Tag: Creative Writer

A Familiar Shadow: Part Five

Jaden and Marvin have been living in Jeremy’s house for a few weeks now. Jeremy lives in the house as well, but they never see him at all. In fact, they’ve never seen him before. If anything, they mostly see his shadow lurking and creaking through the hallways at night in the house. This was Jeremy’s request to Jaden and Marvin. Jeremy wanted them to be in their rooms from 12:00 am – 3:00 am, so that he could roam the house freely at night. Marvin did not care about the request, but it was strange to Jaden. Plus, there was something strangely familiar about Jeremy to Jaden. He just couldn’t figure it out. 

It’s close to midnight, and Jaden and Marvin are playing Mortal Kombat together in Marvin’s room. Jaden still has not forgotten about the fact that Marvin nearly choked him out to be in this house. He desperately wants to get far away from Marvin, but he fears that he’s trapped. However, Jaden is doing his best to keep things normal and casual with Marvin. Jaden does not want to anger Marvin again.  

They’ve been playing Mortal Kombat for a few hours now, and they’re on their last match of the night. Marvin is using Sub Zero, while Jaden is using Lui Kang. While they’re playing, Jaden hears the floor creak outside of Marvin’s room. Jaden takes a quick look, but he sees nothing but a person’s shadow on the hardwood floor. Jaden thought to himself that it had to be Jeremy’s shadow. It’s not midnight yet, so Jaden wonders why Jeremy is outside his room at this hour. 

Before he can think about it any further, there’s a loud yell from Marvin as he ends up beating Jaden the third round in Mortal Kombat. 

“Let’s go! I am the greatest of all time! No one can stop me,” Marvin yells. 

“Be quiet, I just got a little distracted,” Jaden says. 

“Whatever man, all I do is win, win, win, no matter what. Now, if you want to get that work again, I got you.” 

Jaden laughs, but there’s something strangely familiar about the back-and-forth between him and Marvin. All of a sudden, Jaden receives a text message. He’s worried about looking at the message because his mom was recently admitted to a hospital. She doesn’t have very long to live. Jaden starts tearing up because he wishes that he was with his mom and sister. 

Marvin quickly gets up and embraces Jaden. 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 —

Jaden suddenly stops and realizes there’s something weird and strange going on. He feels like he’s said that before. Jaden starts sobbing in Marvin’s arms. 

Marvin whispers, “I got you, bro. You’re my best friend, and I’m always going to be there for you. You gotta push through the pain and hurt, alright bro?”

Marvin’s words are strangely familiar and eerie to Jaden. He doesn’t know why. Jaden looks at his phone and sees that it’s a text from Maria. 

The text reads, “Hey, I miss you. I was wondering if you wanted to come over and you know.” 

Jaden drops his phone, and he’s starting to freak out and shaking. Marvin doesn’t understand what’s going on. Marvin quickly picks up Jaden’s phone and sees that he got a text from Maria. 

Marvin smiles and says, “Bro, Maria is trying to get a piece of you.”

“What do you mean?” Jaden says without even thinking. He quickly puts his hand on his mouth and can’t believe the words that he spoke. 

Marvin lets out a big sigh and responds, “Jaden, my clueless friend, she’s trying to get with you and smash tonight.”

This is sounding all too crazy and familiar to Jaden. He doesn’t understand or know what’s going on right now. Then, Jaden adds, “Well, I’m not trying to see her bro. She’s getting married in a month.” 

“Ok, and? She’s trying to have a little fun with you before she’s committed to someone the rest of her life. She’s entitled to a little fun. Plus, you’ve been boyfriend #2 for two years and now you’re trying to dip on her? Know your role bro,” Marvin says. 

“I never wanted this role in the first place. This is annoying! I want something more than just fun and sex. It’s just been pointless and meaningless.” 

“You’re just tripping, bro. Why did you start this in the first place, then?” 

“I never wanted to start this situation in the first place. It just happened, and I thought she would break up with her boyfriend and be with me. It just never happened, and I’ve been a fool this entire time. I’ve been trusting and believing the wrong people.”

