Through the Shadows of Forever

By James Patrick Krach

Imprisoned in shadows, guarded by fear. Gavin has just married the woman of his dreams, and they are now looking forward to the rest of their lives. Though they are stepping into their beggar’s castle of the lower class for the first time, they care only that they have each other. With a chosen life that disagrees with the American dream of wealth and success, they soon begin to feel the darkening attacks of the world they live in. With the appearance of a beautiful woman of enthrallment and the hideous man that mocks them with his maniacal laughter from the darkest shadows, they will soon embrace the punishment of their rebellion from conformity.

In the small city of Baltimore, Erik finds shelter in its dark rotten alleyways. Forgotten by the world, and even by himself, he questions his own existence and being. Without the knowledge of how he ended up in such despair, he is only given the memories hidden within the stitching of a ragged brown stuffed bear that he clutches with his life. Finally after growing tired in atrophy, he must find the answers to his past. As he journeys through the horrifying alleyways with his only friend, a rat by the name of Gabriel, he is in search of the only man who knows the answers to his existence.

What will happen when the lives of Gavin and Erik collide in a violent burst of enlightenment? How can these men go on when the only promise to them is that their pain will whisper through the shadows of forever?

• Language: English
• Publisher: James Patrick Krach
• Release date: Nov 25, 2011
• ISBN: 9781466075153

James Patrick Krach

Born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, James Krach spent both his child and adulthood obsessed with all forms of literature. Because of his complete dysfunction within the corporate world, writing is all that keeps him functional in society. If he desired to do anything other than write, this dysfunction would probably weigh heavier on him. James now lives with his wife, and fellow writer, Diana-Ashley Krach in South Florida.

Book preview

Through the Shadows of Forever


James Patrick Krach

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2011 by James Patrick Krach

Smashwords Edition, License Notes


This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Table of Contents

Prologue

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

About the Author

Connect with the Author

In light I see death.

In night I see tears.

On the top of a mountain I stand,

Surrounded in the depths of darkened night,

Yet below shines the day from no sun.

Will the day flow towards me if I climb further away?

Will tears turn to death?

Or will I remain forever in shadows?

A whisper tells me the truth.

Excerpt from The Lost Text of the Fallen Crow

Found and interpreted by Father Patrick Babikow

Prologue

-1-

The fog began to settle again in a despair of slow death in the alleyway. In the alley, it was a cold and dark tomb, shared by those with crippled hope. To Erik, it was home. To Erik, it was comfort. The brick walls towered above, and shadowed nothing less than a cathedral of darkness. On certain days, Erik could even catch a glance of its own angel. It peered down to him with pity etched on its face. One hand looked to cradle something no longer being held. The other hand reached down, as if even Erik could be saved.

Erik painfully closed his eyes to sleep. Even through the pain of submission, it was the easiest thing for him to do. His body was tired and withered, as if to match his own soul. His dark hair was overgrown to the center of his back, tangled with filth and sweat. His face, bruised by his battle with life, was covered with a heavy mask of facial hair. His clothes were torn, as each loose thread and ripped fabric told its own story.

With his heart too restless for sleep, Erik opened his grey eyes. The eyes that he opened were dying. It was from these dying eyes that a tear dripped, and slowly cut through the dirt on his cheek. In his hands, he held a toy bear. It was a bear that was tattered from the weather. It was a bear long tattered from a night that was forgotten.

-2-

Angela, before I met you, I was lost. I searched a lifetime to find someone like you. It wasn’t until I gave up that you found me. I have nothing to give you but my heart, and my heart I wish to give you. Angela, will you please take my heart, and marry me?

Gavin, on one shaking knee, finally found the courage to look up to his treasured Angela. His piercing blue eyes met her majestic dark eyes in hopeful promise. He nervously swept his shaggy, dirty blond hair away from his eyes, so to get a clearer view of his beloved’s expression. His lips began to tremble when he saw her slowly bite her thick bottom lip.

No. Angela’s words were spoken sympathetically, but landed as sure as a shard of glass puncturing the vain. You have already given me your heart, as I have given you mine. I will not take what I have already been given. This I will do… I will place your heart with mine. I will make one heart, and we will share it. I will marry you.

Gavin, feeling the pulse of his heart finally returning, gave a crooked smile. It was a smile often found on the face of an impish boy. With a gentle exhale escaping his mouth, he slipped his valued ring upon Angela’s slender finger. The ring was made of cheap metal and glass, but in Angela’s eyes it was perfect.

Angela slowly lowered herself to kneel in front of Gavin. She pulled her long dark hair back behind her shoulders. The two locked eyes for an eternity in moments. She leaned over, and after a small kiss to his cheek, whispered one word into his ear… Forever.

ONE

-1-

Time had passed, just as promised that the sun would rise and fall. In this night, the air was calm and chilled. The chilled air crept onto the leaves of the trees, painting them with nature’s dye of orange and red. The moon took the form of a glowing crystal ball; yet, what future the moon glimpsed, it spoke to no one.

