The Lord of Shadows

by E E Ewer

  Nire had no idea how to dance formally, but that didn’t seem to be a problem. Her partner guided her every step, and she seemed to move effortlessly with him across the floor. She spent a lot of time examining the detail of his suit – he was so tall that to hold her head straight she got a lovely view of his lapels. Realizing she’d not actually seen who she was dancing with, she turned her gaze upwards.

  Suddenly she found herself looking at his shoulder. Confused she looked again to his face, and again she found her gaze directed elsewhere, this time at the hand that held hers. The harder she tried to see his face, the dizzier she seemed to get. As she got more and more frustrated, she realized that the other dancers had all gone. Also it seemed, so had the ballroom, the floor, and everything else as well.

  She looked around but all she could see was darkness. Glancing back to her partner once again she was still completely unable to focus on his face. Music was hanging in the air around them like fog, and he continued to lead her in dance. Nire suddenly became frightened of the darkness that surrounded them, and in a panic she pushed away from her partner as if he was the source of her fears.

  In a start Nire hit her head on the window as she jerked awake. Her bedroom light was still on, and she had an awful crick in her neck from the way she’d been sleeping. Setting one foot on the floor she felt the hard square of her book beneath her toes. She picked it up and dangled it in her fingers for a moment while rubbing her neck with her free hand. Ok, falling asleep while reading fantasy novels is not the best idea. She considered silently.

  Making her way to her bed she undressed and flopped into the soft covers, hitting the switch on her desk lamp as she rolled over and tried to get back to sleep.

  Graduation had gone well; there had been no unusual mishaps aside from one graduate tripping on his gown and face planting on the stage. It had stirred quite a few giggles from the audience and the other graduates, but the unfortunate boy popped right back up and held his diploma high over his head in a motion of triumph, resulting in cheers from the crowd.

  After graduation Nire’s mother and father took her out for a celebration dinner. Her father had brought her a bouquet of beautiful red roses, which were placed in a vase before they headed out to eat. Tomorrow was the first day of summer vacation before she undoubtedly had to decide on a major for college. Nire, Jen and Nikki had already resolved to go to the same university. Classes began in late august and registration was required before July 15.

  It was technically okay to not choose a major your first year, all the foundation classes were the same for everyone. Nire knew however, the longer she put it off the harder it would be to simply make the choice when the time came. Taking Nikki’s advice she decided to research the career possibilities for an art major. Maybe she could find something that really struck her fancy, that wouldn’t leave her in a studio apartment and visiting her parents every night for dinner.

  Nire’s dreams got more and more vivid as the days passed, and she got exceedingly suspicious about the book she’d been reading at bedtime. Hoping that was the cause of her nightly disturbances, she decided to put off reading at night for a while, or at least change subject matter. This morning she’d been woken again at 3 a.m. by another unusual dream, featuring the same figure as before whose face she couldn’t quite see.

  Today, the moon was in its first quarter and could be seen hanging low in the bright blue sky as the day began to warm. Nire had spent the last few days with her friends, and decided that today would be the perfect day to take a walk in the forest behind her house. Packing a lunch, her sketchbook and some pencils, she headed out the back door and jumped the fence into the grassy field.

  She hopped around the patches of grass that came near to her waist. It had become a bit of a game to her now; avoiding the tall grass. The grass that grew that high made her a bit nervous. She didn’t like the idea of what might be lurking beneath her that she couldn’t see, somewhere down below the stalks. Halfway across the field she stopped at the oak tree and climbed up onto the blackened boulder that sat beside it.

  Nire rested her hand on the trunk of the scorched tree and felt the dry texture of the black bark beneath her fingers. After surveying the field for the patches of short grass that she planned to walk through, she jumped off the boulder and continued on towards the tree line. To avoid getting lost, she always entered the forest at the same spot, and went in the same direction.

  An ugly old knotty oak tree sat among the saplings at the forests edge. It was pretty easy to notice from anywhere along the tree line, and from this place Nire knew exactly how to get to her favorite spot. Only a few minutes later she found her way to where she often sat and sketched on nice days like this one.