After Jaden said those words, there’s an awkward silence between Jaden and Marvin. Before Jaden can say anything, Marvin admits that he’s hungry and needs something to eat. Jaden’s heart starts beating faster, and he once again hears the floor creak again outside of Marvin’s room. Jaden looks and sees the shadow outside of Marvin’s room not moving at all. 

Before Jaden can say anything, Marvin says, “You know, this might sound crazy but maybe we should go to the Purple Eyes diner and —

Jaden interrupts, “Marvin, do you not know what’s going on right now? We’re reliving that night at Purple Eyes!”

“What are you talking about, Jaden?” 

“Marvin, doesn’t tonight seem a little too familiar and coincidental to you? We’re playing Mortal Kombat, we were talking about my mom, Maria sent me a text and you were about to convince me to come with you to Purple Eyes. We did all that before going to Purple Eyes.”

Marvin gasps and realizes that they are reliving that night in their own way. It’s not completely a copy of that night, but it’s pretty close. Marvin catches his breath and whispers, “Alright, this is a little freaky and weird. Ok this is no problem, all we have to do is not go to Purple Eyes and we’re good, right?” 

Before Jaden can say anything, Marvin gets a random text message from Jeremy. It reads, “Come to the living room.” 

Marvin shows the message to Jaden, and Jaden quickly looks back at Marvin’s open door and finds the shadow no longer there. 

“Hey man, I don’t think you should go to the living room. I think we need to stick together and get out of here.” Jaden pleads. 

“What are you talking about, bro? We’re gonna be fine as long as we don’t go to Purple Eyes. Plus, Jeremy is our landlord, so we really can’t ignore him,” Marvin explains. 

“I don’t know man, he seems kinda shady and weird too tonight. I kinda saw his shadow in the hallway, and why is he now trying to see us?”

“It is a little strange, but I think we’re okay. You’re more than welcome to come with me, I’m going to see him real quick and be right back.” 

Jaden tries to stop Marvin, but he’s quick to maneuver Jaden and get out of his room. Jaden is scared and worried about his friend. He thinks about getting up and following Marvin, but for some reason he’s struggling to move. 

All of a sudden, Jaden hears a shriek sounding like Marvin and something heavy tumbling down the stairs. Jaden’s heart is beating faster and faster now. 

Then, he hears Marvin yelling and begging for Jaden to help him. Jaden rushes out of Marvin’s room and goes to the steps. He sees his best friend’s body at the bottom of the stairs. Before Jaden can do anything, he’s pushed down the steps by someone. Jaden tumbles down the hardwood steps and ends up on top of Marvin. 

Jaden’s body is hurting and aching, and he cannot move or do anything. His vision has been compromised. Everything is a blur now. He’s scared and shocked. Marvin pushes Jaden off of him, and Jaden can kinda see Marvin trying to crawl away. Jaden listens as he hears someone walking down the stairs. He turns his head towards the steps and sees a black figure coming down the steps. The black figure is a blur to Jaden, and the figure mostly looks like a shadow. Jaden is assuming the shadow is Jeremy. 

The shadow goes over to Marvin first. Jaden cannot move or do anything. All he can do is watch and listen. He watches and listens to Marvin begging to have his life spared. Jaden listens to the constant and consistent stabbing taking place, the stabbing is loud, true and unbearable for some odd reason. Jaden listens to the cries his best friend is making. Jaden hears the laughter from the shadow for this is simply a fun, sick, thrilling game the shadow never wants to stop playing. 

This was all too familiar and crazy to Jaden. The stabbing comes to an abrupt stop. Jaden looks over and sees his best friend with multiple stab wounds in a pool of his own blood. Jaden watches the shadow figure get up and look at him. Then, he whispers, “You’re next.” 

Jaden instantly recognizes the voice. It’s his classmate’s voice from the night at Purple Eyes a few years ago. He’s alive, Jaden thought to himself. 

“How are you still alive? You’re Jeremy, right?” Jaden weakly asks.

There is no response from the shadow that is quite familiar to Jaden. The familiar shadow walks over to Jaden and gets on top of him. Jaden can see the butcher knife in his hand, and it looks like the familiar shadow is going to stab him. 

Jaden starts crying and realizes that he’s about to die. Then, Jaden whispers, “I’m so sorry.”

