TYLER WODEN | FICTION | STEEL CITY SHADOWS | RIDLEY’S ALLEY| P1 CH2 | BY THE HEARTH
Steel City Shadows: Part One #2, Whispers Of The Wind
Chapter Two— Ridley’s Alley
Since moving to Sheffield, the city’s old alleys had felt like home to Nikkita. Her family home did not feel like a home. Home did not speak to Nikkita the way the alleys did. The cobbled stones of Ridley Street, an alley-type street leading to Hutton Road, reminded Nikkita of her mood on a daily basis. Urine, trash, and damp. This particular alley summed up her feelings on but one word: crap.
“Did you enjoy that teaser? Then read on below…”
- **WARNING: The following story is entirely fictional and may offend some readers. It is also under official copyright.***
‘Odin, some call me,’ tells the Allfather as the wind whisks his words into the realm of mortals below. ‘Others have named me Grimnir, One-Eye, and even True Guesser. Yet even I, True Guesser as the mortals have named me, could have assumed to find such a truly gifted a child as Nikkita.’ Once again, Odin gazed down at the steel city of Sheffield, his one good eye blazing as bright as any sunrise. ‘When last I looked, a whisper within the wind spoke to young Nikkita.’ Odin Allfather tickled his raven, Mugin under its beak. ‘The Gods know, even a wind may bare a name, and in every name lies power.
‘Lo, let it be known that Nikkita’s wind, the wind which calls itself James, shall be the conduit of which she will rise to greatness.’ Odin stood tall atop the buildings, and as he squinted, he saw young Nikkita on her way to school. Odin pointed with a rune-ringed finger that shone a silver so brilliant that any mortal would be blinded should they gaze upon it, and he said, ‘Behold. Nikkita strides unknowingly into danger. Down every street and around every corner lie risks for any.’ Odin snapped his fingers, and Hugin and Munin, his ravens of thought and memory, winged away with the wind to watch what may come to pass.
Steel City Shadows
Part One — Whispers of the Wind
Chapter Two — Ridley’s Alley
Since moving to Sheffield, the city’s old alleys had felt like home to Nikkita. Her family home did not feel like a home. Home did not speak to Nikkita the way the alleys did. The cobbled stones of Ridley Street, an alley-type street leading to Hutton Road, reminded Nikkita of her mood on a daily basis. Urine, trash, and damp. This particular alley summed up her feelings on but one word: crap.
Whether at school or home, Nikkita stood out from almost everyone, but for all of the wrong reasons. Whether it was her hair, her nose, or whatever else seemed different to the others, a remark was made, and Nikkita had no choice but to listen to her mum.
‘You take it on ya chin, Nikki,’ Mum had told her after the first week of school hell. ‘You are made of harder stuff than that, ya know. We come here to start fresh, so I don’t want you stirring no trouble amongst these folk, ya hear?’
Nikkita had nodded at the time. It was not like she had any other choice but to nod. What she said did not matter either. The result was always the same. People just didn’t listen. I want to go back to Barbados, thought Nikkita. With the sun between my toes and coconut water to cool my throat.
Nikkita knew already that the chances of returning to Barbados, to the place she was born, were slim at best. After all, now, it was just Mum and her. Further, Nikkita knew how much her mum wanted this move to work. They were not meant to be alone in England. Dad was supposed to be here. There should have been the three of them. Dad was meant to…
Nikkita shook her head from the thoughts and instead focused on a black cat that appeared ahead of her. It was already dark as she slowed her steps along the cobbled alley, and the little black cat was as much a shadow as a moving animal. She kept her eyes on it as she tried to push away negative thoughts.
It was of little use. Though she followed the cat slowly, all the negative thoughts still flooded her mind.
At school, ever since James had disappeared, most of the other kids just commented on her skin colour. Saying things like, ‘Oh, you’re like, just a little black then,’ or ,’wow is your dad from Africa?’ Nikkita had shrugged them off, but she remembered every comment as if they were a constant whisper in her ear. I’m not a whisper on no one’s wind, Nikki, whispered the wind. The words were as clear as the Caribbean Sea, only, when she turned to look at who spoke them, her eyes were met only by the familiar muddy-red brickwork of Sheffield houses.
Nikkita sighed. She let her shoulders sag, and her rucksack hang low down her back. It wasn’t heavy, but Nikkita let it hang there anyway, for she lacked the enthusiasm to tighten it in the correct manner. She sighed again, and the tap of her hardened-sole school shoes against the cobblestone pavement was about the only thing she could hear above her own defiance at her current existence. Voices spoke in her mind; one of them faint, yet familiar, whilst the other had an edge to it she did not care to hear, yet she could not filter it out.
Behind you, came a whisper in the wind.
Nikkita stopped and turned. There was nothing there save for the dark alley and damp cobbles, yet somewhere on these cobbled stones, she thought she heard the patter of feet.
‘Hello,’ called Nikkita. There was a whistle in the wind, yet no answer came. ‘H-hello…’ Nikkita waited, her heart beating a little louder, a little faster, but still no response came. The silence made her skin tingle, and the hairs on her arms and the back of her neck stood on end.
Nikkita let out a breath too hard to hold. Her attention was taken by the tail of a mouse — or maybe it was a rat — scuttling off down a small crevice of the alley. Then, a voice called out from behind her.
