[b]Miriam 
Chapter 9: Night [/b]

Miriam got up from her seat, she spared a glance outside through the window as she passed it. The parade was well on its way, the people were jovial and dancing about main street. Even inside one could hear the band playing festive music from the plaza. As Miriam thought about this she came to a dreadful yawn, She stretched her arms out above her and voiced her yawn tiredly. As she was about to drop them again there was a thump and she stumbled a step back, her face had hit something solid. Miriam ran a hand across her nose and mumbled a curse, whatever she had just walked into spoke down at her. With a booming voice.
	"Hmph. Excuse me." The voice rang firmly and the bear of a man walked on past the woman. Miriam paid him a backwards glare as she walked on, collecting her tarnished pride with a flick of her coat's collar. She mumbled lowly before exiting the tavern.

The people danced on past her, the opposite path she was headed. Some blew airhorns but most just shouted in every other direction, one particularly ignorant man attempted to grope the passing curves, the rest smartly avoided such action after witnessing a grown man cry over two broken fingers. Miriam briskly left Main street and walked through an alley as a short cut. Trying to find a Spirit-Walker was a futile endeavor - But she could still find out the truth about the Smiths and maybe find new clues in the process. It wasn't a long trip to the house but Miriam could not get much pondering done either way. Nearly the whole town was shouting as if some God had just revealed itself and she found it hard to focus on any idea in particular, none of this made any sense. Either way, she was certain her next visit wouldn't be in a celebratory mood.

She knocked gently on the door, the music was playing more faintly now and the masses weren't dancing anywhere near, silence and solace at last. As Miriam waited for someone to receive her she looked up at the sign above the door. It was a simple sign with a sword painted across it. Miriam twitched her gaze back down as someone opened the door, to peek through the gap. A tiny voice met her.
	"Who're you?" Miriam took a breath and set her mouth in a brief pout. She sighed and returned the question softly.
	"I'm Miriam. I knew your father."
	"My father is dead." The tiny voice said, fast and matter-of-factly. It made Miriam twitch a sad frown again.
	"I know, I want to try and help you. It's... Sarah, isn't it?" There was a moment of silence, then the girl opened the door to look at Miriam. She was maybe fourteen, her face was stuck in constant shock and she bore a black bruise over her right eye.      
	"You knew my father?" She asked, as Miriam could visibly see her swallowing her sorrow. She was careful to respond.
	"Yes. I want to try and find-..." Miriam was interrupted as Sarah's observation had changed, she looked past Miriam now, over her shoulder.
	"Who's that?" Miriam turned, confused, on the other side of the street there stood a figure. It wasn't hiding but it stood under the shadow of a building, face hidden beneath a pointed cowl. The figure noticed it had been spotted at last and it extended a hand towards the two, casually beckoning them over with the slow flick of its hand. Miriam narrowed her eyes, then turned to Sarah.
	"Go inside and lock the door, alright?" The girl did as commanded, seemed she was clever enough not to care whether Miriam was getting inside or not. Miriam had no intention to either way. She turned fully and faced the shadowed figure across the street. It had a lax posture, remaining very much under its cloak. Miriam narrowed an eye in suspense, flexing one hand beneath her own coat.
	"Getting rather chilly. Isn't it?" The figure commenced the conversation with a croaking voice. It then exhaled deeply. Almost gasping for air. Miriam tilted her head, as tense as she was curious.
	"The Winter solstice isn't far. No." She cautiously retorted, while sliding her feet further apart. She briefly gazed skyward, but couldn't see the stars due to the lit houses around her. The gaze was quickly returned to the figure on the other side though, as it spoke again, equally strained as before.
	"One ought beware. What Night brings." The figure then began to creep backwards into the shadows of the alley that Miriam had come from, fittingly ambiguous and cryptic. She couldn't let him get away, whoever he was and she began to pursue.
	"Hey!" She exclaimed but as she had gotten halfway the figure turned, it rose its heavily cloaked arm and made a simple twist of it. Out from inside the cloak flew a cloth of intense blackness. The drapes of void dark stretched and flew in winding ferocity towards Miriam. The scavenger instinctively thrust her arms up in front of her face for self defense. She exclaimed and as the pitch black limbs reached her she immediately fell to her knees, the four limbs twisted around her, pressuring and pushing her down. A horrid sensation of isolation struck deep as it seemed the waves of draping shadow would drown her. Miriam clenched her previously flexed hand, whispered a single word of desperation into it, and then let go...