In a small town, outside the limits of the Baltimore City, sat a cluster of small homes that showed no importance to society. The city was thought to be a metropolis by those who lived near, but was nothing more than a haven of wickedness. It was a city fallen to despair. Whether one was looking to make money in legal or illegal means, they practiced the art of cruel capitalism in Baltimore. The town that sat outside its borders went by the name of Kingston. The homes that rested in this town were small, but they radiated warmth. It was warmth that one could not find for many miles. The houses were warm, and the town forgotten. To the people of this town, it was thought best that it remained forgotten.

It was outside one of these warm homes that Gavin stood. Kneeling against a large oak tree rooted within this piece of land, he waited. His dirty blond hair, now grown in layers to the center of his neck, was pushed away by his smooth hand. His eyes were revealed to the night air. His bright blue eyes pierced directly into the soul of the moon that gazed down to his house.

Hey you. Angela slowly walked up from the rusted car to join her husband at the tree. Home sweet home.

Gavin shifted his sights upon his new wife. Such a beautiful creation was she that God had gifted to this world. Her flawless milk skin appeared to illuminate with the moon’s passion. Her long dark hair was resting behind her shoulders, allowing access to her dark eyes. Her eyes danced upon the stage of Gavin’s soul, causing his flesh to tingle. She was indeed a gift to the world.

Yup, this is it. Gavin glanced back toward the beggar’s castle that would shelter his queen. Everything is moved in, set up, and ready to be lived in.

Angela grabbed Gavin’s hand, as she began to pull him towards the new house. Her excitement pulsed through her hand, causing it to constrict tightly upon Gavin’s. The house was old and cheap, but to her it was beautiful and perfect. This house was their new castle. This castle was their new home.

When looking at the outside of the house, one word was formulated within the mind. That word was simply stated as sad. The exterior was covered with an exoskeleton of exposed brown wood. Dry rot could be seen gnawing away at the wood around the four large windows, placed at the front of the house. Two windows on each side of the door watched out in wide surprise, as if witnessing the entrance of its owner was most unexpected.

A pitiful wooden porch lined the entire front of the house. To the right swung a wooden porch swing that squealed with painful rust. The porch itself cried in agony with every step taken. The two screamed together, like the victims of a vicious massacre. Oddly enough, the door let not one whimper escape, as it was slowly opened. Perhaps that which tortured the porch and its swing, had already slaughtered the door hinges lifeless.

Once inside the house, Angela was able to peer into the heart of her home for the first time. Once passed through the threshold of the front door, she sat staring at a pale yellow wall. The existence of this wall gave the option for two different paths she could take on her journey through the house. The options given to her were either left or right.

To the right sat the main living room. The living room was size enough for a sofa, chair, and a coffee table. An area was left open to place a television, for the time that one could be afforded. Against the far right wall, a dark orange sofa that looked to belong in the smoking room of a grunge club in the city rested. Sitting parallel to the sofa rested a small splintering wood table, which sounded with pain with every object that sat upon it. Within the stretch of wall that ran perpendicular to the far right wall, sat the final piece of furniture. Between the two windows, which kept their frozen gaze upon the front yard, sat a faded brown chair that was older than the floor it stood upon. The chair was the highlight of their room, as it was a wedding gift from Angela’s grandmother. It was the only wedding gift that they received, for Gavin’s parents were deceased, and Angela’s parents refused to accompany a celebration of their only child marrying a poor poet. Her parents had hoped that her marriage would extend their social status, and made their discontent obvious when they saw that this was not to happen.

When walking to the back of the living room, she saw the doorways to two separate bedrooms. One room, nestled tightly on the left side, was completely empty besides a small lamp. The room was empty because it was yet to have a purpose. The other room was slightly larger, and furnished for the couple. It held a worn queen bed, resting on the frame of a faded white headboard. On each side of the bed sat a small set of drawers. Angela’s drawers where pained white to match the headboard and held a small lamp, which allowed a faint glow to flow from it. Gavin’s drawers were finished with a dark gloss, and held a picture of the couple from when they first met. Across the bed sat a larger set of dark wooden drawers that tabled a large broken mirror. On the far right wall, a window was set higher than one would normally expect. The window was small, though it was large enough to allow natural light to flow into the otherwise dark room.

After viewing the contents of the right side of the house, she decided to take study of what was held on the left. Once on the left side, she was standing in a humble dining room. The dinning room was empty, and it silently melted into a bright kitchen of yellow and brown paint. The cabinets of the kitchen, like the room that preceded it, were empty.

After fully viewing the contents of the pitiful shelter, sitting encased by the wooden shell of a lonely home, Angela returned to the living room to stand by the side of her Gavin. A huge smile was stamped upon her face in a lifetime of joy. That lifetime slowly began to age, as her smile melted away at the slight glimpse of her beloved. Creases of sorrow began to form upon her forehead in the depths of a burial ditch. The corners of her mouth began to dip in a horizon of distorted pain. Her heart silently wept, as she looked towards Gavin.

Gavin allowed not a single muscle to move, as his chest barely rose with living breath. He would only allow his sights to walk across the discolored floorboards that his feet stood upon. The floorboards sounded with pressure under the foot falls of his gaze.