Jaden starts whispering more things, but the familiar shadow cannot understand the unclear, desperate whispers. The familiar shadow chooses to ignore the whispers. The familiar shadow kneels down to Jaden’s face and whispers in his ear, “So beautiful.” 

Jaden is shocked by this familiar statement, and he continues to whisper. The familiar shadow gets off of him and stands up. It’s as if the shadow figure is waiting for something to happen. Then, Jaden realizes what he must do. Jaden reaches and begs for help, but he’s kicked in the face by the familiar shadow. The blurry figure gets on top of Jaden again, and Jaden understands and knows his life will be taken away from him. Still, Jaden whispers and whispers while he’s being stabbed repeatedly by the familiar shadow. 

No More Voices

I haven’t been hearing your voice or whispers lately.

Have you left or escaped me?

I crawl and check my closet every single day,

And every single day I see your lifeless body.

You have not gone anywhere.

You’re still in my closet.



Why then can I not hear your voice or whispers in my closet?

Why is it just another quiet night?

Why do I constantly think about the blood on the wall?

I have so many questions,

But no one can answer them for me.



Maybe I shouldn’t be thinking about such questions,

I don’t have the time to do such a thing.

I’m dying right now,

And I have no interest in surviving.

There’s just no point in living anymore,

Now that you two are gone.



My vision is slowly blurring,

Breathing has become such a tedious exercise.

My blood is rapidly leaving my body,

Never to return to me.

The pain in my arms is everlasting,

Death is now here for me,

Waiting patiently to take me away from this dark, cruel place.



Tonight is the night that I die,

But before I let death take me away,

I need to see you one last time.

I need to make sure you suffered.

I need to ensure my revenge is complete.

I need to believe you’re gone for good.



For one last time,

I crawl over to my closet,

And open the door.

I see your lifeless body,

And I see his soulless body as well.

I weakly push him out the way and embrace you.

I can’t hold on to you very long.



I don’t feel anything from you anymore,

You’re no longer in this world.

You’re gone for good,

And now I can finally die.

And end this terrible nightmare.




Suddenly, I can’t feel anything.

Darkness is all around me,

I’m no longer trying to breathe,

I no longer have control over my body.

Death has me in its hold.

But most importantly,

There are no more voices.

Just silence.

Purple Eyes: Part Four

There’s a decision that must be made tonight.

It’s a hard choice for anybody to make.

The woman with purple eyes wanted him to have that choice.

She would not say which was the right choice,

It was for him to decide so late into the night.

Could he fight his personal feelings and finally find peace?

Or is peace no longer an option?


It’s frightening and scary to see my own body,

I can’t believe I was butchered and slaughtered like a pig.

I can’t believe so much blood left my body.

It’s sickening to see all the stab wounds on my body.

I was brutally murdered in this alley,

And no one could save me.


Wait,

That’s not true at all.

Some people could have saved me from my pain and suffering,

But they just chose to watch.

They watched as I was crying,

They watched as I was losing the will to live,

They watched as I was begging for mercy,

They watched and did nothing about it,

They watched me slowly die.


The woman with purple eyes lets go of my hand,

And walks deeper into the alley.

I reach for her,

But she continues to move further and further away,

Until she suddenly stops

And has her arms wide open for me.

I’m realizing now that I have to make a choice.


I can go to her,

And be free from this terrible, dark world

And welcomed to paradise,

Or I can be brought back to life,

But do I really want to come back to this cruel place?

All alone late at night in the city,

Where nightmares are a reality for me.

An inescapable prison of my own making.


I decide to reject the woman with purple eyes,

And be brought back to life.

For I have unfinished business that I must attend to,

I need revenge,

I need to make them suffer like I did.

I need it more than anything,

And it’s the only way for me to move on.



The woman with purple eyes disappears,

And leaves me all alone and broken,

But I don’t care.

I don’t care about peace or freedom,

Nor do I care about the woman with purple eyes.


Purple Eyes: Part Three

She has led him to a disturbing place,

A familiar place that is a disgrace to his soul.

He thought he could forget about this place,

He thought he could outrun the suffering he experienced in this place,

But he was wrong.

She brought him back to this nightmarish place.

