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Summary:\u00a0<\/span>Young Adam tells his new mother about the lady in the shadows.<\/span><\/p>\n Rated:<\/span>\u00a0K+\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Word count:\u00a0<\/span>1141<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inger Cartwright listened to the clock chime.\u00a0Benjamin will be home soon!\u00a0<\/i>She smiled at the thought of her husband.\u00a0Benjamin will be home soon. My husband will be home soon!\u00a0<\/i>Only three weeks married, the thought of him striding into her house filled her with both contentment and excitement.\u00a0We\u2019ll have supper; we\u2019ll talk about the preparations; we\u2019ll put Adam to bed, and then\u2026\u201d<\/i>\u00a0She felt the blush rising in her cheeks and turned to find a distraction. Her eyes settled on the boy kneeling in a chair at the kitchen table.\u00a0My son! A husband and a son. How can I thank you, Lord, for giving them to me?\u00a0<\/i>She watched the child as he moved pencil over paper with the utmost concentration. His left hand came up to brush his curls back from his forehead as his brow furrowed. Then his tongue appeared and moved across his lips as if assisting the small fingers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat are you drawing, Adam?\u201d Inger wiped her hands on her apron as she walked to stand behind her son.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cA picture.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf what?\u201d she inquired peering over his shoulder.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUs,\u201d Adam answered still focusing on his task.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMay I see?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cSure.\u201d Adam straightened, and Inger slid onto the chair next to him. \u201cI\u2019m doing me now.\u201d He pointed to the smallest figure.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI see, and you are doing so very well. It looks just like my beautiful boy.\u201d Inger\u2019s arm slipped around Adam\u2019s waist as he kneeled on the kitchen chair. He shifted to lean against her. \u201cAnd that is my handsome Benjamin.\u201d She pointed to the figure of a tall man.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cYeah, that\u2019s Pa, and that\u2019s you, Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIs it now, but she is much too pretty to be me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Titling his head to gaze up into Inger\u2019s face, Adam stated softly, \u201cYou\u2019re pretty, Mama; you\u2019re the most pretty lady of all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inger squeezed him closer and dropped a kiss on his forehead. \u201cAnd you are the most special boy.\u201d She gazed at the picture again.\u00a0He draws so well for one so young. We must see that he has the things he needs to draw. Paper and pencils, pens and inks. None of those weigh so very much nor will they take much space in a wagon.\u00a0<\/i>Leaning over to study the picture more closely, she noticed a fourth figure. \u201cWho is that behind us?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe lady in the shadows.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Surprised at the reply, Inger loosened her hold on the boy. \u201cThe lady in the shadows?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cUh huh.\u201d Adam settled onto his chair.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A small twinge of concern turned down the corners of Inger\u2019s mouth. \u201cThis is a lady you have seen?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cMm, uh huh.\u201d Adam picked up his pencil and focused once more on the paper before him.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhen? When have you seen her?\u201d Adam failed to notice the edge that had sharpened his stepmother\u2019s voice.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLots.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLots?\u201d Inger repeated his answer. \u201cYou have seen her lots?\u201d Adam\u2019s small nod prodded her next question. \u201cWhere? Where have you seen her, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIn the shadows.\u201d It was a simple statement of fact that was followed by another. \u201cI need to do my feet.\u201d He began drawing again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThe shadows where, Adam?\u201d Inger\u2019s hand went hesitantly to his head and gently touched the dark curls.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLots of places. We\u2019ve been lots of places, Mama; you know that.\u201d A slight hint of irritation tinged the words, but a second caress from her fingers wiped it away.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI know you and your father have been many places, Adam.\u201d Inger sighed and bit her lower lip. \u201cWhen is the last time you saw the lady, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam\u2019s hand paused for a few seconds. Then his lips drooped as he replied, \u201cSunday.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cLast Sunday? When Sunday?\u201d We went nowhere but to church Sunday.\u00a0No one new was at church Sunday.\u00a0<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam dropped his chin and shifted. \u201cWhen Pa and you found me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inger\u2019s mind flashed back to that morning. As she and Ben were talking to folks after church services, Adam had wandered off. The remembered terror made her stomach flutter even five days later. The church was on the edge of town, the boy too young and the area too new to him. It had taken near ten minutes to find the child. That had been more than long enough for irritation to turn to fear. They had found him alone in the woods behind the church. He said he followed a cat, a stray cat, but\u2026<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cThis lady was there?\u201d Her hands had gone to Adam\u2019s waist and turned him to face her.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cBut…\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe was sad \u2018cause I got a spanking.\u201d His chin dropped, and when he spoke again, he peeked shyly through his bangs. \u201cYou were sad too; wasn\u2019t you, Mama?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Inger\u2019s hand caressed Adam\u2019s curls. She bit her lip at the memory of Adam\u2019s head buried in Benjamin\u2019s chest, his shoulders shaking with sobs. \u201cYou must never go off like that again, Adam.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cI won\u2019t, Mama; I promised, and I won\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cOf course, you did, so I will worry no more about it.\u201d This time her fingers caressed his cheek. \u201cThis lady, though, what does she look like?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe\u2019s not tall like you, Mama.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe is not?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam shook his head.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHer hair?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s dark.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWhat else, Adam?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The boy shrugged. \u201cShe\u2019s pretty; that\u2019s all. She is in the shadows always, so that\u2019s all.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cHow long has she been in the shadows, Adam?\u201d Inger\u2019s voiced held a forced calmness.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her tone made him look up. \u201cAlways.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cWherever you and Pa went?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Adam nodded.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cDo you know the lady\u2019s name?\u201d For a moment she held her breath.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n He shook his head. \u201cNobody ever said it.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cAnd she never told you?\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cShe don\u2019t ever say nothing. She just watches.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Her teeth sunk deeper into her lip. Ben had told her once, \u201cShe was a small woman with dark hair and eyes.\u201d\u00a0Elizabeth!\u00a0<\/i>Inger stared down at the drawing and chewed her lower lip. The opening of the door startled her, and then both she and Adam turned to see Ben enter the house.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u201cPa!\u201c\u00a0 \u00a0Adam scrambled to the ground and dashed toward his father. Inger rose watching as her husband caught his son in his arms and swung the child toward the ceiling. Slowly her eyes turned back to the drawing on the table. She picked it up and quickly placed it in the drawer of the sideboard before going to her new family. She was very glad when Adam failed to mention the picture ever again.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n