What’s wrong honey? Angela gently asked, unsure of the response that she would receive.

I’m so sorry. This is not how I wanted you to live. Gavin slowly looked up, and Angela could see tears causing a web in Gavin’s eyes. His eyes now looking as two frozen lakes, the ice now cracked and splintered under the foot of sorrow. Your worth is greater than I can give. I wanted to buy you the world, but I could only buy you a meager shack.

With pure relief, Angela’s face relaxed to its smooth canvas. She slowly walked over to Gavin and pressed her hands against his eyes, covering his sight. This place where I stand is only my house. This is my home, in your eyes. I live in how you see me, because you do not see me with your mind. You see me with your soul. The soul that you shelter me in is too big to be built with wood, stone, and brick.

She slowly drew her hands down to see her reflection in Gavin’s eyes. The cracking in his eyes had decreased with the melting of spring’s promise. Angela could now clearly see herself staring back out to herself through the windows placed upon the face of her husband. She was truly loved.

I just wish I could give you more. Gavin carefully reached out, grabbing hold of Angela’s hands. This is just…

Before Gavin could push the conclusion of his statement outward, Angela kissed the lips that tried to form his apology. Her full, dark red lips gracefully cradled his own. When she smoothly pulled herself away, she removed her hand from his like water down a stream. She placed her hands upon his shoulders, and allowed her brilliant smile to form with her thick lips.

I love this house. This is our house. Our dreams will spring from this house. Angela’s voice was smooth with the fluidity of a river’s current.

A slight giggle in his throat, Gavin was able to subdue his insecurities. With words like that, I’m beginning to believe that you are the poet of the house. His eyes formed a slight squint, to match his childish smile.

Angela allowed a contagious laugh to explode from her chest, as the shade of powdered rose colored the accents of her face. A few sentences, here and there, from the heart. That’s all I have. I couldn’t complete a full poem if my life depended on it. I don’t know how you do it. Your passion comes through the pen. Mine comes through the cello.

A prickle of hurt sent its shadow upon Gavin’s face. It was a shadow’s moment to allow apology to return to his tongue. I can’t afford to buy you a cello.

Angela refused to allow her smile to fall slain to his sorrowed words. And I can’t afford to buy you a pen.

It was that simple statement which nurtured the light to return to Gavin’s face. Through that simple statement, the laughter could not be suppressed. The laughter that exploded, from the two child-like lovers, thundered through the house.

With a rejoicing embrace, the two returned as one. It was a single embrace that could last for eons. As a union of one, within the last moments of the hug, the two simultaneously sent their eyes towards the door. The door was open. Logically, the thought of closing the door was forgotten. In reality, Gavin clearly remembered closing the door.

The newly formed family walked to the door, and slowly stepped out onto the porch. Crickets could be heard singing to the moonlight. Gavin sat listening, as he swore he could hear the sound of laughter, dancing through the cricket’s short moments of silence.

He swore he could hear the same laughter vibrating outside from the moments earlier, when the two still stood within the house. It was when the life of their interior laughter ran its span, that it was replaced by a muffled chuckle. It was a chuckle that Gavin had yet to hear with his virgin ears. Up until now, his ears have never listened to the world.

Do you hear that? Gavin quietly whispered without moving his mouth.

Yeah, it’s the crickets. It’s a beautiful sound. Angela’s voice moved with the awe of innocence left untouched.

Before a continued response could formulate on his tongue, Gavin saw it out of the corner of his eye. It was the shadow of a man standing across the street. The Shadow Man was seen through the snapshot of the eyes subliminal view for a moment. When the eye was allowed to focus, Gavin’s visual connection to the being was lost.

Though he could not see him, Gavin still knew the Shadowed Man remained. He could sense his essence across the street. He could still feel him laughing. The Shadow Man was laughing at them.

Unsure of what to do, Gavin just continued to stand upon the aged porch with his wife. He reached over and grabbed hold of Angela’s hand. Angela accepted his hand, as she stared up towards the moon, with a peaceful smile floating silently upon her face. The moon stared back, playing with the natural glitter in her eyes.

So the two stood. This was their new home. This is where their future was destined to start. So the two stood upon the porch of their future. So the two stood at the amusement of the Man in the Shadows.

-2-

The dark clouds came creeping in like a hungry serpent stalking its prey. Lightning could be seen in the distance, flashing through the sky like the explosion of a supernova. A roar, with the power of the two worlds colliding, crashed against the alley walls. With the sound of the third crash, droplets of water began to drop from above. The storm began its journey, as rain slowly fell from the covered sky.

At first it was a single drop that found its way to Erik’s slumping form. It landed upon him with the astounding accuracy of destiny. It was the cold drop slapping Erik under his eye, which had awoken him from his haunted slumber of forgotten dreams.

The cold drop gracefully found its way down his cheek, forming a counterfeit tear. With confusion creased upon his face, Erik wiped away the teasing tear of rainwater. Looking at his damp fingertips, he could not remember the last time he was blessed with such clean tears. This was the first tear that wasn’t tarnished with the dirt from inside Erik’s body. Though fake, it was the first time,