She brought him back to this diner,

So late into the night,

Where he met an unfortunate fate.

What does she hope to do for him?

What does she hope to show him at this late night diner?


I don’t want to go any further,

I feel like I shouldn’t be here at all.

This strange diner,

This diner that is so familiar to me.

A diner I never stepped foot in.

Why did she lead me here in the first place?

What could possibly still be waiting for me there?


I try my best to run away from her,

But she’s still holding on to my hand tightly.

There’s no escape from her.

I start crying and pleading for her to let me go,

I’m begging her to spare me from any more pain.

The woman with purple eyes says nothing,

She only continues leading me to a familiar place,

A familiar place that I thought I would never visit again.


We’re getting closer and closer to the diner,

And I’m starting to feel sick in my stomach.

I refuse to go any further,

But the woman with purple eyes keeps pulling me along,

No matter how much I resist.

It’s inevitable that I will see it.


We make it to the diner,

Then we go through the alley that’s next to the diner.

As we go deeper into the alley,

Darkness consumes us,

And light is nowhere in sight.

The full eventually comes out right on cue,

And I see we’re next to a dumpster,

We’re stepping in a puddle of something,

I look down and stop

I see we’re stepping in a puddle of blood,

But it’s not the scariest or strangest thing I see.

I see my dead body.


A Familiar Shadow: Part Two

For Jaden and Marvin, the city is within walking distance for them. The college campus is only ten minutes away from the city. They both quickly get dressed, leave their dorm room and head to the city. It’s close to midnight, and Jaden is still feeling a little nervous about being in the city so late in the night. 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. The city is a different world with nearly no one in sight. If there are people out in the city, they are simply lurking and hiding in the shadows. There are plenty of shadows and dark corners in the city. You never know what to expect, and the city late at night is a place where nightmares can become reality.

Jaden and Marvin finally make it to the city, and they find themselves a few minutes away from the diner. As they’re walking, Marvin is still trying to convince Jaden to go see Maria. 

Marvin says, “Look bro, all I’m saying is Maria is fine, and you need to get with her tonight.” 

Jaden is still unsure about going to Maria’s place, and he responds, “I don’t know man, I still feel like it’s wrong. Yeah she’s pretty and beautiful, but she has a whole boyfriend. Plus, it’s kinda late and who knows how long we’ll be at this diner. It’s probably going to be too late to see her anyways.” 

“I don’t think so, bro. We’re probably going to be at the diner for at most an hour, and I think she’ll still want to see you at 1:00 am. I think she wants you that badly, and you can have so much fun with her tonight.”  

Before Jaden can respond, they’re about to walk past the bus stop but see someone waiting there. Marvin tells Jaden to be cool, and Jaden listens to him. They walk past the bus stop and the person waiting there. Jaden takes a quick look at the person at the bus stop and instantly recognizes the person. The person is someone familiar at the bus stop. This person was a guy with glasses, a long sleeved gray shirt and blue jeans. He was someone in Jaden’s chemistry class. Jaden forgot his name, but he remembers the guy mostly keeping his distance and not really talking to people in class. He is this shy kid with a lot of anxiety, and Jaden wonders why he is in the city so late at night. He’s looking nervous at the bus stop, and Jaden thinks about going back to talk to him. 

Jaden tells Marvin that the person they passed is in his chemistry class. “Maybe I should just check on him real quick and make sure he’s alright. He seemed kinda nervous and scared at the bus stop,” Jaden explains. 

Jaden is about to turn around, but Marvin stops him. Marvin tells Jaden not to worry about him because they’re almost at the diner. Marvin also believes the bus the guy is waiting for will be coming for him soon anyway. Jaden is still worried about the guy, but he trusts Marvin. 

As they’re still walking to the diner, Jaden gets a phone call from Maria. Jaden forgot that he didn’t respond to her, and he’s nervous and reluctant to answer it. However, Marvin pushes Jaden to answer the phone. Jaden answers the phone, and Maria quickly asks if Jaden had received her message. Jaden admits that he received it, but he was not sure if he could come over. 

Marvin mouths, “What are you doing?”

