Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2001 21:37:51 -0800
From: mistress_n9@juno.com
Subject: The Shadow's Riddle

Disclaimer: Not real. Never happened. Don't know them. Any questions?

Author's note: How y'all doin'? Y'all doin' all right? *Spits in a
spittoon and watches as it misses* oops. Here is a new story to add to
me collection.

"The Shadow's Riddle"
Act 1; Scene 1:

A medium-tall man walked in with brown hair and blue eyes. He was
handsome; anyone can see that. His silver-rimmed glasses perched on his
nose to look smart. He walked up to the cash register and smiled. "Hey,
Jude."

The cashier looked up as she smiled. "Oh, hello Thomas. What can I do
for you today?"

"Hi, got a new shipment of books? I'm kinda hoping for a good reaction
to my newest novel." He chuckled.

"Mr. Burke, you know as well as I do that your books always do well."
Jude replied. "It's just very slow today. So many people are out of
town."

It was then when a girl, about the age of 13 or so, walked in. She
seemed to know what she was looking for and went straight towards "The
Other Life." She walked towards the cashier. "Are you done, sir?" she
asked politely.

"Yes, of course." Thomas moved out of the way.

"Can I have this in a bag?"

"Sure, sweetheart. $5.95." The girl paid the woman. "Shouldn't a girl
like you be reading a book by Harlequin or something?"

The girl chuckled while pushing up her glasses. "I already have her
entire collection."

"What do you think is her best book? Would you say that she would work
with someone like Thomas Burke?" asked he.

"I'd say 'Cat's Eyes in the Shadow.' And yes, she probably would." She
left the store.

"Thomas, why did you ask her that?" asked Jude.

"Curious, I guess."

"She was leaving with your book."

"She did?"

"Yeah, seemed real interested in it." She looked at him. "Now, you gonna
buy anything or are you gonna stand here all day?"

"Actually, I wanted to see Harlequin's new book."

"Ah, that rhyming shadow." Jude chuckled. She rooted around a box and
pulled out a small, thick novel. "There it is "Cat's Eyes in the
Shadow." By Harlequin." She handed it to him as he handed her the money.
"Why interested?"

"Because it's her first coffee-table book that deals with being in a gay
relationship." Thomas replied.

"Ah, now I see why you'd like it." Jude winked. She saw a black piece of
paper near Thomas' shoe. "Thomas, what is that?" she asked.

The man picked it up and examined it. "To Thomas Burke." It read. He
opened it and read the small note. "I have read your work, Thomas Burke.
I would love to work with someone like you. Meet me at the CornerShop
Coffee House at 4:00 pm tomorrow sharp. If you are not there at exactly
4:00, I will leave. Sincerely, Harlequin."

Thomas was almost jumping up and down with joy. "Oh my god! I get to
meet Harlequin!" he laughed. Jude chuckled along with him.

"Then you better get home and read her latest or else you would have
nothing to talk about." Jude laughed.

Thomas smiled as he rushed out the door; smashing into someone. "Sorry."
Thomas muttered. His hand as well as the person's hand reached for the
book.

"Harlequin. Such a nice choice. I'll see you around." Thomas quickly got
his book and ran to his car to drive home. He sat still for a moment.
That guy was cute. No, he wasn't cute; he was HOT! A blonde haired,
blue-eyed hottie had bumped into him. He drove out of the parking lot
and home to start reading the book.

*~The Next Day. 3:45 at CornerShop Coffee house~*
Thomas sat in a cafe sipping coffee. It was the day where he would meet
the elusive Harlequin. Everyone loved her books and how she's written;
like a child's standpoint in adult situations. The "This Is A Story Of A
Girl" series fascinated people of all ages. Its reality with a touch of
fantasy theme captivates almost anyone who reads the first chapter.

A small figure in a black cloak walked in. He wasn't surprised. Lots of
weird people tend to stop by the little cafe once in a while. She walked
towards his direction and sat in his booth. "You Thomas Burke?" she
asked.

"Yes, are you Harlequin?"

