Evil Lives Inside (boyxboy)

Shadows and Shapes but Never Faces

An old frail woman, a grandmother of two, sits outside in the bitter cold of winter. She has nowhere to go, nowhere to turn to and shield herself and her young grandsons from the harsh weather not seeming to cease.

Drenching freezing rain pouring down on the shadow figures in the alleyway in complete darkness. If anyone had to guess it might be nighttime or just another dark day without the sun. The sun hasn't existed in years and neither has color. "Tell me a story gramma," the four year old says shivering as he looks up at her to meet the only thing to have a hint of a color, her eyes. Not entirely color at all but a gray color. White does not exist except for black everywhere around the world for years upon years.

She coughs once more holding the four year old and six year old on both sides of her close. "Then you'll try to sleep?"

"Hmm!" both boys say in unison.

She holds back the black tears she does not want to cry as she thinks about what will happen when her time comes. Questions she can't escape in due time. Her health has been failing since she took them in after her son and daughter in law died a tragic death after Milo was born and Cody was two.

"Okay then," she sighs a perfect story to cheer them up about to be told, "There once was a world. Cities, towns and countries everywhere where sunlight existed and clear air to breathe in could be found. No ashes and smoke. No fog filling the sky to hide the light. There was never anyone hungry, no need to worry about where to sleep because everyone even the poor had a place to call home. Happiness and smiles replaced the ugly hatred and depression people have now. Everywhere was in color. Not just-"

"Color?" Milo asks surprised never hearing the word before. "What's color?"

"It's well," she pauses thinking of the best way to explain something they never seen, "something other than black shadows you see now. There was yellow, orange, green, blue, red, brown and everything in between. As many as you can picture and imagine it existed. Everything was in color including people and not in the dark of shapes and shadows. Those were happier times. Life wasn't horrible back then." She goes on after being interrupted.

The mere mention of color causes sadness in her but it cannot be seen in the dark and even if it could it would not surprise anyone. Everyone holds sadness in the world even babies born in the darkness they can never leave or know the difference from.

"Color doesn't exist grandma!" Cody exclaims calling out his grandma of this made up story she must be telling him.

"Stop talking Cody! I want to hear the rest of the story!" Milo yells at his brother, upset at his older brother ruining his bedtime story. "What happened? Why did it go away?"

"People became very bad. Someone important came from the skies and thought everyone needed to learn a lesson and not take color for granted. It was stripped from everyone that very second. 'Nothing but shapes and shadows can be reflected from here on.' the man said."

"Then what happened?" Milo asks eager to know.

"He continued to talk to the people and said, 'And once everyone learns from their mistakes of judging others by color and not what's on the inside color will come back.' He also spoke of an important boy, a boy born with blue eyes. He was to be the one to bring it back once he was born and reached a certain age. Life would light up in color. People would no longer live in the darkness as they did for years. But people have to want it. People have to change and become caring and kind to allow the blue eye boy to give them back what was taken away to live in peace."

**

Ten Years Later...

(Milo)

My stomach continues to cramp from the lack of food Cody and I have been going without. I can't remember the last time we ate but I'm guessing it's been too long. I don't really know anymore when hunger and sleeplessness is a regular thing on the streets.