THE DEVIL'S SHADOW ➖ M.MURDOCK/DAREDEVIL

II. WORLD MAP

THE DEVIL'S SHADOW
II. WORLD MAP
"PINKY PROMISE?"

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HELL'S KITCHEN, 1987

ANOTHER DAY in paradise is what some people called it. Other people just called it a day. It was one Saturday afternoon, and it was a warmly day if truth be told. It wasn't so hot that you had to blare your air conditioner at full speed, but it was warmth enough to open the window to let the breeze in to cool the house down.

Seven-year-old Ariel skipped from her bedroom towards the lounge room where her mother was talking with her father, she had a picture in her hand. A very good one at that. Especially for her age.

"Ma! Pa!" She called.

She'd taken a liking to calling her parents that after watching a movie with her parents, where the children called their parents "ma and pa", instead of "mum and dad". Miriam and Omari looked over their shoulders to find their daughter skipping over to them with a piece of paper in her hand.

"What've you got there peanut?" questioned Omari.

Ariel held her picture up in front of them. Their eyes travelled over the drawing of Matthew and herself, a drawing of a photo they took a few weeks ago at the park. The two of them sitting on the playground, smiling happily with their arms wrapped around one another.

"It's incredible, peanut!" exclaimed Omari.

"It's beautiful baby," said Miriam.

Ariel let a smile over take her face at the compliment from her father. He wasn't much of a drawer, as he was a lawyer for a local firm, Landman and Zack, that wasn't well known yet. Her mother was more into the arts, she could draw, paint and she was an exceptional photographer. It was obvious where Ariel got her talent from.

"Thank you," the brunette smiled.

"Is Matthew visiting today?" asked Omari.

Ariel frowned upon the mention of Matthew. She wasn't really sure if he was visiting today because he still had to ask his father if he was allowed too. She shrugged her shoulders at the mention of her best friend, not really knowing how to answer. She sat between her parents on the couch, staring down at the drawing she made of the two of them.

"I don't know pa. He said he still had to ask his daddy," said Ariel.

The two kids had hit off well after the first day they met in the park. Almost every Saturday they got to hang out either at one of their houses, or at the park. It depended on the weather, and their parents' decision.

"It's okay baby, I'm sure he'll visit you. He likes to hang out with you."

Ariel looked up at her father. "How do you know?"

Omari smiled. "Because he told me. Don't tell him I said that."

Ariel giggled at her father, which made both of her parents join in. She snuggled up to the both of them after placing her drawing onto the coffee table in front of the couch, and they continued watching the movie that was playing on the TV.

The sound of the doorbell ringing had rung out around the house. The sound alerted Ariel that somebody was at the door, which made her excitedly jump up from the couch to go open the door. Her parents also got up to see who was at the door, and it was not who they expected.