  There was a set of large boulders to sit on to the right, and a fallen tree to the left. A family of robins had nested there before the tree fell four years ago. Even though it was now horizontal and much closer to the ground, they still came back every year to build their nest in that same tree. The branches varied each year, but it was always near the same spot. Sometimes Nire wondered if it was actually the same pair of birds, or if it was one of the hatchlings that grew up here.

  Sitting comfortably on her rock, she looked around for inspiration. The trees rustled above her head as a light wind blew through them, and the sun danced spots of light across her skin from the canopy. Birds called their songs through the forest and the sound of running water could be heard in the distance.

  She found a subject worthy of her attention down by the wet earth, posted on a piece of rotting bark. The newt sat very still as she drew, and each time she looked up she glared daggers at it, just daring it to move before she was finished. Breathing quickly, the newt held still.

  A shadow passed overhead, grabbing Nire’s attention. She looked up to see a red tailed hawk pass over her and watched it as it landed on a tree in the distance. Taking the moment of distraction to its full advantage, the newt scurried off to hide under a bush, escaping the menacing glances of its company. When Nire resumed the task at hand and returned her attention to the newt, she found it had run off. Scoffing at its untimely escape she left the drawing partially unfinished and moved onto her next subject. An acorn, that’s nice and still.

  As the afternoon pressed on, Nire’s thoughts wandered to the hawk that had flown overhead earlier. That would be an interesting subject, she thought, maybe next time I see one I will try to get close enough to draw it. A low rumble of thunder caught her attention as the sky darkened above her, but through the trees she wasn’t able to tell how far away the storm was. The leaves rustled as a strong wind took them to flight, and Nire’s hair got caught in her face.

  Shoot. She thought. Unsure of how long she had before she got rained on, she decided to pack up her things and head home, just to be safe. As she passed quickly through the trees she hopped over a small stream of water, expertly dodging a stray branch that stuck out from the tree to her right. Or, almost expertly at least; her bag caught the branch and was pulled from her shoulder just as she landed on the other side.

  “Damn!” she shouted just as thunder crashed above her head, making her jump. She quickly snatched up her bag and slung it over her shoulder. Her pace quickened as she began to hear the sound of raindrops hitting the leaves around her. Shoot shoot shoot! She repeated in her head. As she spotted the knotty oak tree in the distance her steps became a light jog.

  Reaching the tree line she was finally able to get a clear look at the sky above her. It was practically black with storm clouds and the wind was picking up. She started to cross the field quickly as it began to rain. Lightning flashed somewhere behind her, and the following thunderclap made her heart leap into her throat. She could hear the sound of rain as it began to fall heavily behind her, and her jog turned into an all out sprint as she darted for the house. The storm hit full on as she jumped the fence to her backyard and she made a beeline for the back door. Flinging it open she rushed inside and slammed the door behind he
r.

  Another lighting flash followed by booming thunder trailed her entry.

  “Oh, thank goodness you made it home,” her mother started as she walked into the kitchen. “I was hoping you wouldn’t get caught in the storm…” Her voice trailed off as she spotted Nire standing back against the door, nearly soaking wet. “Well, I guess you did get caught, didn’t you?” she finished.

  “Yup, it caught me alright,” Nire said as she tried to catch her breath. Her bag made a sloshing sound as she plopped it on the floor. “I didn’t even get to eat my lunch,” she added, looking at her soaked bag.

  “Well, I’ll tell you what,” her mother said. “You go get changed and dried off, and I’ll make you a new one.”

  “Jane, have you seen my reading glasses?” her husband asked as he walked into the room, glancing up at Nire. “What on earth happened to you?” he asked the soaked girl. Both women exchanged glances and looked at Richard with raised eyebrows. “…Oh, right,” he said as he was reminded of the storm by a rumbling roll of thunder.

  “They’re in the parlor dear,” Jane responded to his original question as Nire slipped her shoes off and headed upstairs.

