A Familiar Shadow: Part One

It’s late at night for Marvin and Jaden. They are in their dorm room, relaxing and playing some Mortal Kombat together. They’ve been playing for a few hours now, and they were on their last match of the night. Marvin is using Sub Zero, while Jaden is using Lui Kang. Before the match begins, they go back and forth trash talking to each other. Then, the match begins. Jaden wins the first round, then Marvin wins the second round. In the middle of their final round, Jaden receives a text message. Jaden looks away from the game for a brief moment, and Marvin takes advantage of him being distracted. Marvin hits Jaden’s character Lui Kang with a fatal blow and finishes him with Sub Zero’s fatality.

Marvin yells, “Let’s go! Get wrecked, son! Did you honestly think that this was a game to me?”

Jaden starts laughing and telling him to shut up. Marvin chuckles and continues, “Nah man, I’m enjoying this victory. You were talking all that foolishness for no reason. I earned the right to brag because all I do is win.”

Marvin laughs some more and replies, “Bro, shut up! The only reason you won is because I got distracted by my phone.”

“No excuses, Jaden, that was your fault. It’s not my fault that you weren’t focused. Do you know why?” Marvin asks.

Jaden asks why, and Marvin replies, “Cause all I do is win, win, win, no matter what. I’m the GOAT and King Kong ain’t got nothing on me, and you better not ever forget that. Or I’m gonna have to give you that business again.”

Marvin and Jaden start laughing together and Jaden says, “Whatever man, but that was a good win for you, I’ll give you credit. Just enjoy it cause it ain’t happening again, you know that right?”

Marvin chuckles and says, “Yeah, yeah, we’ll see. But yeah man, good game. So who texted you?”

Jaden takes a deep breath and hopes it’s not a text from his sister or mom. Before Jaden looks, Marvin puts his hand on Jaden’s shoulder and assures him that everything will be alright.

Jaden shakes his head and explains, “It’s just hard being here and not at home, especially with my mom being sick and everything. It’s only getting worse for her, and I’m just worried that any text I receive from my sister is going to shatter and destroy my world. I love my mom, bro. I can’t imagine a world without her.”

Jaden starts to tear up, and Marvin quickly embraces him. Jaden sobs and continues, “I just feel so much guilt being here. I should be at home helping take care of her, too. I’m just leaving it all for my sister to deal with alone.”

Jaden continues to cry and hold onto Marvin. Marvin assures him that it’s okay. He tells Jaden to let it all out and not to hold back. After a few minutes, Jaden starts to calm down and thanks Marvin for being here for him.

Marvin replies, “I got you, bro. You’re my best friend, and I’m always going to be there for you. And remember, your sister and mom want to see you still living and enjoying life. We’re graduating in a few months, and you know they want to see you walking and getting that degree. That’s a blessing for them. You gotta push through the pain and hurt and get that blessing for them. Alright, bro?”

Jaden wipes the tears of his face and nods his head in agreement with Marvin. Jaden thanks Marvin for the encouragement, and Marvin tells him that it’s no problem at all.

Jaden takes another deep breath and looks at his phone. He’s relieved to find that it’s not a text from his sister or mom, but it’s a text from Maria. She’s a girl in Jaden’s chemistry class.

The text read, “Hey I was wondering if you wanted to come over and study for a little bit.”

Before Jaden responds, Marvin asks if everything was alright. Jaden shows Marvin the text he got from Maria, and Marvin gets excited. Jaden does not understand the excitement, and he asks Marvin why he’s so excited.

Marvin responds, “Bro, Maria is trying to get a piece of you.”

“What do you mean?” Jaden wonders.

Marvin lets out a big sigh and says, “Jaden, my clueless friend, she’s trying to get to know you and something else late in the midnight hour.”

Jaden still doesn’t understand, and Marvin groans and says, “Oh my gosh, I really gotta spell this out for you. Bless your precious, innocent heart. Look, she’s trying to have a little bit of the sex with you tonight. She’s trying to smash.”

There’s a shocked face on Jaden’s face, and he tells Marvin that it’s not true.

