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.
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