  When she came back down her mother had fixed a ham sandwich and set it on the counter for her. She took a seat at the table with the sandwich plate in hand as the kettle began to whistle. After pouring a cup of hot tea for Nire, and one for herself, Mrs. Alder set the cups on the table and sat down across from her daughter. Nire took the warm mug in her hands and brought the cup to her face, breathing in the soothing steam.

  “Mmmm,” she smiled contently before taking a sip. The hot liquid warmed her and made her feel at ease as the storm continued to pour down rain outside. As she sat with her tea her eyes wandered to the door, and her bag that still sat on the floor.

  “Oh no!” she suddenly yelled as she shot out of her chair, abandoning her cup of tea.

  “What is it Nire?” her mother asked.

  “My sketchbook!” she shouted as she fell to her knees in front of her bag, opening the top flap and emptying the contents. Pulling out her sketch book she let out a loud groan. “Oughh! It’s soaked!” she said with an air of disappointment in her voice. Nire felt like she was going to cry. It’s not like it had been full, or even halfway full yet, but still…

  She sat slumped over on the floor, her legs stretched out in front of her. She felt utterly defeated. Her mother stood above her and put her hand on her shoulder. “Well, maybe it’s not so bad…” she suggested, taking the soaked book from her distraught daughter. “I’ll go hang it up in the laundry room and see if it can’t be saved.”

  Nire nodded but didn’t respond. After a few moments she stood up, and with very little effort gave her bag a small kick. Miserably she walked to her room and flopped down onto the bed, putting her face in her pillow. “Mmmmmmmfff!” she said.

  Evening came but Nire didn’t feel much like eating. She lay in bed, mourning the loss of her sketchbook. Her mother came to the door sometime around 7 p.m. and knocked.

  “Nire hun? Do you want some dinner?” she asked as she opened the door a crack to peek in.

  “No,” she mumbled. “Not hungry.”

  “Well, all right. There are some leftovers in the fridge if you decide you want something.”

  “Kay,” Nire said flatly. Her mother quietly closed the door and headed back downstairs. Nire turned over in bed and faced the door where her mother had been standing, and let out a sigh. Curled up in bed and hugging her stuffed bear as the sun set, she eventually she drifted off to sleep. Outside the storm continued to rage as the night crept on.

  A loud crash woke Nire from her sleep, and instinctively she reached to turn on her lamp. But it didn’t turn on. Oh god… she thought as she realized her nightlight was out. In a panic she grabbed the flashlight with both hands and fumbled with the switch. Turn on turn on turn on PLEASE turn on! Her thoughts cried. Click. A yellow beam of light cascaded across her floor. Quickly she turned the flashlight to the corner of her room. Nothing. She took a deep breath and looked out her window. There were no porch lights on at the neighbor’s house, this time the power was out.

  She stood up on shaky legs and started walking towards the bedroom door. The sound of footsteps came up the stairs and her mother opened the door as Nire stood in the center of her room, flashlight shaking in her hands.

  “Are you all right Nire?” her mother asked with audible concern. Her father trailed shortly behind her in the dark hallway.

  “I’m – I’m okay…” Nire stuttered, clearly shaken. Her mother walked to her and put her arms around her shaking daughter. Comforting the frightened girl she looked to her husband who still stood in the hallway.

  “We’re fine Richard. Go call the power company and see how long it’s going to be before the lights are turned back on.” He nodded and headed back down the stairs. Turning to Nire she guided her back to her bed and sat down with her. “It’s all right sweetie, nothing is going to happen.” Her mother was used to her losing it during power outages. It hadn’t really been bad in recent years, but tonight was different.

  “It’s not that… I’m okay, really.” Nire wanted to explain it was because of a dream she’d had weeks ago – but she hadn’t told her mom about the dream, and didn’t want to worry her. Nire had suffered constant nightmares as a child, and letting her mother think she was just afraid of the power outage was a lot better than worrying her that her nightmares were coming back.

