Good afternoon, Gents!
They called him Shadow Man. Practically everybody in the neighborhood knew him-the man who would sit in the upstairs window of his house, looking out into space, oblivious to the world. Some people said he’d gone crazy after his wife had left him, some had guessed that his career was that of too much stress, whilst others said that he’d lost a son or a daughter. The truth was, nobody really knew for sure. He was just known as Shadow Man, because his expression was always blank, like a shadow.
Francois Crawford knew that he had a different name, one that he no longer used, that had been lost to the world. He was the one who brought Shadow Man food, and took care of the rent. Part of the money came from Shadow Man’s social security; he assumed the rest came from an inheritance, or from an insurance policy Shadow Man had stashed somewhere. He was always dressed in the same simple clothing, although not always the same clothes, so he knew that Shadow Man didn’t have to spend all of his time in the wheelchair that he used to watch the world outside his window.
“So, how are you today?” Francois asked one Friday afternoon as he stopped by on another one of his monthly rounds. Looking at the window, he added, “The weather’s nicer today, isn’t it? I’ll bet you’re glad that storm is over with.”
Shadow Man didn’t answer as Francois gathered up the envelopes on his kitchen table. His face was impassive as always, although Francois thought he saw a flicker of recognition in Shadow Man’s eyes. “Well, I’ll just take care of these, then. See you next month, okay?”
When he was gone, Shadow Man continued to sit in his wheelchair, looking out his window at the houses beyond. He knew there was a world out there that he was no longer a part of, a world of noise and people-people who brought danger, and did bad things to each other. In his withdrawn silence, he’d wanted no part of that world for years, and tried not to think about what had made him that way.
Long ago, when Francois Crawford had been a little boy and Shadow Man had been the same age then that he was now, he had been different. The world had been different, too, and it had been part of the life he shared with his wife, who’d been his connection to it. It was when the bad thing happened to her that the connection had been severed.
“I need to go out of town for a few days,” she’d said on the last day they’d spent together. “It’s just a short business trip. I should be back Sunday night.”
“Another one?” He sighed. “I was hoping we could go out for dinner this weekend.”
“I know, but the company has been having some problems with one of their suppliers, and as usual I have to go there and straighten things out. I’m sure it’s no big deal-I’ll be back in no time.”
“Well-I guess I’ll see you when you get home, then.” Except that he never did…
The police brought him the news two days later. It didn’t sink in right away, and when it did he thought at first that they must have made some sort of a mistake. She was on her way home, he was sure of it. All he had to do was wait…
He’d kept up this facade for a while, of course. Just to keep up appearances, for his family and friends. But the connection he’d had with their world was already gone. It was gone when they took him to identify the body they’d found; when they told him about the young man with dead eyes whom they’d arrested for her death. And it was gone when he went to her funeral, and in the long, silent years that followed, as he watched the cars and his neighbors outside change.
Or, at least he thought it was.
Then came one cool night when the moon was full, and it was so light that he could see the narrow street in its entirety. He saw two figures that he knew didn’t belong there following Francois Crawford as he headed up the street. Shadow Man wasn’t sure why he was there-it wasn’t his normal visiting day, and at any rate he wouldn’t have come at this hour of the night. But he was there, and Francois seemed to know the figures that were following him, because he turned to confront them. Shadow Man couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the discussion seemed tense. Then the tension mercifully faded as they walked away. Francois watched them go, and turned to leave.
Something stirred inside of Shadow Man as he watched. At first he’d told himself that he wouldn’t get involved, that he wasn’t part of that world anymore. Ignore them and forget, he told himself. Except that he couldn’t, because he saw the two figures again. They were walking up the street, following where Francois had gone…
He had a cell phone, one that Francois had given him in case of emergencies. He’d never used it, but he kept it on the kitchen table where Francois kept his mail. He was out of practice; it took some effort for him to remember how to dial Francois’s number. But he did, and when the voice mail’s recorded voice on the other end answered, Shadow Man recognized it immediately and his face went white.
“Hi, you’ve reached Darius. Leave a message at the beep.”
#JB’SPICK6
(JB’s Current Pick 6 Record: 19-15)
#6). New York @ Chicago
JB’s PICK: GIANTS
#5). Carolina @ Minnesota
JB’s PICK: PANTHERS
#4). St. Louis @ Houston
JB’s PICK: RAMS
#3). Detroit @ Cleveland
JB’s PICK: BROWNS
#2). Pittsburgh @ New York
JB’s PICK: STEELERS
#1). New Orleans @ New England
JB’s PICK: PATRIOTS
#JB’SUPSETS
+1). Heartbreak Kid VS. The Sith
JB’s PICK: The Sith
+2). Limited Edition VS. SSG
JB’s PICK: Limited Edition
JB Prediction: The Sons of Thunder SHOULD beat The Educators this week but the only person that can keep Darius, aka Shadow Man, from winning is Darius, aka Francois Crawford. Here is where I pass the weekend torch to your comments...
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