TALES OF A SHADOW

I came out of the house.

It was cold but I did not care.

I had a mystery to solve.

I walked out onto the cobbled street that led to a small arch that a little girl or boy could wander into in the wall.

I had always wanted to go into this arched mystery but I had never had the chance to explore.

Today I would have an adventure and discover the case the police had been desperate to solve.

The mystery of the shadow.

I was walking calmly through the bustle of people trying to inch my way to the arch.

I finally got my way and clambered through the ice cold brick arch.

I jumped and landed quite suddenly on a rocky platform that was very unstable.

I walked along the unwelcoming pavement to a smoother lay out.

It was an ally way leading to a rubbish dump.

Then suddenly from nowhere an arm grabbed my shoulder.

I had time to scream but I’m sure no one heard me.

I kicked as hard as I could.

I yelped in pain as the hand pushed me away and I landed on a sharp piece of metal.

I ran.

There was no stopping me.

I just ran.

I did not know where I was going.

I suddenly had a feeling that I needed to turn around.

So I did and to my surprise there was a man standing right in front of me.

He had a bushy beard that went down to his thigh and a big scar across one eye. He went to grab me

I leaped back.

I had to run.

I slipped through his legs and ran back to the arch in the wall.

I ran home, sweating through my big coat.

I ran in, locked the door and went to the window.

To my horror the man was standing as still as a rock in the arch. He looked directly into my eyes, his dark brown eyes meeting my misty blue.

He turned and disappeared into the darkness.

I had questions that needed to be answered.

First of all, Who was he.

Why did the police want him so much? And the question that tilted my brain to an uneasy angle, What did he want with me?

It wasn’t long before I found out – but that is another mysterious story that will be told and will be known.

~ a story from British-Guardian