“She just wants to study because we do have a big test coming up in a few days. The library is closed right now, and we just so happen to live on the same floor. It just makes sense that she would just want me to come over. It’s convenient,” Jaden explains.

Marvin chuckles and says, “Yeah, you’re convenient alright. She is not trying to study with you. It’s almost midnight, and ain’t nobody trying to study at this hour. I know girls bro, and that girl right there is trying to get with you.”

The more Jaden thought about it, the more it was making sense to him that she might want to have sex with him. Then, Marvin asks if he can see a picture of Maria. Jaden quickly went to Maria’s Instagram and showed her profile to Marvin. Marvin looked at a few pictures, and he immediately thought that she was beautiful and gorgeous.

Marvin says, “I see you Jaden! This girl is fine. You need to hurry up and respond because you have a goddess waiting for you.”

Jaden gives a nervous chuckle and tells Marvin that he’s not going over to her place. He asks Jaden why not, and Jaden takes a deep breath and tells Marvin that Maria has a boyfriend.

Marvin gives Jaden a puzzled look and says, “Ok, and?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, are you worried about the boyfriend on campus or something?” Marvin asks.

Jaden replies, “Well, not necessarily, I mean he goes to a school in another state. And—

“Bro, you’re all good. He’s like a couple hundred or thousands of miles away from us, so you’re good to smash,” Marvin interrupts.

“But Marvin, she still has a boyfriend. I don’t know if I’m comfortable being with someone that has a boyfriend. It just feels wrong,” Jaden explains.

“Why does it feel wrong?”

“I don’t know, it just feels like I’m disrespecting the relationship that she has with her boyfriend.”

“Jaden, I promise you her boyfriend is probably smashing some other girl right now in college and that’s why she’s texting you to come over. She needs a distraction right now, and you could use a distraction yourself. You’re doing her a disservice right now by not answering her booty call. Shame on you,” Marvin says.

Jaden doesn’t know what to say, then Marvin continues, “And they probably have little to no respect for their relationship if she’s trying to get with you right now. Why is that your problem? If she’s not respecting her relationship with her boyfriend, why do you feel obligated to respect it?”

Before Jaden can respond, Marvin admits that he’s hungry and needs something to eat. Jaden admits to being hungry, too. Jaden asks if Marvin wants to go to Taco Bell, but Marvin admits that he’s not really feeling Taco Bell at this hour. Then, Marvin remembers something about a new late night diner that recently opened up a couple of weeks ago in the city. Marvin looks it up on his phone and finds it on Google. He sees that it’s still open and suggests going to the diner with Jaden.

Jaden admits that he’s a little hesitant about going to the city late at night. However, Marvin assures him that they’ll be fine, and the food is probably going to be so good.

“Trust me, bro. Let’s get something good to eat and enjoy a little bit of the city at night. Nothing crazy is going to happen,” Marvin explains.

Despite Jaden being unsure about going to the city, he trusts Marvin and is interested in trying something new. Jaden gives the approval about going to the diner in the city.

Marvin smiles and says, “Awesome, let’s go to the city.”

This is the end of part one of “A Familiar Shadow.”

Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on this short story.

Part Two of “A Familiar Shadow” will be posted next Thursday.

Purple Eyes: Part One

The city is different at night,

It’s not as lively or chaotic during the day,

There’s this eerie, strange quietness of the city.

A different world with nearly no one in sight,

Yet there’s potential danger around every corner.

You never know what to expect,

Yet you should expect nearly every possibility in your imagination.

Leave no room for fascination or curiosity,

Especially when you’re alone late at night in the city,

Where nightmares can become reality.

I find myself alone in this city during this time,

I’m patiently waiting for a bus to take me out of this dark world,

And take me to a better place,

A place that I can call home.

Where I can be protected from the dangers of the city.

I long to just go home.

I’m waiting and waiting for the bus to come,

But it seems to be late,

Later than usual.

Why is it taking so long to get here?

How long must I remain in this scary city?

I can’t bear to be here any longer.

I need to get home.

I’m shaking as time continues to pass.

Fear is causing my heart to beat faster and faster,

I’m forgetting how to breathe normally.

