She walks in shadows against the night, 

her dark coat and dark curly hair camouflaging her movement

She hides low in stairwells and doorways, looking over here, over there, using her training.

Most women are afraid to venture out alone on the street at night. 

She wasn’t. She sees lights ahead and stays hidden until she reaches

An all-night convenience store with bright lights,

.

She slowly walked around the cluttered aisles and found a cold fizzy soda.

Outside, she sat on the curb, felt refreshed, 

and a bar with dim lights and loud music beckoned from across the road.

She stayed low, inside, seeing an empty spot at the bar through the smoky air, 

and she was amused by the choice of obscure music.

She ordered a rum and coke, put a five on the bar, chilling to the weird music.

A leather clad, muscular man slid onto the bar stool beside her wearing a flawless smile.

They talked, small talk. She found him nice.

She expressed her fear of walking home alone that night.

He agreed to walk her to her condo, and she trusted him.

About halfway there, he pulled a knife from his waist band.

She saw the glimmer of the shiny metal, and he threatened her with it.  

Since she knew self-defense, she knee-d him.

Her training taught her how to take away the blade, 

from someone bigger than she,

He struggled but she stabbed him, with his own weapon

and left him on the sidewalk. She dropped the knife by him

She walked in shadows on the way home, looking over her back.

She made it home and fell asleep, watching the news. 

The next morning, she awoke to the news reporting that a man had been stabbed in her neighborhood.  She went to the hospital to see how he was, in the bright of the day.

Since then, they have been married for 18 years, no more walking against shadows.

No walking in the shadows against the night.

-John Scarffe