"In the flesh." she replied as a waitress came over. "I'll have a hot
cocoa." she leaned across the table. "So, I hear that you're interested
in my books."

"Yes, everyone is in fact."

She laughed. "You'd be surprised. I love your books, Mr. Burke."

He gasped. "Y-you like gay fiction?" he stuttered.

"Of course. Being open-minded is living, right?" she asked as she sipped
her tea. "Haven't you read my latest creation?"

"No, but I've heard of it. I've also read 'Letters to Sister Angela' and
'Mandy/Mandee/Manda."

"Really? What's your opinion on those?"

"'Mandy/Mandee/Manda' is a beautifully written novel about a girl going
through Schizophrenia. I just love it. My nieces and nephews love it
too. They like asking me if I could get you to autograph their copies
for them since the author's biography only has one line of a riddle.
You're like a shadow, Harlequin. It even says--"

"Like a shadow, I move so swift."

"And the second one says--"

"These words I write are just a gift. I know."

"Well, anyways, 'Letters to Sister Angela' is also beautifully written.
It must be something to live that life."

"Look, Thomas, if you wish to find out about me, just ask." she laughed.

Thomas blushed. "Um...ok. Well, how do you write these novels like a
child's viewpoint on an adult situation?"

"It is because I AM a child. Being Harlequin is like playing 'Hide and
Seek'. I hide and fans try to find me but they never do." Harlequin
replied.

"But why would you want to shroud yourself in mystery?"

"Because if I did, no one would buy my books because of who I am and
what they see. If they see only a shadow moving with the sun, the human
curiosity is triggered and they want to find out what they can."

"At least tell me if you are female or male."

"When you hear Harlequin, what do you think?"

"It's French." He thought a while. "And feminine. So you're a girl?" She
nodded.

"I also have a friend to meet me here. He asked if he could meet me also
since my books have changed his life." She leaned back. "But I don't see
how a child's writings would change anything actually." A tall, blonde
man sat beside her.

"You Harlequin?"

"That's what everybody thinks." she replied.

"Good. It's really hard to pinpoint you."

"Why do you think I do this?" she sighed. "It's obvious to the world yet
no one notices it." Something beeped as the limbs from the small girl
retreated inside the cloak. "Aw, damn it." She looked up apologetically.
"Me agent. Gotta smoke." she laughed as she disappeared in a cloud of
smoke.

The blonde man stared around the coffee shop. It was quaint. Nice. He
finally let his eyes fall on the man sitting across from him. He was a
bit short but had beautiful brown hair and light blue eyes. He wasn't
exactly built nor was he too skinny. He's cute though, he thought.

"Sorry, my name's Thomas."

"Nick. Nice to meet ya."

Silence drew on as Thomas moved his gaze from the grayish blue eyes to
the paintings around the small cafe. Nick was tall; he was built; he
was...the cutest thing he saw on the face of the earth. He coughed. "So
Nick, why'd you want to meet Harlequin?"

"Well, I recently read her latest novel, "Cat's Eyes In the Shadows",
and I wanted to know her opinion of gay factionalists."

Thomas chuckled. "Apparently, she thinks highly of us." He was not able
to link two thoughts together as he stared into the blue orbs. So
familiar. "Have I met you before?"

"I was gonna ask you that too..." he laughed. "I think so. I think you
were the guy I ran into at the bookstore yesterday."

"Yeah, that's me." Thomas replied quite shyly.

"So...Thomas, want to talk over dinner tomorrow night?" Nick asked
hesitantly.

"Um...sure?" he replied; quite flustered. "Wait, no. I have my book to
finish. But you're welcome to stop by." He scribbled his apartment
address down. "I got to go. Bye."

Nick sat there with Thomas' address in hand. "Thomas Carter. Thomas and
Nick Carter." He laughed as he linked the writer's name with his own.
"He's a keeper." He smiled as he left.


WRITE TO ME! I AM BEGGIN YA! PLEASE! WRITE TO ME!I NEED ENCOURAGEMENT TO
CONTINUE THIS ONE! Mistress_N9@juno.com

Send me an email!

Bye,
N9