Far Horizons: Tales of Sci-Fi, Fantasy and Horror. Issue #20 November 2015 | Page 46

a relief.” Avenel crossed her legs and tossed her
brilliant hair. “I’d hate to suddenly go poof, gone.”

“I could never….” The writer gathered herself
and stood, gathering all who stood in her living room
with her gaze. Impossibly large, impossibly small. “I
know all of you have been waiting for your stories to
be written. Some have been waiting a very long time,
but I promise, it’ll happen. I just need time. My life…
I’m a mother now. And on my own. It’s not easy, but
I’m trying. I promise. It’ll happen. I’ll be spending the
rest of my life trying to write it all, and it’ll be such a
grand adventure.”

Some murmurs, mostly sound, of discontent
and agreement. It did not surprise her that some
were reluctant to wait even more, but still, despite
the discontent, they bowed their heads to her.
Acknowledging the wait and accepting it.

“But there’s someone I’d like to see first before
you all go,” the writer said.

“As you wish, Maker,” Bahar said respectfully.

The writer smiled, held out her hands to gently
touch her characters as she passed. Some bowed, some
returned the gesture. A few outright hugged her. She
wound her way through them all, taking her time to
marvel at seeing them in the flesh. But the further she
went in the crowd, the more her apprehension grew. If
only her characters knew!

But eventually, she found him. It. It was a
being without shape, without colour. Black as night, as
empty as death. Only slits of crimson indicated where
its eyes were. She felt her breath struggle in her lungs
and forced herself to resume normal breathing. It was
not often one faced the greatest evil ever created.

“Hello Shadow,” she whispered.

“Maker,” it purred.

Bahar tilted his head at her, massive and
shimmery. “Maker…? I question your wisdom.”

“It’s okay,” she managed. “I just wanted to see
him. To see this… being of evil. I used to think he—
it—was a product of misunderstanding. At least, it was
when I first created it. But I grew older and began to
realize that evil was real and dark and horrible. That it
existed. And his—its—existence changed as well.”

“And now…?”

“And now I can demonstrate that light exists
as well. Thanks to the love of friends, the kindness of
complete strangers. Because the love of a child, I’ve
discovered my courage and strength.” She turned to
face Shadow, meeting the crimson eyes. “Your time
will come, Shadow.”

“Evil will always exist,” it hissed.

“Yes,” she said sadly. “But so will the light.”
As she reached out for the Shadow, her hand began to
glow. The brilliance spread up her arm, over her form,
until she was pure white light. Without thought, she
took the Shadow into her arms and her whole world
flared into blindness.

With a gasp, the writer awoke, bolting upright
in her bed. Confused, she grabbed her glasses and
blinked around the room. Quiet, peaceful, her toddler
son snoring nearby. She slid out of bed and padded
up to her bedroom window. Silently, she flicked the
blinds to see outside, the stars illuminating the night
sky, and wondered.

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The End