  After all, these new dreams were not really nightmares. Sure they were scary sometimes, but they weren’t really… threatening. In fact, she got the distinct feeling of not being threatened. Aside from the fact that they occasionally scared the life out of her, she never felt like she was in danger. This realization brought her to thinking, what was it that scared me so much then? If not feeling threatened, why would she be afraid?

  The logic defied her. Darkness didn’t threaten her, but she was afraid of it. Though she supposed it was what the darkness concealed that really frightened her, it didn’t matter if she knew nothing was in the dark or not. The very fact that she couldn’t see what was there scared her to death. So perhaps it wasn’t really the darkness she found so frightening, it was the unknown.

  Chapter 2

  Table of Contents

  Morning dawned through the storm clouds that still hung in the cool damp sky, and Nire’s parents readied themselves for work. The power had finally come back on around 4 a.m., and the exhausted brunette slept until early afternoon. When 2 p.m. rolled around, she was still laying in bed, thinking about her sketchbook. She decided to go ahead and call Jen. No doubt her friends would be able to cheer her up.

  Not long after her phone call, Jen and Nikki showed up at her doorstep. They had made it a point to bring with them a new list of art related careers each time they got together, and Nire couldn’t help but laugh as the two girls traded off listing as many professions as they could find.

  Somewhere after the second page of job options, Nire laughed out loud. “Okay okay! I get it, there are lots of things I could do!” She smiled at her friends who handed her their lists as they walked down the sidewalk. Nire folded them up and put them in her pants pocket.

  “Anyway Mouse, Nikki and I have a surprise for you,” Jen said to her friend.

  “Oh?” Nire asked, curiosity trailing her voice.

  “Yup,” Nikki responded, “but we have to go downtown for it.”

  The two girls refused to tell Nire what they were doing, but none the less the curious brunette followed her friends onto the 10-80 bus to downtown. Once they reached their stop, the girls pulled their friend off the bus and eagerly dragged her down the busy city street.

  “Slow down guys my legs are too short for this!” Nire shouted at her friends laughing.

  “Oh, I’m not much taller than you,” Nikki responded. “Stop fussing and hurry up! If you hadn’t slept in all day we wouldn’t have to hurry before they closed.”

 
As they rushed down the sidewalk Nire realized where they were headed. South Eaton Paint Supply. It was a locally owned art supply shop, and they always closed early on Thursdays. The two girls pulled Nire into the shop and around the tightly lined shelves to the drawing section. Nire stood back and watched her friends with a smile on her face as they pretended to look extremely studious at each sketch book. Finally Jen picked up a rather expensive black, hard bound sketchbook. Nire’s mouth dropped.

  “You guys can’t buy me that,” she protested.

  “Sure we can,” started Jen. “We are going halves-ies, see?” Jen held up a $10 bill, and so did Nikki. They grinned.

  “That one’s too expensive guys, there are cheaper ones that are just as good…” Nire protested again.

  “Nope, we are getting you this one. Besides it looks like it might be more waterproof than the flimsy paper, spiral ones…” Jen teased. The girls walked to the counter and paid for the book as Nire trailed behind them, her protests going unheard. Nikki took the small paper bag and they left the store with Nire in tow. Hopping the return bus home, the girls stopped at the park near South Eaton Bridge and headed towards a grassy area in the bright afternoon sun.

  They sat under a tree, and Jen took the sketchbook from the bag that Nikki held.

  “All right Nire, you can have this sketchbook on one condition!” she exclaimed, holding the book and shaking it at her.

  “What?” Nire asked.

  “You must draw Jen and me in the first two pages!” Nikki responded with a smile.

  Nire laughed. “Okay, you’ve got yourselves a deal!”

  Nire drew the portraits of her two best friends as the sun tapered in the sky. As soon as Jen was done posing in a ridiculous manner for her portrait, Nikki assumed the position of perfect posture, and a very composed look. When Nire had finished, Jen snatched the sketchbook from her hands and showed Nikki their portraits. They ooed and awed at the drawings, and Nire just laughed at them.