I’m sweating and struggling to calm down,

I have to get a hold of myself,

Before someone sees me,

Before someone tries to hurt me,

Just calm down,

I scream in my mind.

I suddenly feel a hand on my shoulder.

I turn around and see it’s someone in a hoodie.

I move back and try to run away,

But I’m stopped by the person.

I think about fighting the person,

But I lock eyes with the person and stop thinking.

I can’t see the person’s face,

But this person’s eyes were something else.

They were these alluring, gorgeous jewels.

I couldn’t even think about anything else,

I was bewitched by these almost heavenly purple eyes.

I’m Here For You Now

I have to stop putting all the pressure on you.

I expect you to do so much,

Carry so much,

And accomplish so much.

It’s unfair to you.

I have to do my part, too.

Otherwise, I will not see you come to life.

You need me now.

I have to be motivated and determined now for you

Because I want to see you in this world.

I want to see you thriving and living life to the fullest.

I want to see you happy.

I want to see you finding joy and positivity in any situation,

Whether it’s good or bad,

Because I struggle with that now.

I’m doing better,

But I want you to be better than me.

Please be better, stronger and wiser than me.

Please be the person I always imagined you would be.

Please be all that and more.

I hope and pray you are,

But more importantly I will do my best for you.

I will put in the work for you to be here.

I will make you a reality in this world.

I will stop putting everything on you.

I will relieve that unnecessary pressure and weight

You’ve been carrying for too long.

I’m here for you now.

An Old Conversation

I remember we had a lot of conversations together.

Some silly and weird,

Some serious and deep,

Some fun and exciting,

Some normal and ordinary.

Despite all of these conversations,

There’s an old conversation we had that I’ll never forget.

An old conversation that means the world to me,

Even after so many years.

I remember we were in your music room,

It was such a small, cramped room.

You always managed to make it big and wondrous

Like Wonderland for time was all messed up,

Time had gone mad and jazz was the only thing that made sense.

I remember all the unnecessary papers

Stacked and spread around like skyscrapers in a city,

There was no room to explore this confined,

Yet marvelous city

That you designed.

I remember you had just finished playing the saxophone.

You serenaded me,

Your only subject in your glorious empire,

With your beautiful, magical playing.

That day I was in a world of pure imagination,

And I could simply look around and view paradise.

I wish I could have that day again once more

Why did that day ever have to go?

I wonder.

I remember you wanting to hear my thoughts,

And all I could do was give you praise,

And just cheer you on for such a wonderful performance

That was truly meant for me.

You smiled

Like you had just completed a hard fought mission

That required the perfect execution,

And I had appreciated that from you

Because you were a hero to me,

And you will always be one of the greatest heroes to me.

No one could ever take your place.

I remember us starting our old conversation,

It was a conversation I was not expecting to have with you,

But I’m glad we had it

Because it would ultimately change me,

And shape who I am today.

Without that old conversation,

I would be a different person today.

I remember you asking if I could teach you,

Specifically how to play the drums.

You wanted me to teach you,

But I was not sure I could

Because I only had a few years of experience,

And I thought you needed to learn from someone

That was more experienced than me,

Considering how you were an experienced saxophone player,

One of the best in my opinion,

There was just no way I could teach you.

I remember you laughing,

When I refused to teach you,

And how you said something so profound and real,

Something I can never forget,

And I’ll always hold it close to my heart.

You said there’s power and beauty

In sharing anything you can with others.

God calls us to share with others

Because we should strive to help others grow

And change for the better,

But more importantly,.

We have gifts and talents

That are meant to be shared

With others and the world,

If we don’t share what we have,

Then we are doing a disservice to ourselves and God.

Always share what you can.

I remember being astounded and awe-inspired

By your words of wisdom,

I apologized for saying I could not teach you,

But you assured me that I was fine,

You understood where I was coming from.

Then you asked if I was ready to teach you,

And if I was ready to accept the challenge.

I smiled,

And I just had this newfound excitement

And urge to teach you how to play the drums.

I wanted to teach you what I could,

You smiled,

And said that meant everything to you.

