S h a d e A w a y

a short story to help you get to sleep

* * *

First, let me introduce myself. They call me Doctor Mad. Let it be so, for I don't remember my real name. It seems that I don't remember lots of things that once were so important to me. I don't remember my age. When you don't watch the time, it's easy. I don't remember my homeland well. When you travel as much as
I do, it's easy. I don't even remember the woman I loved so much when it all started. When it's been so long since your last meeting, it's easy.

Well, the only thing I remember in great detail is Him. I remember Him well. His age, all His deeds and all the women. And I'll never forget His name.

* * *

As I am trying to be unnoticed, I enter the huge cathedral after Mass starts and quietly sit on the back row, right behind the column. The organ music - just
what I need now - starts slowly, filling the space with rythm.

All right then, time to begin. First, I close my eyes. That old german - what was his name? - who taught me shade-shifting, he could do it anywhere with open
eyes in twenty seconds, but I need special conditions to concentrate. Now, calm down. I am calm. Calm as a rock. My blood circulates in time with the rythm. My
lungs work im time with the rythm. My heart, my brain, all my body IS rythm. Now my body doesn't exist. I don't feel anything. Right, the easy stage is over. Now the world around me. This is harder. Don't think of difficulties. Why is it so hard this time? I've done shifting for hundreds of times. And why should I do it? Stop. These questions... They are so new to my mind. Do not think. Do not think at all. The world around me - it is not real. It's just an image. A picture. A mirage. At this moment I need to see the effect of my work and I open my eyes. All right. Now the shift itself. I can feel the border. I can see it. The world goes blach and white, doubles and starts to float. Now the final stage. I'm almost there. The rest is easy. Just slip away.

"... you all right, sir?" - a woman with a kind face bows to me. The reality returns with a load of pain and it takes me a moment to accept this gift. She takes her hand off my shoulder, the hand that dragged me from close to another world. Damn it all. "Maybe I should call a doctor?" - there is concern on her face. I try to smile. "No, thank you. I'm fine now". Mass is over, the cathedral is silent and empty.

I walk away and think of my next attempt at shade-shifting. I checked this world and found nothing. No recent murders, no recently opened portals. Besides,
something in this place is strangely irritating. I don't want to stay here any longer.

I look around and suddenly see a figure at the end of the pfth. It's him! It's Jack! But something has changed about him. His eyes. They are normal. A bit
sad and tired, but without any trace of the former madness.

"Come on. I know you won't kill me right now" - he says and I feel that I really won't. Not now. "I live nearby."

*    *    *

"So my dear, now you must understand one thing" - his voice is soft and convincing - "If you want to keep your life - and your beauty - you must do what
I say". Terrified, mesmerized, she can't take her eyes away the waved blade of the knife in hes hand. Razor-sharp, it seems to be part of his body - so sure
and accurate are his moves, so natural is his image with this, almost living blade. When a policeman appeared, she thought she was saved, but he only smiled
and went towards the poor guy.
Then he easily, nearly lazily, danced around the man, cutting his wrist (the gun fell on the ground), his throat (the scream died in the eyes), his belly,
his elbow, his... She didn't get the moment when the policeman died. Long before the dark figure stopped its deadly dance and the corpse fell.

He smiles at her and madness glows in his eyes, sparkling and powerful. "Now, darling, take off this stupid jacket" - she obeys, understanding with horror,
what is going to follow. He cuts the ribbon off and a wave of golden hair covers her back and shoulders. "Open your mouth. Hold still, it won't hurt" - he makes
a short cut right in the middle of the inner side of her lower lip. Then he bows and gives her a kiss, long and deep, enjoying the taste of blood. He puts his
arm below her skirt and grasps her there, watching the grimace of pain on girl's face.

"Your habits are all the same, Jack" - the words hardly came out. When did I speak last? I don't remember. He turns to me, smiling with his usual curved smile.

