The Silhouette

The Only Chapter

Alone, the dark-haired boy sat on the swing in the fading daylight, the warm rays illuminating the white bench as it flows back and forth in the breeze. He sat on the right, the side basking in the remaining sunlight, as his mom used to do at this time of year. The sun dipped below the horizon, and everything went silent.
Now abandoned, the old chattering swing swayed slowly in the front lawn, creaking as it changed direction. A body, motionless, lays next to the swing, as if it had fallen off of it and hadn't moved. The moonlight illuminated the lawn as the dead fallen leaves suffocated the unwavering body.
The  tree, swaying, dancing, being blown in the wind, covered the body with a blanket of leaves, hiding it from sight as the silhouette of a person lurks on the steps of the porch behind it.
Few have seen him wander through the streets at night, his face hidden by shadows from the moonlight, wondering who he was, but nothing ever seemed to happen, and they'd soon forget when they drift off to sleep.
But tonight was different, as Drew was walking home from a friend's house, he noticed the boy sitting all alone on the bench, book in hand. Drew thought he was lost, or maybe even homeless, and being the person Drew was, he asked the boy if he was okay. The boy just nodded and sat there, not moving until Drew turned around and started to walk away.
"Excuse me?" the boy asked quietly.
"Yes?" Drew replied as he turned back around and knelt to face the boy whose feet were dangling off the edge of the swing.
"Can you help down? I should go inside," the boy said calmly, setting his book down. Drew thought it was weird that the boy asked for help, but he obliged and picked up the boy from under his arms and set him on his feet on the ground.
The boy picked up his book again, which Drew thought was abnormally advanced for the boy who appeared to be in elementary school to read, and before he knew it, the boy took the book and hit Drew in the head as hard as he could, knocking Drew to the ground. The boy just smiled and walked away, leaving the body to lay there until the morning.