‘Oh look,’ said the voice. A girl's voice. Young. Familiar. Nikkita’s heart beat louder once again, and her throat dried. ‘If it isn’t the new girl. What’s up, little cinnamon swirl, all alone down Ridley’s alley?’
As Nikkita turned, her gaze landed on a slender girl of about fourteen. Her chestnut hair cascaded in loose waves down to her shoulders, catching the gentle breeze. Mischievous almond eyes met Nikkita’s, framed by a smattering of freckles. The girl stood confidently, one hand on her hip, with a vintage denim jacket thrown casually over her school uniform. Her presence seemed to demand attention, making it clear why her voice had sounded so familiar and commanding in the shadows of Ridley’s alley.
Nikkita felt the familiar heat rise in her cheeks. She had been called out, and she knew what was about to come next. The girl stepped closer, and Nikkita noticed a group of boys standing further back in the shadows. The girl’s gaze shifted from Nikkita to the group of boys, and they all started to laugh.
The girl spoke again, her voice laced with mockery. ‘I mean, look at you! You’re so different from us…so exotic! All that brown skin with those black curls? It’s like something out of a storybook!’
Tears pricked at Nikkita’s eyes as she realised that this wasn’t just an interaction between two people; it was an act of racial bullying towards her. Her heart sank as she heard the laughter intensify around her; it seemed like everyone was in on it, and there was nothing she could do about it. She wanted to run away or fight back, but instead, she stood frozen in fear as the girl stepped even closer.
The girl smiled maliciously before continuing. ‘And what kind of name is Nikkita anyway? I mean really…it’s so strange-sounding! Why don’t you just change it to something more normal? Like Rachel or Sarah?’ With every word spoken, Nikkita felt more and more exposed. The others chuckled along with her like a chorus of jesters, and Nikkita’s heart raced faster as tears welled up in her eyes and ran freely down her cheeks. She wanted nothing more than for this moment to end quickly so she could escape this humiliation.
But then, something strange happened. From deep within Nikkita’s mind, a voice spoke out and interrupted the laughter of her tormentors. A new presence had entered the alley — a small boy with eyes as dark as night and skin like golden honeycomb. He stood tall and proud in front of Nikkita, radiating an aura of strength and courage that seemed to fill the air around them.
‘J-James,’ Nikkita whispered to the boy, her own strength fading. ‘You came back.’
The girl stepped back, startled by this sudden appearance. The group of boys behind her began to murmur among themselves. As he stepped closer, his voice echoed through the alleyway with a quiet but powerful command. ‘Enough’.
The girl laughed nervously, trying to regain her composure before speaking again. ‘Well…who are you?’ she asked.
The boy smiled confidently and replied calmly. ‘My name is James.’ He then turned to face Nikkita and said in a gentle but firm voice, ‘You don’t have to put up with this kind of treatment anymore Nikkita. You are strong enough to stand up for yourself.’ His gaze was filled with understanding and empathy as he continued, ‘And if no one else stands up for you, I will!’
Nikkita felt her heart swell with warmth at these words, and suddenly, she felt empowered again. She wiped away her tears and stood tall beside James, ready to face whatever came their way together.
The girl’s confidence waned, and she stepped back. ‘I don’t understand. What is this? What’s going on?’
James shot a cold look at her. ‘Maybe I’ve had it with people like you, Becca. People who hurt others for fun.’
The group behind the girl began to dissipate. They could feel the power dynamics shifting. No one wanted to be on the wrong side of this confrontation.
James leaned in, his voice dripping with disdain. ‘Nikkita is worth ten of you. If you ever, EVER approach her again with intent to harm or ridicule, you’ll have me to answer to.’
Becca stuttered as she spoke. ‘B-but how do you know my name?’
James growled. ‘Got it!?’
The girl, Becca, her confidence shattered, stammered a response. ‘I was just joking. It was just a joke.’
James raised an eyebrow. ‘You think hurting someone’s feelings is a joke? You need to grow up.’
Without another word, James took Nikkita’s hand, and the two of them began to walk out of the alleyway. Becca and the others ran as if the hounds of hell were on their tail, and as they reached the end, Nikkita turned to thank James, but he was gone. Just as quickly as he had appeared, he had disappeared again.
Nikkita, in her confusion and gratitude, whispered to the empty air, ‘Thank you.’
Nikkita was startled by the meow of a cat, and she realised the sky had turned dark. How long have I been out here? She pondered to herself. She gazed back down the alley she had just walked out of, and sure enough, down Ridley’s alley, she saw the same black cat from earlier. The cat circled the bottom of Nikkita’s legs, then darted past her down Ridley’s alley.
Nikkita followed the cat and, almost against her will, down another alley she had never noticed before. Her heart raced as the dark alley led to a door. Ornate and mysterious, the door was made of dark mahogany with intricate carvings and gold accents. The door handle was a large emerald that glowed with an unnatural light. Framed by two large pillars, it seemed to open to another world entirely.
The cat meowed again, and Nikkita thought she heard James’ voice in her head saying, ‘Go on, take a peek.’ She slowly reached out for the handle, feeling its warmth in her hand as she opened the door and stepped inside.
End Of Chapter Two