dark secret

prompt: Write a short story or poem (in any genre) starting OR ending with this line from a Simon and Garfunkel song: "Hello darkness, my old friend"
word count: 501

Hello darkness, my old friend.

It had been awhile since he had done this, years, at least, but old habits are hard to break. He was pleased to know he had not lost his touch in the time away. Yes, his breath labored a bit more and his strength had diminished a little, but now he made up for that with superior knowledge hard-earned through experience. He smiled to himself. Yes, he still had it.

Down the alleyway he moved, silently, gracefully, he feet barely skimming the ground even with the weight of his worn leather boots pulling them down. His body hugged the cold stone wall, becoming one with the shadows. His ears perked up, straining to their highest capabilities for any audible clue his location was compromised, but there was nothing. All was quiet.

He looked up, surveying his surroundings one last time before he gripped the stones of the palace walls with both hands. When he found his footing, he began to climb. It was more difficult than he remembered, but he was able to reach the rooftop without issue. With his body crouched low, he skulked across the rooftop until he reached the balcony he was looking for. Holding on to the edge of the roof, he lowered his body down and swung onto the balcony, landing swiftly on his feet. He opened the window just enough for him to slip his lean body through and crawled inside.

His body halted immediately. There she was, sitting on the edge of the bed in her nightdress, her arms folded in her lap.

"Oh my - the Shadow Walker," she said with mock fear in her voice. She cocked her head to the side to feign confusion, "Hmmm...I wonder who could be behind that mask?"

She marched towards where he stood rooted to the ground until she was in front him. She reached her arms up and around the back of his head, loosened the knot holding the black mask in place and pulled it away. Although he knew she knew his identity all along, he swore he saw a flicker of surprise in her dark eyes anyway. They stood there, staring at each other for several long seconds before she put the mask in his hands and turned and walked back to the bed.

"Are you angry with me?" he asked her retreating form, attempting to hide the worry building in his chest.

"A little," she replied climbing into the bed.

He walked toward her, peeling off his black shirt. He wrapped it around the mask and shoved both in the bottom of the trunk at the end of the bed. He climbed in the bed to lay beside her.

"How did you know?" he asked, rolling on his side to face her.

She smiled. "Because if he was anyone else, you would have caught him by now." She pressed her lips to his before turning on her other side away from him. "Goodnight, Love," she said before closing her eyes.