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Shadow Moon’s left cheekbone hurt. And not only the cheekbone. He took the glass on his table and placed on his face. The cold was nice on the bruises. He closed his eyes.
-Does it hurt?-
Mad Sweeney sat next to him. Shadow looked somewhere else.
-No- he lied.
-Of course it hurts. It should hurt.- Mad sounded like he knew some secret truth. Shadow was tired of all that nonsense.
-But it feels good. Doesn’t it, Shads?-
Mad was staring at him. Shadow couldn’t help but look him in the eyes. It looked like the fight had reinvigorated him. He looked alive, and hungry. Shadow tried not to dwell on that thought.
It felt good, though. He was still angry, because of his wife’s fate, but at least now he had something else to think about. He put the glass on his chin.
-What are you running from?- Shadow found himself asking. Mad smiled.
-Nothing. No one. This is just who I am.-
-Bullshit.-
Mad shook his head. -You have no idea, do you?-
Shadow frowned. -Why don’t you just tell me, then? Everything sounds just… crazy.-
-You gotta believe, first.-
-Are you trying to get on my nerves on purpose, so I’ll punch you again? Or being an asshole is just who you are?-
Mad pointed his index finger at Shadow.
-This is your lucky day, Shads. I won’t get mad.-
He rubbed his finger with the thumb and made a coin appear. It was the gold one.
-You won it. It’s yours.-
Shadow stared at the guy and the coin, as if he was afraid they were both going to bite him. He didn’t like the sparkle in Mad’s eyes.
-...but?-
Mad openly laughed.
-You are smart, Shads. I like you. Alright, I’m gonna teach you how to do this trick.-
Shadow lifted his eyebrows, waiting.
-But you gotta drink with me. And then, you have to do the trick yourself. Successfully.-
He made the gold coin disappear. Shadow stared at him, using what he hoped was a menacing expression.
-You told me the coin would be mine, if I beat your ass. I did. The coin is mine. Right?-
Mad asked for two more drinks.
-Oh, don’t worry. You’ll have your coin.- He took the glass from Shadow’s hand and placed a new one in it. The glass was full of a golden brown liquid. Shadow hoped it wasn’t the same drink Wednesday had used to seal their deal… or whatever. Mad stared at Shadow for a few seconds, then he bent to check the bruise on his cheekbone. He brushed his thumb on it, carefully.
-It’s just a scratch- he declared. -Drink.-
They drank together. Fortunately, it was just whiskey.
-Tell me about the trick, now.-
-It’s not a trick, it’s magic.-
-Yeah, I know. So?-
-I’m serious.-
-So you’re saying magic is real.-
-Yes?-
-And what are you? A werewolf? A vampire? Do you sparkle under the sun?-
Mad drank some more whiskey.
-Now, Shads, you’re being offensive. I told you. I’m a leprechaun.-
-And you’ve also told me to believe in magic.-
The leprechaun smiled. Shadow knew that his smile meant nothing good, yet he found out he couldn’t stop staring.
-Someone understands, finally.-
Shadow shook his head.
-Let’s pretend I believe you.-
-Go on…-
-What should I do next?-
-Open the door.-
-Which door?-
-The door. You have to imagine it.-
Mad got a bit closer. He touched Shadow’s forehead with his finger.
-It’s right here. Imagine the door. Visualize it. Then, open it.-
It sounded crazy. Shadow was well aware of that. But Mad also made it sound like it was as easy as pie. So Shadow closed his eyes, and imagined a door.
-It’s not just a door. It’s the door. It’s made of gold- explained Mad, as if he knew what was happening inside Shadow’s mind.
-There’s no handle- said Shadow. He didn’t know where that came from, but he just knew it made sense. The door he had visualized had no handle.
How the fuck am I supposed to open it?
-You don’t need a handle- whispered Mad to his ear.
-If you say so…-
-I promise.-
-So, I just have to believe? Alright. I believe I don’t need a handle to open that door.-
The door opened. And he was blinded by a bright, golden light. There was gold everywhere. Tons of gold, crowns, necklaces, rings, shields. A throne. And more coins. It hurt his eyes.
He opened them, in disbelief.
The door was gone. There was no blinding light. There was just Mad, being way too close to his face.
-You did it! I knew you were different, Shads.-
-That was real?-
-You can bet your ass, it was real.-
-I opened an invisible door, because I believe in magic- Shadow said. Yes, it still sounded crazy. He started laughing, and Mad laughed with him. He stopped when he realized that his trick had failed.
-I forgot to take the coin with me- he said.
Mad put a hand on his neck and smiled.
-I told you, this is your lucky day.-
And he kissed him.
Shadow thought about pushing him away. He would’ve been able to. He was sober enough to know that a punch in his neck would’ve been more than enough to stop him. But he found out that he didn’t want to stop him. He sighed and Mad licked into his lips. Shadow felt the same tension that had risen as they were fighting, and found out that kissing him wasn’t sedating it; it was actually making it worse. His hands automatically went to Mad’s waist, and he was well aware of Mad’s hands on him: one on his throat, and the other on his thigh. Shadow kissed him back, and Mad let him part his lips with his tongue; suddenly, Shadow was feeling a soft grass and clover lawn under his fingers, warm because of the golden rays of the sun, even though he was sure he was still touching Mad. He could smell the ocean and hear its roar, and at the same time, he heard Mad moan softly.
That’s when he felt something cold between their tongues. It rested on Shadow’s tongue, as Mad moved away, and left a kiss on the corner of Shadow’s mouth.
-Good luck, Shads. I think you’re going to need it.-
And just like that, he was gone.
The cold thing in his mouth was now warm. Shadow spat it out and cleaned it with a paper tissue.
It was the gold coin. Shadow observed the way it reflected the dim lights of the pub, and asked himself what the hell had just happened. He knew it was real, all of that: from the golden door with no handle, to the ridiculously intense craving he was feeling for the leprechaun.
-Looks like you were having fun, boy- said Mr Wednesday. -Get up, we have to go. You can sleep in the car.-
When he woke up, his head was exploding. He opened his eyes, even though the light was unbearable, and he found out that he was in the backseat of someone’s car. And the car was moving. He felt sick immediately.
He got up and found out that Wednesday was driving. He was also talking to him, but his words made no sense: Shadow’s head ached too badly to concentrate on the conversation.
One thing caught his attention, though. Shadow was holding a golden coin.
So Mad showed me the trick in the end?
He couldn’t remember a thing. He even asked Wednesday, who said he didn’t know. He looked like he knew something, anyway. Shadow tried really hard to concentrate, but his memories only included their fistfight. The rest was green landscapes, a mountain of gold and Mad whispering to his ear. “You gotta believe”. None of that looked real, so it was probably just a dream.
-If someone else ever decides to offer me something to drink, remind me to refuse- said Shadow, sinking into his seat. Mr Wednesday laughed.
-I don’t know why you’d ask me to deprive you of such a good time, but okay. Someone will be sad, though.-
Shadow frowned, and his whole face ached with the movement. He’d forgotten about the bruises. He thought about asking Mr Wednesday who the hell was he talking about, but something inside him told him he already knew the answer. Maybe he would’ve recalled it after some coffee.
He played with the gold coin, making it disappear between his fingers.
Well, he could recall that he’d felt attracted to Mad. Maybe that was why he’d dreamed about him whispering to his ear. Just thinking about it sent shivers through his spine. He shook his head and tried to get a grip.
Everything had looked unreal, since he’d been released. The world had become alien and confusing; nothing made sense anymore. So he decided he had to change his point of view: at that point, maybe he just had to get along with it.
Maybe he just had to believe.