Wall of Night

The darkness, a melted pallet of blackened colors that spread their ink over the city, obscured his vision as his heavy boots thumped against the silver concrete. Lights from closed in panes of glass spilled over the edges of wood and stone, bathing the street in slanted, yellow squares, millions of reflecting soldiers battling the enemies of shadowy blackness. Pools of light swirled above from the street lamps, further illuminating the man, causing his stretched shadow to dance across parked cars and brownstone buildings. The cracks of the sidewalks seemed to stretch on for miles, craters in the permanent squares of faux stone. Ignoring the simplistic beauty of the street, the man continued with his pace, hands shoved deep in his pockets.

The city was sleeping; children tucked away in their warm beds while dreaming of magical adventures, daring swordfights, romantic rescues, and dashing knights in shining armor. Mothers finished the dishes, tucking the last plate into the cupboards and slipping off their aprons. Fathers closed the newspaper, yawning into their time-worn hands as the parlor lights slowly receded into their wicks, the dying light adding to the ever-present night. The families lay safe in their houses, warm and carefree, while the man traveled farther and farther from his home, blending into his surroundings.

As the careful, repetitive thud of the watchman’s baton echoed towards the man, he froze, staring down a hidden alley. Littered with trash, the remains of a bum’s dinner, the alley seemed like a gross and disease ridden path. He stared down the tunnel of black and stone, as though glaring at the ghosts that caused its sorrow. Lazy men who didn’t wish to throw away their food, homeless people with no other place to sleep than that of the minimal shelter of gutters and trashcans, and the filthy animals that scavenge for food each day in hopes of a meal. He was disgusted with what the humans had done to a once clean and pristine pathway. He could picture it shining with light, platinum cement glittering under the bright sun, and children running through its space, dragging sticks against the bricks in hopes to make bold music.

“Hey, you!” Gruff hands tugged him backwards by the cuff of his shirt, causing him to lose his footing for a moment. The police man was holding him up by the thin cotton and polyester mix of his clothing, barking in his ear. “Whatcha doin’? Causin’ trouble?”

Keeping his head down, the man shifted it from side to side, silently alerting him “No”. With a final warning shake, the police officer shoved him forward, leaving the man behind so as to finish his watch.

The man ducked his head once more, fixing his clothes angrily. Muttering curses under his breath, he continued down a forgotten street, crossing over once to reach the other side and heading past crowded apartment buildings. Cries and shouts from the few awake citizens met his hears like crashing thunder, the many emotions of the night-life drowning him. Cries of sadness, cries of terror, cries of happiness, cries of despair, cries of laughter, and cries of joy. How could one man be so alone in a world of noise, light, and darkness?

Buildings blurred as he picked up his pace, leaving behind the city, the noise, and growing ink that traced his steps warningly. Paved streets melted to dirt roads, the tall city buildings grew to trees, while the streetlamps were forgotten and replaced by the stars.

A frigid wind picked up, swirling red leaves and rustling branches to create a spooky, midnight appearance. Grey flimsy clouds moved across the luminescent moon, diming her gentle light. Hidden behind the curtain of foliage, a wolf howled, calling out to the wandering man. The cry, an animalistic shriek, sent shivers spiraling down the man’s spine, prickling the back of his neck as the fine, dark hairs stood up. Although sinister and foreboding, the cry was at the same time slightly refreshing, a reminder that he wasn’t alone. The black Wall of Night shuddered, groaning in the dark abyss of haunting emptiness it was made of.

Join me, it crooned. Join me…

Frowning, the man stared into the pitch-black, worried slightly. It was reaching out to him, growing tendrils that twisted their way towards him. The obsidian fingers grabbed at his legs, dragging one foot forward, than the other. The man was inching closer and closer to the wall of black, giving in to the fight and letting the monstrous hands possess him.

With a startling cry, an owl hooted warningly, pulling him from his stupor.

Who? It demanded, the yellow eyes piercing his skin. Who?

His foot still held in the air, the one step keeping him from his goal, from that dangerous darkness, the man froze.

Who? The owl opened its auburn wings, taking off into the night. Flying over him, the man turned his head to follow the bird, eyes glued to its retreating shape. A black shadow against the pallid moon, the man was instantly reminded of the woman left behind.

Her ashen skin and jet black hair took shape in the sky, her face absorbing the moon’s surface while her hair fluttered as the clouds and the heavens shaped into her luscious locks. The man was trapped, seeing her hopeful face illuminated by the silver light.

“Promise me you’ll come back soon,” the wind whispered, mimicking her gentle voice. “Don’t stay out too long, please. Come back to me soon…”

Just as quickly as her face had appeared, it vanished, showing only Artemis’s valiant hunt across the velvet of Rhea’s skirts, while shafts of moonbeams kissed his face. Shaking his head to free himself of the nightmare the blackness had caused, the man glanced once more at the sky.

The moon, once high above him, was slowly sinking down over the distant hills, alerting him that dawn would soon break and the woman would awake alone, disappointed, and upset.

After one longing and desperate glance back at the Wall of Night, the man dipped his head to watch his shoes while his hands were shoved deep in his pocket. The man turned to face the blurring lights of the city he had left, ready to watch the light diminish the night once more, a circle that would never end until the man walked into the Wall of Night.