be no sleep for her tonight. As the moon silently travelled the night sky drifting between banks of clouds she travelled the pathways of her heart with quiet intensity. Hours passed as her thoughts wondered.
Then rousing herself from her meditations she produced a glass pipe and put match to it. Above her on the roof a cat hissed. Startled by the flare of the match and her sudden movement it growled in frustrated protest. A mouse had been lost! The dark little killer slunk away to find better hunting with only it’s resentful yellow eyes to be seen glowing in the dark.

A forest of rooftops stretched out before her. Between the buildings a myriad of streets ran straight and true and reached out to point to the four corners of the globe. Thousands of possibilities lay before her like the gossamer threads of a web. She pondered her choices, and the path that she had chosen. A good decision she thought ruefully.
It was time. She drew the sweet, fragrant smoke into her lungs and exhaled with pleasure. For now, she welcomed the momentary mind deadening numbness it afforded her. Then, as the moon began to wan she stood up and lay the pipe down on the seat for she’d not need that kind of potion again.

The lady picked up the last of her bags, laid the keys on the counter, walked down the creaky attic stairs for the last time and stepped into the night. Her car was already warm. There was a map on the sea beside her and a mug of coffee in the holder as she pointed the car west and drove away. For a moment she hesitated and glanced back. It had been a warm and pleasant place to stop but she had become far too complacent. There was nothing and no one here for her. She could find no reason to stay. The time had come to move on.

He climbed into his car intent on getting to work early. He liked to do that as he was a creature of habit. Get in an hour before anyone else and have the time to leisurely drink coffee, read the paper and organize his work day in advance.
Instead, he turned towards her apartment building. He’d never visited her this early in the day before. A mischievous smile tickled his lips. Memories of last night’s pleasure made his groin tingle and his heart beat faster. She’d be surprised to see him. She’d said before that she’d wanted more of him in her life but he’d never had the inclination. The idea of making so drastic a change in his life had not been to his taste and he had told her so. After that they never spoke about it.

Reaching the building he hurried up the stairs. The door to her small apartment stood ajar. The cupboards had been emptied and pictures and small momento's were gone. In the bedroom the sheets and blankets from last night were neatly folded and stacked on the end of the mattress. A set of keys lay on the counter. He sat down with his back against the wall. He called her name and his voice echoed through the tiny apartment. She was gone and they’d never spoke about it.