"Well, well, look who is joining our party now! Do I know you, old man?" - I extend my sword and point it at him instead of answerung. I didn't track him for talking. He laughes and takes his damned dagger in the left hand.

If you think that sword is longer and I have an advantage, you are right. And wrong. The sword is longer, but the knife is faster and a true master can always
break the distance and come up close, where a short blade is much more effective. I hoped to keep him away, where he would experience difficulties in
blocking my attacks. Well, no battle goes as it's planned. Of course, my sword isn't as fast as rapire, but you can cut and hack with it, things that you can
never do with rapire.

A spin, a clash, a smile on his face. Blood is on the ground. His fingers are cut to the bones and he takes the dagger in the right hand. I just hope that he
is worse with it, because the pain in my side makes its way through the drugs I took before the fight. It's a really bad wound. but there is no emotion on my
face and my moves haven't changed. Seems like I haven't even noticed and it should put fear in his soul. But I know it could be lethal if I don't take care
of the wound really soon. Jack is fast, incredibly fast for a human being.

"Not bad, not at all" - he says. Another spin, another clash and he only just escapes my blade. Jack yawns.

  "I'm hetting bored, - he bows to the girl. - Sorry that I have to leave now, but our date is no more fun". His image becomes black and white, now it's just a shadow, and he is gone. Damn. I could never do it so fast. But I can see a slowly tightening hole in the substance of space and I can follow him.

"Mister..." - I turn to the girl and the madness in my eyes reflects as fear in her, though I've just saved her from being raped and sliced into pieces, let
alone what would happen to her soul after the touch of the cursed dagger.

"Oh, my child, my dear daughter, are you all right?" - she lookd at me, scared, and says

"But I'm mot your daughter...".

"Of course not! Do you think, just because I spend so much time away from home, I can't recognize you, my fair wife, mother of my children?" - why does she never recognize me? - But don't  ask, I won't return home, as soon as I deliver you into safety, I'll go on with my hunt for this demon of night ..."

And so I do.

*    *    *

"Once a woman told me just before I killed her that the same madness that was keeping me safe would turn against me one day and destroy me. So when we met
first and I saw your eyes, I thought - that's it. That's why I escaped. When I realized that you followed me through the shades, I got scared. Then I casually
found this place, spent some time here - and my mind cleared" - he laid back and took a deep breath. "I think it's all about these trees". - he points at the
forest near his cottage. - "Their smell makes the madness go away. Did you notice the changes? You start asking yourself questions. You feel free. You feel
like another person. It feels really weird. I feel like a total stranger in my own head. I've never lived a life of my own before."

I feel that he's right. My own madness is slowly going away.

"Have you ever thought of getting home?" - I ask the most important question of all to me. "Home?" - Jack laughs. It's a normal laugh, not the way he used to laugh. 

"Look around! That's home! That is our homeworld!"

*    *    *

I sit in front of Jack's dead body and prepare for a shift. We were standing here, not knowing what to say to each other. And then my hand laid on my sword's
handle.

"Your madness just doesn't want to go" - said Jack. - "You don't leave me much of a choice, do you?" He smiled painfully. "Well, I'm going to cheat the
prophecy." - he took out the gun. Its long silver barrel was death itself. I knew that what's left of my madness, though strong enough to control me, would
not protect me this time. "It's all this sword or yours. I bet you don't even remember where you got it from, but just like my dagger, it carries the
damnation. I don't want to die by it. Not now, that I've regained my mind." - he stood for a moment silently. "Well, good bye then". He raised the gun to his
temple and looked at me sadly. Then he pulled the trigger.

That's all. I mean, the end of our story. Now I have a way in front of me. My madness is gone and I feel a strange emptiness inside of me. The dagger whose
name is Evil and the sword whose name is Revenge rest here, waiting for the new masters, or should I say slaves? Anyway, I'm going to try to find my home. Jack
was mistaken, this world wasn't ours. Maybe I forgot lots of things, but I've just remembered one important detail to start with.

The sky should be blue.

- the end -