Shadows of the Moon, Chapter 12

Posted on by

A progressive short story from the Akron Writers’ Group, Wordplay. Written Winter, 2017.

Chapter Twelve: Maria Kelsay

Will shuddered as another blast of wind and ice shook the large windows of the terminal. Wind, snow, ice, power outages, worries, Tessa, $150,000. Will was tired of it all. He just wanted to get back to Tessa and straighten out this whole crazy thing.

He’d turned it over in his mind so many different ways that, rather than figuring things out, he was more confused than ever. He needed a nap; he needed a drink; he needed Tessa. At that desperate moment, an answer came from above, well, sort of from above. Unless he’d misheard, the latest of the nearly constant announcements raining down from the speakers had promised free food and drinks courtesy of the airport.

Will knew he hadn’t hallucinated the promise, because he witnessed men and women grab their carry-ons and head to their favorite eating establishments. Will quickly joined the rush, not stopping at the first allurements of McDonalds, nor the kitschy “fancy” restaurants. The further he jogged, the fewer travelers hurried beside him. Out of breath and eager for relief, Will squeezed into a small restaurant, made his way to the bar, and ordered a double scotch.

Will downed the drink in a few desperate swallows and signaled for another. He didn’t really feel better, but he didn’t feel quite as miserable. Waiting for his drink, Will stared without seeing his reflection in the mirror behind the bar. When he focused, he saw a normal guy, brownish skin, wavy black hair, brown eyes with flecks of green. He sighed. What does Tessa see in me?

Will hadn’t ordered food, but the bartender brought him a sandwich with the second drink. He ate and drank thoughtlessly, numbing his mind to his problems. He looked back at the mirror. He saw other frazzled fliers: a salesman type, two soldiers, an older woman, and two younger women who looked like sisters.

Sisters! Of course!! This whole mess was probably caused by Alisha!

Shadows of the Moon

A chapter will be released once a month. The first chapter was released January 5, 2025.

Hello! It’s nice to meet you.

Sign up to receive Tiger Lily's monthly e-newsletters.