REFLECTIONS (WIP)

Reflections



Night had fallen, and the city cast under a blanket of darkness. It was all the cover he had needed to pull off his assigned task. Then again, even with no cover at all, he would still exact his masters revenge. It was his dutyâ€"his life.

The hollowed hallway creaked as his feet slid silently across the wooden floor. Shadows bent and warped across the walls, forged from the moonlight seeping in from the lone window at the end of the narrow hallway.

His eyes slowly inched from one side to the other, watching each of the closed doors. He listened intently for the slightest of sounds

He pressed his right hand to the wall, while his left held firm a rusted dagger. With each step it shone brighter and brighter, and while its task was to fulfill murderous intentions, in this light it looked almost holyâ€"a saviors tool.

The house was fairly small, built only to fit a family of three. It had deteriorated significantly over the countless years it lived, and had long since exceeded its life expectancy.

Clouds of dust hung lazily in each of the rooms. A chilling dampness could be felt running through the entirety of the structure, smelling of mold and rotten wood. Small blotches of green fungus on the floor boards would leave one wondering why it did not smell any worse.

There were no signs of life within any other room except one. A lone door sat at the end of the hallway, opened just enough as to allow a small window of light to spill through. The light was born of a candle within. It was the only source of light and heat this decrepit home had.




A small sparrow crafted of paper crumpled against the wall and fell to the floor.

It sat there for a moment before having a young boy wander over and pick it up . “Oh no!” he cried, “you've gotta watch out, birdie! The evil tiger is coming to get you! Roar!”

In popped the other hand, and this one held to a crude, misshapen cardboard cutout of a tiger. “You can't rest now or he's gonna to get you!” he said, inching both pieces closer to one and other.

As the tiger crept closer, the bird jumped, quickly turning a startled gaze. They stared at one and other for a moment, and then the bird flew away. Instead of pouncing on his prey, the tiger simply did nothing. “But you wouldn't do that, right Mr. Tiger? He's only a little birdie! He didn't mean to take your mouse! He just wanted to feed his family.” He whispered playfully, moving the tiger randomly around on the floor.

The door flew open, and in an act of surprise the boy immediately turned his head back and stumbled forward. His eyes met with those of the stranger dressed in tattered cloth.

The stranger stood still, and had his head titled on an angle. He scanned the boy from head to toe, and when he was positive of his assessment, took another step forward.

The boy had seized. His entire body shook. His face became a ghastly pale, while his fingers and toes turned dark purple. He did not know this man, nor his intentions, but seeing the dagger he held so strongly to instilled within him a great fear. He released small whimpers, slowly mustering incomprehensible sobs.

The similarities were ridiculous. The hair, the skin, that gaze...it was as if he stood looking in to a mirror gazing back on the pastâ€"looking back on a self that once was. He wanted this boy? But he held no weapons, no eyes of malice, nor aura of evil intentions. Instead, he had only seen himself.

“Why did you steal the belongings of my master?” he whispered. His words were broken, and hard to understand.

They stood in silence.

“ If you don't want to die, then answer me. “ He said. ” Why did you steal something that wasn't yours...? Why did you sin?”

He waited momentarily for a response, but grew tired once he received little more than a handful of grunts and whimpers.











And that's about it so far. I'll post the rest of it up as it's completed.


This is just a major rehaul/editing of a story I'd come up with earlier the year. I'm just trimming it down and trying to make it...better!


So how's my progress? I don't think of myself as someone who's proficient with this sort of writing. I stink at describing things. =|