Shadows

A figure crept around the winding alleyway, lurking in the shadows and escaping the moon’s light. It paused for a second as a group of drunken men passed merrily across the street, bottles in hands, singing and laughing. When the men had passed, the shadow crossed the street in five smooth strides, then disappeared into the shadows once more. Right turn, left turn, in and out of shadows of the buildings. It arrived a black iron gate a few minutes later. The silhouette slipped through the bars, not making a sound. It crept across the ground, peppered with tombstones, and made its way to the forest beyond the graveyard. Approaching a frail-looking maple tree, the figure removed its cloak to reveal an unkempt young man, dark hair and even darker eyes, holding a fresh rose. He bent over and laid the flower on the roots of the tree, pausing for a moment before cloaking himself once more and disappearing into the shadows.