the man with the black fedora

this is my first ever short story, i hope you like it

The windows rattled as the December breeze blew against it. Mr Mall sitting by the window did not feel interrupted from his newspaper by that little distraction.

 

It was 10 ‘o clock and the lights inside the house were supposed to go off. Mr Mall had to take pills before a good night’s sleep. Five year old Fred Mall stepped out of the house. He did not have enough layers on his body to shield him from the chilling winds.

 

He stepped on to the pavement and started to his left. He had only a few feet when he noticed a lamp flickering in the alley. As he looked at it, the lamp came to life.

 

A man stepped into the light dressed in a black suit and a black cravat. He wore a black Fedora which cast a black shadow on his face. The only feature visible of his face was one side of his cheek which was highlighted by the high cheekbone.

 

The boy and the man stood staring at each other for a long time it seemed. The boy was standing on the pavement which was lighted by the street light. The man with the Black Fedora stood under the lamp. There was a black void of shadow between them.

 

The man raised his hand as if asking the child to take it. The child stepped into the void, invisible for a few moments under its shadow, and walked towards the man, and he took his hand. There was a moment of complete silence. They walked further into the alley and then into the darkness.

 

Mr Mall noticed the lamp in the alley going off. He made a mental note of repairing it, all the while reading about a suicide of a five year old in a nearby warehouse which was supposed to be unused. A bottle of sleeping pills found next to the child.