I remember me promising to teach you,

The plan was to teach you next summer,

I would visit you in July,

Spend a few weeks with you,

And teach you how to play the drums.

You were so happy to hear my plan,

And you could not wait for me to teach you

And share what I could with you.

I remember my plan being shattered in a few months,

When you were diagnosed with dementia,

A cruel disease that murdered your sweet mind,

A mind that shared love, wisdom and strength to me,

Reduced to confusion and terror.

It hurt seeing you in that state

And not being able to do anything about it.

It hurt knowing that the man I knew was gone,

And would never come back.

And I desperately wanted and needed you back,

I prayed and prayed in hopes that you would return,

But you never did.

You were gone.

I remember feeling hurt that you couldn’t remember.

You couldn’t remember all the letters we wrote to each other.

You couldn’t remember all the lessons you taught me.

You couldn’t remember all the songs you played for me.

You couldn’t remember all the movies and TV shows we watched together.

But most importantly,

You couldn’t remember all the conversations we had together.

Those conversations meant everything to me,

They connected me to you,

And helped shape who I am today.

Although I was hurt that you couldn’t remember,

I was still thankful that I could remember.

And hold onto those conversations.

I remember making a promise to myself,

After you had passed away.

I promised to always remember.

As long as I remember,

You will always still be in my heart,

As long as I remember,

You will live on through me.

As long as I remember,

I can never forget you

And all the times we had together.

But most importantly,

As long as I remember an old conversation we had together,

I know I’m making you proud.

A Loving Escape

I want to be a place you feel safe.

I want to be a place you call home.

I want to be considered the best place on Earth for you.

A place where you can relax your mind.

A place where I’m your peace.

Let me be a sweet dream you never want to wake up from.

A dream that takes you away from the nightmares of this world.

Let me be all that and more for you.

I want to cater to you.

I want to fulfill all your wants and needs.

I don’t want to fail you.

I want to be a place you can be yourself.

A place you can be free.

You don’t need to be scared.

I’m holding on to you and never letting go.

My love will always be here to comfort and support you.

I promise that it’s not going anywhere.

It’s here for you,

And it’s only for you.

When you feel alone,

I’ll be there for you.

When you don’t feel heard,

I’ll listen to you.

When you need encouragement,

I’ll provide it.

When you need love,

I’ll give it to you.

I want to be place full of love and kindness for you.

A place full of optimism and hope.

A place full of care and support.

I want to be that more than anything for you.

You have my word.

I want to provide you a different kind love.

A love you have never received before.

A love that you’ve been yearning and waiting for.

A love that’s a safe haven for you.

That’s all I want to do for you.

I want to love you like you’ve never been loved before.

I don’t want to give you a fairy tale love.

A love based on imagination and promising possibilities.

A love that assumes we’ll be happily ever after.

A love that is typical and practiced constantly in this world.

You don’t deserve that kind of love.

You deserve real love.

A love based on facts and evidence.

A love that never makes assumptions.

A love that is different and unique in this world

Nothing more and nothing less.

You deserve a love that is simply a loving escape.

Come Back

Life isn’t the same without you.

I want us together again.

Please, come back to me.

Come back into my spirit.

I miss you.

I miss who I used to be.

I can’t continue living life like this.

It’s damaging my soul not having you around.

I’m lost in a world full of darkness.

Please come back and be my light.

I need to see again.

I want to see the world so clearly again.

I can’t be anything without you.

It’s a struggle to survive.

Please revive me.

I want life in this vessel again.

I want to thrive and be happy again.

Happiness seems like a distant, impossible dream now.

Depression is sadly my dark, twisted fantasy.

It’s a nightmare that I can never wake up from.

Unless you come back to me.

Come back to me, please.

I’ll do anything to have you back.

I need you back.

Please, come back to me.

Can you come back to me?

I hope you can.

I hope it’s not too late.

Come back.

I Want More

I want more in this world.

I can’t settle for less anymore.

I can’t just survive.

I long and crave for everything I’ve imagined.

There’s a hunger I have that I need to satisfy.

