The Woeful Night

A tale of a man on a night.

The Woeful Night

Lightning flew across the sky as I walked down the stoned streets of Richmark. Rain fell from the sky onto my dark green hood of which was hiding my face from the eyes of the night. My cloak’s tail dragged across the ground as I walked up the steps to Mr. Kirjil’s home. I knocked loudly on the wooden door for the night’s rain covered most of the sounds I made. Moments later a man taller than myself answered my knock and stared me in the eye. He quickly switched his gaze to the seal on my cloak and immediately looked afraid. The man began to run but I was too fast for him. I aimed my arm at his running leg and squeezed my fist. A long rope shot out from a device under my wrist at his leg. The claw at the end of the rope grasped him and pulled him to the ground. I slammed my boot on his back and the other on his hand, making sure not to let him get away.

“Where is it?” I asked him.

“In the cupboard, there is a button, press it,” he said.

I got off of him and made my way to the cupboard. I pulled open the door and pushed the button that was inside. I heard a click in one of the drawers below the cupboard. I pulled the drawer out and saw it. There it was, a small bag made of a red velvet. I pulled the bag open and looked inside. Anger spread across my face, as I saw the contents of the bag. Gold. All it was, was gold. Not at all what I was looking for. I threw it to the ground and looked over at where the man used to be, but he was gone.

I ran out of the wooden door into the rain, pulling the hood over my head. I looked around for the man and luckily found him running away through the rain. I quickly chased after him gaining on him fast. As soon as I was in range I pulled him down to the ground in the rain and slammed his head into the ground.

“Where is it?” I shouted at him over the rain.

“You shall never know and you were a fool to come here,” with that he began to chuckle.

I looked at his laughing face not knowing what was happening or why he was doing this.

“Why do you laugh?” I shouted at him, “I will kill you in an instant!”

He chuckled again and said, “Ah, but I fear it is too late for that!”

Suddenly I felt a sharp pain in my back and suddenly felt a spreading numbness over my body. My body involuntarily fell sideways off of the man as my eyes saw something off in the distance. Through the rain and the night, I could see a dark figure staring at me through a black mask. He was wearing a hood as dark as night and his clothing matched it. With this vision, my eyes closed and I passed out.

What seemed to be seconds later I awoke in a dark alleyway. Still the moon glowed overhead as it was definitely still night. But was it the same night? Was it days later from when I was chasing down the man that arrived at Mr. Kirjil’s front door? I had to find out.

The numbness that once consumed my body seemed to have left my system by now, and I knew that it was at least several hours later. I got up from the pool of water that I was laying in as I struggled to stand from the heaviness of my cloak soaked with water. Then it hit me. My cloak was still soaking wet. That must have meant that it couldn’t have been but a few hours later. But perhaps I was wrong. That was not a matter I cared about at the moment so I carried on. I decided that I should first go to Mr. Kirjil’s house and see if that man was still there. Perhaps I could talk some sense into him.

I walked over to the house which was surprisingly not very far away and climbed the small set of steps that led to the door. I flung the green hood over my head and looked around for anyone that could be watching. Noone. Good, that meant no witnesses of what I am about to do. I knocked on the door of the house loudly and waited for a response. Seconds later, rain began to fall from the sky lightly. The rain had decided to start again. ‘How nice’ I thought to myself. Within a few moments an answer came from the door as it flung open. It was indeed the man of whom I had seen earlier. He was holding a candle in his hand and was looking at me with question. I slammed him to the ground as hard as I could and the candle went down with him. The candle went out but he didn’t. I pressed my foot against his face right after I closed the door to the house.

“Where is it?” I yelled loudly at him.

“Where is what?” he said, “Whatever it is I will give it to you! Just please, leave me be!”

“After what happened earlier? Ha! Now stop playing games and tell me where it is!” I said.

“Sir, if I knew what I was supposed to be giving it to you! Honest!” he said scaredly, “Please sir, just don’t hurt me.”


I got the sense that maybe he wasn’t lying. Even as absurd that sounded to me, something told me he wasn’t. Something told me that he really had no idea what I was looking for. I let my foot up from his face as he stood up while shivering.

“I do apologize. I must have been mistaken,” I said, “But where is Mr. Kirjil?”


The man looked at me funny and said, “Mr. Kirjil? Now that is a name I have not heard in a very long time. Why, I haven’t heard that name since...”

The man suddenly looked at me with sudden realization.

“No. It can’t be. You can’t be. Perhaps you...you are Merek?”

Merek? The name sounded familiar. But why did the man call me this? My name was... My name was... Come to think of it, I didn’t know my name. What was going on? I guess I am Merek? If I ask the man who I am he will think I am going mad. I had to act normal even though I felt nothing of the sort.

“Yes, Merek is my name,” I said to the man.

“Yes. And you are a murderer and a fool!” the man shouted with anger.

“What?” I asked, “Why I have never murdered a man in my life and I am not a fool.”
“Ah, but you are Mr. Merek, you are,” the man said.

My mind was rushing with anger and confusion. What was going on! I need help and this man is the only help I can get for now. I needed answers.

“And why do you call me these things?” I asked.

“Ha! Do not play a fool with me Merek! We know what happened that night!” he said.
That night? Is he referencing the night that I was hunting this man down to get the... Wait...no. Why was I hunting this man down? What was I looking for? Everything feels foggy from the past. I need to look forward.

“No...I do not recall what happened that night. But I do recall hunting you down and asking you for something,” I said to him.

“Ah! Then it is you! You are the masked one whom hunted me down that night!” he said.

“But that night wasn’t very long ago was it?” I asked.

His face spread with true concern as he said, “Wow Mr. Merek. You really have forgotten haven’t you.”

“What!” I shouted, “What have I forgotten?”

“Everything!” he said, “That night was fifty years ago Mr. Merek!”

With this I looked down at my hands. They were but old and wrinkly. I ran to the kitchen and looked in the glass. My face and beard were grey and old.

“No!” I shouted, “My life was just beginning!”

“I’m very sorry Mr. Merek,” the man said sadly.

Now that I actually looked at the man. He was also old and grey. His skin pale as night.

“It has past too fast! My life is but coming to a woeful end,” I said calming down.

“Yes. And now you must go my sir,” he said.

“Yes,” I said, “I must go...”

With this a darkness filled in around me. Consuming me until I feel down into the void.

PART ONE  END

Author's Note

I really just started this not knowing what is going on. Please I would really like to know what you think about this one.

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[Jayyy]

Your work is incredibly inspiring, and I’d be thrilled to collaborate with you by bringing it to life through story art and animation. I’d also love to help you reach a broader audience. Do you have any social media where we can stay in touch?