TGIF

I mentioned earlier this week that I will start posting both short stories that I have written and starts to short stories that I have not figured out how to finish. Any comments or thoughts are always appreciated. Today's story is a start of a story that I wrote nearly four years ago. This is the first time it has seen the light of day. Be gentle...


The shadows clung to the still night, hiding everything they touched, drawing everything into their cold embrace. He wrapped himself in them now. Eyes, like those of a cat, gazed from beneath the hood which covered his face. Slowly he slid through the darkness, his movements sure, as though he had walked this tree covered hill a thousand times before.



The sharp caw of a raven high up in the night sky brought him to a sudden halt. Lowering his head in concentration, he listened intently. His sharp ears could hear nothing but the normal sounds of the forest. After he was sure that nothing pursued him, he continued on. Silently, stealthily he made his way deeper into the forest, deeper into the darkness. He did not hurry, but with measured, deliberate footsteps pressed on towards the clearing which lay ahead.



Ever so gently, a soft light began to penetrate the darkness. It came from the clearing, he knew. He was getting close. He continued to walk towards it, towards the light which shown down on what lay in the center of the clearing. Slowly the trees began to thin and then he found himself at the edge of the clearing. The light was brighter here and yet it was soft and gentle, like the warm glow of a full moon. The light had no origin, it simply was. And it shown directly on the cold stone table which lay in the center of the clearing. He did not step towards it, but remained in the shadows. Parth Kentan was a very patient man, and now the waiting began.