I settled for crumbs for too long.

I almost starved myself to death.

I have a thirst that will never be quenched with an empty glass.

I need to fill my glass up.

I have to have everything I want and more.

I’m tired of just surviving.

I want to be thriving.

There’s no way I can stay in the same place.

I can’t keep going through the same, boring, safe cycle.

I long for adventure.

I long for danger and excitement.

I long for opportunities that eyes can’t see.

I want to go through changes.

I can’t be who I am now for the rest of my life.

I want to be better.

I want to evolve.

I want to grow.

I want to be different.

I want more.

A Silly, Old Picture

I found a silly, old picture of myself.

It was taken years ago.

I looked so young.

I seemed so happy in this picture.

I also looked so silly.

Why did I close my eyes in this picture?

Actually, I did that a lot in pictures when I was younger.

It’s a shame.

I really do have some nice, light brown eyes.

I really had a lot of hair.

I can’t imagine myself with a lot of hair today.

Why did my parents decide to cut it?

I guess it would’ve been a lot to take care of it.

They had their own problems to deal with at that time.

They had some serious problems that they could never solve.

My hair was one less problem for them.

I really had a big smile in this picture.

I didn’t care that my teeth were all over the place.

It didn’t matter to me.

I just wanted to smile.

Why was it so easy to smile?

Now, it’s a little hard with my crooked smile.

I try to hide it at times because it doesn’t look right to me.

I got braces now to help with that problem.

Hopefully, I can have the perfect smile soon.

Life seemed so easy.

Life seemed so simple.

Life seemed like something else in this silly, old picture.

Late Night Call

I remember the first and only time I heard your voice on the phone.

It was late at night,

And I was relaxing in bed.

You called me,

And I eagerly answered.

I was excited to hear your soothing, gentle voice

On a quiet, sleepless night.

It was warm and calming

Like a campfire on a beach.

Your voice put me in a dream-like, relaxing place.

A place that I really can’t describe.

A place that I never wanted to leave.

I remember wanting to learn everything about you.

I was intrigued and eager to learn.

I didn’t want you to hold anything back.

Thankfully, you didn’t disappoint me.

You told me about your dream of being a housewife.

Your desire to be more spiritual and closer to God.

Your obsession over a specific actor and his movies.

Your fears and worries,

You told me these things and many more without hesitation.

I admired you for that.

You were so open and honest with me.

You were real and authentic.

But most importantly,

You were not afraid to share yourself with me.

I was afraid to share myself with you that night.

I couldn’t share all of me with you.

There were reasons holding me back from doing such a thing.

Reasons that I couldn’t really ignore,

Despite you giving me such a sweet dream.

Reasons were telling me to wait.

Reasons were telling me to stay back,

When I wanted to get closer to you.

I wanted to open myself up to you.

I wanted to trust you so much that night,

But reasons wouldn’t allow it.

They refused to allow it.

How could they be so unfair to you?

Our late night call had a time limit,

And it was coming to an end.

It was late at night,

And we both had work in the morning.

We needed to end our call.

I didn’t want to say goodbye to you.

I didn’t want to wake up to reality.

I wanted to stay with you in this pleasant dream,

But I remember dreams don’t last forever.

They’re temporary,

And they end in an instant with or without your approval.

They may also never come back to you again,

Just like our first and only late night call.

Far, Far Away

I wonder about our future together,

I wonder if we’re meant to last forever,

I wonder to avoid the harsh reality,

I slip down the rabbit hole,

And I know I shouldn’t get lost like Alice in Wonderland

But I can’t help it,

Wondering is just another way of avoiding.

I should just talk to you

And tell you how I feel,

But I can’t do such a thing,

I’m too afraid to do such a trivial thing,

Yet I act like I’m so big, bold and strong

When I’m a really a cowardly lion in Oz.

There’s no place like you,

Yet I want to be in a world of pure imagination,

A place like Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory

Full of sweets and all my desires,

Can that really be a better paradise than you?

There’s no way of knowing without going,

Yet I don’t want to be far from you,

I don’t want to be far from home,

But it’s too late,

I’m already far, far away.