A Gentleman In the Night

A GENTLEMAN IN THE NIGHT : She sat alone, in a dress of ivory silk. Beneath the stars, sparkling like the white wine shared at the party. Her mind drifted gently like the leaves that fell from the late autumn trees in the park nearby. She turned her gaze heavenward and felt the soft breeze, uplifting, cradle her chin in her warm hands. The gentleman had made a promise; by the stroke of midnight, that she await at this very spot, for his descent. How handsome he had been, his slender fingers caressing her back, as they danced, entranced, the music guiding them. He whispered his instructions in her ear, so soft... Under his power, she obeyed. Bringing her here, to wait. Her luscious locks swayed, moving with the wind, just as she had moved with him; A shadow. Out of the murk he strode. Tall, dark, and handsome. She swooned pre-emptively, awaiting his embrace. As he drew from beneath his cloak, it glinted, but why? The precious moonlight reflected, both in her eyes, and in the steel. The reflection only momentary; his blade, dulled by lavish burgundy, and her eyes, dulled by the embrace of death. She sighed softly, nary a sound, as he embraced her one final time, whispering to her his farewell. She smiled, and slipped into the ether. They found her come morning. A single rose alighted upon her lifeless form. The gentleman had struck once more. And disappeared into the night. By Aliza Kashmala Kiran