Djinn_S : Tales Of Rome

Chapter 5: Black Shadow

The night is getting darker.people strolling on the street are almost done with their own distinctive works so they are heading back to their own houses. For some, time feels like flying but for some, time doesn't feel like moving at all.At one point the most crowded street went quite leaving the street like a barren field, leaving a single soul standing, still.

"Mamma shalli...shalli is alone
...we-al you mamma? Where should shaalli go?"

It was a cloudy night. Even the moon could be barely seen as it was covered with clouds.Walking on the lonely barren street, she came across to an old mansion. The sign of old could be found everywhere around it. She stood in front of the old iron gate. With her tiny fragile hands, she tried to open it but the hundred years old heavy stubborn gate wouldn't budge. She pushed the gate for several times but in vain. But her luck helped her. Looking around she found the old wall lost some of it's bricks, leaving a small hole at the bottom. Though the hole was small but enough specious for her tiny body to pass through.After the wall she reached an ancient garden or should say then a garden now an abandoned lifeless field with dried darnels everywhere.

Crack!

Her feet produced the sound as she stepped on dried darnels and leaves. She walked until she came across to an ancient mansion. In front of it was an old wooden door.Doubtfully she pushed it but to her surprise, it opened with a crackling sound. Inside the mansion was darker than outside. Still she stepped on the dusty floor and headed inside. The more she walked, the more darkness surrounded her. She almost tripped for a few times.At one point she couldn't see anything so she used her hands to locate any object around her.While grabbling on wall, she reached on a passage which divided into two separate ways. One way kept going forward while the other one was on her left. For a moment she was hesitating if she should take the left one or the other one. Then finally she made up her mind and turned left and started walking. Few minutes of walking was going well then... Suddenly her foot hit with a hard surface and she tripped. As she tripped, she bruised her knees and elbow. depending on her hands, she got up and tried to feel the thing that caused her trip. With her hands she felt the surface being smooth and after a small distance it got higher and higher. She guessed she was sitting on a staircase that leads to the second floor. she didn't got up to check the second floor, curiousity didn't hit her that usually does. She was only thinking what she has got herself into. It's a big thing in her four years of life to be separated with her mom, being alone in an unknown dark house with so many uncertainties. She brought her knees closer to her chest and tucked  her head in. Holding tightly her legs with her hands, tear drops made its way through her cheeks. At first silently without letting anyone know then a few moments later without any boundary she started crying loudly.
"Mammmaaa..... Mammaaa....maa.......mmaaaa......"

Tap!

She stopped crying at once. Her nervous system was on a high alert.

"What was that sound?"

Tap!

       Tap!

              Tap!

"Someone's coming", she thought. She moved to the side of the staircase and clenched the banister tightly. Slowly a black figure came into her view. suddenly for a second the moon uncovered itself from the veil of clouds and through the window that was just opposite of the staircase, came in the blunt moonlight. The light flashed on the back of the black shadow for a moment only and Shirley could only see a sharp object glowing in moonlight that was held in that black figure's hand.

"A knife!" She murmured. clenching  the banister, she shut her eyes tight and stopped breathing as if it would stop revealing her position to the black shadow.