Quick little oneshot. Own nothing please review
A pregnant woman walked down the streets of New Orleans. She wasn't a native, for if she were she wouldn't be looking for the mysterious gentleman referred to only in hushed whispers as the Shadowman. Her husband knew she was going out, but she didn't tell him where. If she had, he wouldn't have let her out of the house. She heard he could be found in the French Quarter, and she heard he could look into the future. That is what she wanted, to know the fate of her unborn child.
She walked down the French Quarter, getting polite glances from those she passed. She may not have been born here, but she was well known; her husband was the most powerful man in town. Slowly, she approached a particular alleyway and looked down it. It was dark, and she couldn't see the end. Cautiously she began to walk down it. A sound from behind startled her and she spun around to face the alley entrance. Nothing was there. She began to slowly back up, only to bump into something.
It too all of her strength not to cry out in terror. She spun around and saw what she had bumped into. It was a man, tall and lean. He had dark skin, though it was light enough for the woman to consider that he may have as much White in him as Negro. He looked her up and down, not seeming nearly as impressed as the people on the street. His violet eyes locked with her blue ones and she started to tremble.
"What are y'all doin' here?" he asked, his deep voice sending a chill through her spine. She swallowed.
"I-I heard you told fortunes," she said, her voice coming out in a frightened whimper. He began to circle her and she immediately thought that coming here was a bad idea.
I'm going to die here, she told herself. He'll kill me. Me and my baby. He stopped circling her and leaned on his cane.
"What do you want to know?" He asked, barely keeping the anger out of his voice. "Pretty little thing like you ain't got anythin' to worry about. Your husband takes care of all your needs." She swallowed again, putting a hand to her stomach.
"I want to know about my child," she said, still shaking. He looked her up and down then looked to a wall. For the first time she noticed his shadow moving on its own. Perhaps coming here was a mistake. Him and his shadow seemed to have a conversation, though she couldn't here a thing. He looked back at her.
"I won't be punished for any bad news," he said. She nodded. Sighing he turned and motioned for her to follow him. He led her to a door at the end of the alley. Slowly, the door creaked open. He walked in, his shadow following faithfully. Carefully, the woman followed as well. He motioned to a table at the far end of the room.
"Sit," he commanded. Not taking her eyes off the floor, she walked towards the table and sat down. He sat down across from her and began shuffling the cards. She wrung her hands together nervously, feeling his gaze on her. He spread the cards out in front of her and told her to pick three.
"Ok," she said, drawing the three closest to her. She handed him the cards, which he spread out on the table. He flipped over the first card and looked at it. On it was a baby, wrapped in a pink blanket and surrounded by a pink cloud.
"It's a girl," he said. The woman smiled, wrapping her arm around her stomach. A girl. She had always wanted a daughter. Not looking at her he flipped over the second card. On it was a man who was clearly her husband holding a baby. He paled.
"What's wrong?" She asked. He looked up at her.
"I won't be blamed for bad news?" He asked. She nodded. "Y'all are gonna die." The woman felt the color drain from her face.
"What?" She asked. "How? Why?"
"Childbirth," he said. "Sorry, chere, sometimes it happens." She wrapped her arms around her belly.
"My baby?" She asked, dreading the answer.
"She'll be fine," he said. The woman sighed with slight relief. He turned over the last card. On it was a young woman who looked remarkably like her. "She won't have a mother, but her daddy will make sure she doesn't want for anything. She'll be loved, she be cared for, she'll grow up to be quite the young chere it seems." The woman nodded, reaching into her purse and handing him four bills. He took it without a word. Slowly she got up and walked to the door. As she left she heard him call after her.
"Pleasure doin' business with y'all, Mrs. La Bouff."
Well there you go. Who saw it coming? Be honest.