Practice

The Shadow-Man

Prompt: For this short story I thought that I would find an image (^^^) online and write the story that I think is behind it. I'm sure I saw this idea for a prompt somewhere, but I just thought of it now.

****

The year is 1823. James Carver just stumbled out of a tavern in Manchester, England. As always, he was a hit with the ladies that night. His buddy, George Fulton was more than likely already passed out in some fair ladies' bedroom.

"James, my man!" A familiar voice slurred after James. He turned to see who it was. He recognized it as Lewis Cooper, his younger childhood neighbor who always tried to get into trouble by following James.

"Lewis, what can I help you with?" James turned around with his arms out.

"I seem to have gotten lost on my way home. Would you be a lad and help me out?" James rubbed the bridge of his nose with his thumb and forefinger.

"Lewis, you live with your parents just four houses south of here." James pointed in the direction he spoke of and

"Of course James! It looks as if I am... well... drunk." Lewis had to think a while to muster out the words. James rolled his eyes and followed behind Lewis to make sure he got inside and didn't fall into the middle of the road.

James sighed as he quietly shut the door to the Cooper's house.

"That's a very noble thing of you to do?" Said a fair voice from behind James. James whipped around and saw the most beautiful lady he had ever laid eyes on. She had a violet dress that fell to the middle of her shins. White shoes and gloves covered her feet and hands. Her red-blonde hair was pulled back into a bun in which little hairs escaped to frame her beautiful face.

"Thank you.." James said out of breath. The lady walked up to him.

"My name is Vanessa. Though most call me Nessi." She held out her hand.

"As in the loch ness monster?" James took the gloved hand in his own and kissed it gently.

"Exactly," Nessi joked. James laughed.

****

The Shadow-Man sat on his thrown relapsing on the memories. That laugh, the one Nessi had caused, had been the first time he had laughed for five years. The last time before that was the day his parents and fiancé died.

The Shadow-Man stood from his thrown and threw his side table across the room. He walked down the stairs that led to his thrown. He fell to his knees and placed his hands to his face.

"I let everyone down. I was supposed to be there with them. But they died instead." Tears escaped The Shadow-Man's eyes. "I even let Nessi down."

****

It was getting close to Christmas, just over a month since James and Nessi first met. He had only seen her once more after that. But that was all James needed to know he was in love. He had only been in love once before. To Elizabeth.

James was looking through a shop window when he saw Nessi's familiar face. He opened the door to the shop and walked inside. Nessi turned to see who walked in and smiled.

"Hello James. What are you doing here?" She asked from behind the counter.

"I was going to ask you the same." James walked up to the counter and put his hand on top of Nessi's.

"This is my father's shop. I am working here while he does his holiday shopping." Nessi removed her hand and bent behind the counter. She came back up with a small package in her hand. She held it out to James who looked at her questioningly.

He took the top off of the box and picked up the pendant that was sitting inside. It was in the shape of a hawk with a rose-gold diamond in the center. Sapphire lined the edges of the wings.

"Do you like your gift?" Nessi asked.

"I do. But where in the world did you get it?" James asked mesmerized by the pendant.

"That is none of your concern," Nessi said sweetly, "I just ask that you wear it everyday as a reminder of me."

"Of course I will." James looked up at Nessi. He took her hand in his. Their fingers intertwined. James clipped the pendant onto his coat with his free hand. "I will always wear it."

****

The Shadow-Man reached inside of his cloak to feel for the pendant pinned to his shirt underneath. He clasped his hand around it and cried as he thought of his love.

Eventually he stood and bust the doors of the thrown room down with his magic. He walked down the hallways and outside to where it was snowing. The Shadow-Man looked across the horizon past the trees. Although he was in a different world, he swore that sometimes he could hear the bells of Manchester, England.

A thud took the Shadow-Man's gaze away from the scenery. He looked around for the source of the sound. To his left and down the mountain a ways, he could barely make out the figure of a woman's body lying on the ground. He rushed to it.

As he got closer, he slowed down. "No," he exclaimed, "it can't be." The Shadow-Man stopped a few yards before the body. He recognized the the familiar red-blonde hair. It was scattered beneath the woman's head and had snow scattered across the top.

She had on a pink, silky dress that acted as water on her body. Daisies scattered all around her. Which was strange, since the only plant that grew in this world were evergreens. The woman's eyes were closed, as if she were sleeping. The Shadow-Man moved her hair away from her face. Her eyes fluttered open.

"James." The woman said.

"Nessi!" The Shadow-Man cried. He lifted Nessi's head into his lap. "How in the world did you get here?"

Nessi opened her right hand and revealed an exact replica of the hawk pendant. "The same way you did." She said.