Jaden tells him to shush, and Maria asks Jaden why he can’t come over. Jaden is trying to find a good excuse, and he comes up with a reasonable, good excuse. He says, “Well, my roommate and I are heading to this late night diner, and I’m not sure how long we’ll be there. I don’t want to keep you waiting.”

“Oh that’s okay Jaden, I’m a night owl and typically go to bed around 3:00 am anyways. Plus, I don’t mind waiting for you,” Maria responds.

Before Jaden responds, Marvin shouts, “Actually, we’ll probably be back on campus around 1 or 1:30 am, so Jaden will be all good to come to your place around that time.”

Jaden could not believe Marvin said that. Maria quickly says that time would work perfectly for her, and she was really looking forward to seeing Jaden later tonight. Jaden tries to object, but Maria adds, “Please Jaden, just for an hour, that’s all I need. I promise you that I won’t bother you for any more.

Jaden contemplates going over to her place, and he sees Marvin telling him to go over to her place. He reluctantly listens to Marvin and agrees to see Maria. 

She is happy to hear that Jaden is coming over and adds, “Just text me when you’re at my door. I’m looking forward to seeing you tonight, and I just know you’re going to love our study session a lot.”

Jaden understands and hangs up the phone. He turns over to Marvin and sees this big smile on his face. Then, he says, “I see you, Jaden! Playing hard to get, that’s actually really smart of you because now she really wants you.” 

Jaden shakes his head, and he can’t believe the situation he is in with Maria. As Jaden was thinking about Maria, Marvin and him find themselves in front of the diner they were hoping to get to. The name of the diner is called “Purple Eyes.”

“What kind of name is ‘Purple Eyes’ for a diner?” Jaden asks Marvin. 

“I don’t know, I kinda dig it bro. Also, everything in there is purple. It has a nice feel and vibe to it,” Marvin adds. 

They both head inside the diner, and they’re able to find a booth for themselves. A waitress comes up to them and asks if they want anything to drink. They both decide to get water, and they ask if they could have a few minutes to look over the menu. After a few minutes, Jaden decides to get some pancakes, eggs and sausage. Marvin decides on a burger and some fries. While they’re waiting on their meals to come, Marvins brings up Maria to Jaden. 

“I don’t know man, I don’t know if I want to do this,” Jaden explains to Marvin. 

“You’re not going to regret it. Look, I’ve had a lot of fun times with cheating girlfriends.”

“You have?”

“Yeah man, they’re something else. The best part about them is that they know what they’re doing and there’s no commitment involved. It’s honestly like a fun, exciting game messing with a cheating girlfriend. A fun, little Mortal Kombat game,” Marvin smiles and explains. 

“How so?”

“Well sometimes you’ll have flawless victories with girls that cheat with ease. Sometimes you’ll lose when girls change their minds, and that’s perfectly okay. Girls have a right to change their minds. Other times, they fight and start second guessing themselves. They’re not sure if they want to cheat on their significant other or not. So, you have to come up with the right moves and combinations that puts her mind at ease. Once you do that, you’re having fun times with a cheating girlfriend,” Marvin responds.

Marvin was making a little sense to Jaden, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted to play such a game with someone that has a boyfriend. Marvin then asks Jaden what’s stopping him from playing such a fun, exciting game. 

Jaden takes a deep breath and says that he wants something more. He wants love. Marvin looks at him and starts laughing. 

Then, he says, “Jaden, love is overrated, especially in college. Take it from me when I say that college is all about trying new things and having fun. Don’t lose out on Maria. Have fun with her and who knows, maybe you two crazy kids will fall in love. Also, maybe things are not going so well with the boyfriend, and she’s trying to take a chance with you and start something new. Just take a chance man and go for it, too.”

Their food comes after Marvin makes that statement to Jaden. While they’re eating, Jaden wonders how true Marvin’s words are to him. Jaden is not sure what to think anymore. 

After they’re done eating, they leave tips for the waitress and head out of the diner. They both enjoyed their food a lot and admitted that they would want to come back to this diner again for their food. 

“Yeah man, that diner had a nice, chill vibe to it and the food was so good,” Marvin says. 

“I know it, we gotta come back here again. Also, the service was pretty good,” Jaden adds. 

