The Shadow Man

• Tahlia Swift-Wren, Grade 4
• Short Story
• 2022

In the city on Vanopalo something was hiding in the shadows,under the dim glow of the flickering street lights he walked like a mouse wanting to hid he sticks to the darker areas of the black endless pavement.Suddenly starts to rain heavy,wet drops of pain fall from the sky as he keeps walking on people shut their blinds it looks warm and calm inside the small brick building provided shelter for them but nothing for him but he screwed it up.The bright blinding sun starts to rise from the hills towering over Vanopalo he decided to go back to where he came from,The shadows.He knows nobody dares to enter them,everybody scared to enter the unknown but for him the shadows welcomed him when he was discarded from the world like trash,the shadows are his only home now with nowhere left to go.He slinks to the dark and has flashes of his past,a common thief needing money to survive on choice but to do bad work, but it pays of now he was a millionaire in a mansion but still dissatisfied he needed more soon he had a ferrari and a golden couch but still he wanted more so he started online dating and met a girl called Clover a blonde and gorgeous woman he was intrigued by this and he had to get her.So after a couple days of long texting and begging they went on a date on the sandy warm and wet beach with a beautiful setting sun on a small yellow towel with two cups of champagne.He loved her but she didn’t love him,”Sorry but I don’t think it will work”these words repeated in his head every day and especially now as he walked down this path he knew were he was going.More memories leaped and bounced in his head.”Why not we were texting for ages”but she had already walked of the beach so he followed her.She jumped in her lamougin and sped down the road still he hasn’t got his name The Shadow Man yet sticking to dark patches on the road he followed her back home she locked the door and he appeared.Still he walked further to the knife store about to end it all he just couldn't take it.”Go away you freak how dare you follow me home you should just live in the shadows forever you Shadow Man”those words were like a knife through his chest that’s how he got his name and that is why he’s sticked to the shadows for all 34 years of his life.He had a knife in his hand he exited the shop he couldn’t take it any more so here it would end as he stuck the knife through his chest his life flashed before his eyes as he fell the the wet pavement he remembers how he got the name the Shadow Man.