Chapter Seven The Shadow
729 Words
How soon would they perish? Did they truly deserve their fate? I know the mother has done some heinous things. The daughters seem innocent though. Do they know that they have been kidnapped because of their mother?
I stalked around the outside of the abandoned mine shaft. They were not the first bodies to be dumped there. Soon they may find the others, will that drive them mad, or will it kick their survival instincts into gear?
I had so many questions, I wanted to know the answers. I felt the forest God before he showed up. Would I be welcome here? I was in his territory without his permission.
“Little shadow, I see you lurking. Tell me why you put humans into the death hole?” His bronze skin seemed to burn with an inner glow, his essence was much too strong for my meager presence.
Shrinking back I tried to hide in the darkness but the aura from him shed light in the darkness. He did not look angry; he did not look pleased. It was safe to say the forest God was indifferent to my existence.
“I am sure you were told that your actions are going to make you into a manetuwak.” I shrank back even further; he would put me to death. There was no evil that would escape him in this forest.
“I did not put the flesh beings there. Others did. I have been following them.” He moved closer to the mineshaft door and let out a grunt. The furrowing of his brows was not a good sign.
I let my eyes cast down to the forest floor, hearing the rattle of bones and beads I heard him murmuring a prayer of his people. There was a brief flash of light and then the forest was dark again.
“What was that?” The God turned his attention back to me, sadness in his eyes.
“I gave them a slight chance of survival. They have two weeks to live, they would have been dead by the weekend.” Chewing on my lip I touched the cold metal and a shock ran through my arm.
The God laughed heartily and I wrung out my hand as I tried to get feeling back into it.
“You will not be able to interfere little shadow. As the Great One said, you will have your time but this is not it.” He disappeared into the forest and I was left with my thoughts. Did he truly believe I would be able to set them free?
What did they mean by having my time? I was told once before that I would never be human. I committed a sin against my people and hence I was damned to walk the earth as a shadow. Hope soared in me; would I get the chance to have flesh again?
I should see how the white witch is doing, maybe I can give her some hints about where her family is. I know I should not interfere but the daughters should not have to pay for the sins of the mother.
I saw the bobcat creeping toward the mineshaft, he sniffed the air and I made the mistake of moving. It let out a hiss and shifted, a young woman stood crouched in the foliage, her sinewy body hunched and her hands clawed.
“What are you? Why are you here?” Her eyes glowed in the dim light, chains covered her breasts and a loin cloth covered her lower half. Feathers and beads were braided through her hair.
“You can see me?” She scowled and moved closer, she had the grace of a cat and hardly made any noise.
“Of course, I can see you, are you an i***t? You are dressed weird, like a white man but you look like you are Lenape.” She tilted her head and poked my chest, normally I would not feel it but her touch burned.
“I must go, this is not right.” Panic seized me and I ran, my ethereal form dissipating and I returned to the ether where ghosts usually went. That was too strange, no one was able to see my true form.
That is what I looked like before I died and became a shadow.
- Writer