As they continue to walk back to campus and praise the diner, they are surprised by someone running towards them. It appears to be someone crying and begging for help. They both see some blood on the person’s face. Marvin and Jaden cannot tell who the person is, but they can tell that he’s been hurt and in a lot of pain. They think about helping the person. Then, they see three figures chasing after the person. Marvin pulls Jaden back and tells him to run and follow him. Jaden listens to Marvin. 

They end up running back near the diner, but they’re not sure about going inside the diner. Marvin directs them through the alley that’s next to the diner. They rush through the alley, and Marvin pulls Jaden near a dumpster. They hide behind it and start to hear footsteps. 

Their hearts are beating, and they’re not sure what to do. Jaden asks Marvin if they should call the cops, but Marvin tells him to shush and be quiet. 

Jaden and Marvin hear the footsteps getting closer to them, and someone yelling, “Can you two please help me? These three guys are trying to rob and kill me. I tried to get into the diner, but the doors were locked. Can either of you call the cops or something? Help me, please.” 

The voice sounds familiar to Jaden. He thinks it’s the one guy from his chemistry class. The guy that was alone and scared at the bus stop.


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

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

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

Purple Eyes: Part Two

There is a distinct beauty in her,

Despite her face being a blur in the night,

The eyes illustrate a work of art is hidden,

The eyes only give you a small glimpse of a hidden treasure.

A hidden treasure so many people hope and long to see in their lifetime,

Can she be revealed to the world?

There’s no way of knowing for sure,

There’s no way of knowing her true intentions so late into the night,

She’s not yet ready to reveal such things,

She only wants to reveal her purple eyes.


I believe this person is a woman,

Despite only seeing her feminine-like purple eyes.

I don’t know how to explain it,

But there’s something familiar about her.

There’s something comforting and reassuring about her.

All my anxiety and worries are gone,

And I’m simply at peace.

Why does she decide to be my peace at this time?


I know it’s crazy to say this,

But I trust her,

And I feel like she would never hurt me.

If anything,

She wants to be my light in this dark world,

My compass to lead me in the right direction,

She has to want to help me escape this scary city,

I’m sure of it.


She suddenly grabs my hand,

And she wants to lead me somewhere.

I choose not to resist her,

And I willingly follow her,

In hopes that I can be led to a better place,

A place far away from this city,

And the sick people that exist in it.


As we’re walking for a few minutes,

I feel my heart rate suddenly increase.

I find myself shaking again,

And I’m not sure why I’m doing such a thing.

We turn a corner,

And I immediately stop in my track.

I don’t want to go any further.

I see what’s in front of me,

And I want to run in the opposite direction.

For some reason,

I can’t be near this place.

I can’t be at this diner in the city.

Another Quiet Night

It’s another quiet night for me.

Now that you all are gone,

I can hear so much alone in this place.

This place I’m not sure to call home.

This place I can never escape,

No matter how far I run away from it.

I’m trapped in this place forever,

This prison will forever keep me locked away from the outside world,

But I’ve learned to be okay with it.


It’s unbearable to be here sometimes,

Especially at night.

It’s so quiet at night without you all here.

Sometimes I think about your voices,

Sometimes I miss hearing them,

Sometimes I’m thinking about my own thoughts,

Sometimes I’m thinking I should talk to somebody

And get some help for my loneliness,

But then I shake the idea out of my mind

Because sometimes I can get through the night,

If I try my best not to think about you all too much.


You all simply had to go,

You all had to go to another place.

I hope you all understand

And know that I miss you all very much.

I miss the joyful and loving atmosphere that was once in this place.

I miss the good times we had together,

Sometimes I wish we could have those days together again,

I miss them so much,

But then I remember they had to end,

They were never meant to last forever,

And I think you both knew why they had to end.

Why I had to put an end to those days.


Now that you both are gone,

I only have quiet nights.

I’ve accepted the quiet nights,

And understand there will always be quiet nights for me.

That will never change for me.

Every night will always be another quiet night.


This is the end of “Another Quiet Night,” the first poem of the Night Terrors poetry series

Be sure to like, share and comment your thoughts on “Another Quiet Night.”

“Blood on the Wall” will be the next poem of the Night Terror series that will be posted next Saturday.

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,

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.