Illuminated Shadows
Part III
by
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Heavy, familiar footsteps descend the cellar staircase. Father is coming. My sister scrambles out of bed to close and lock the door. She turns off the light and tells me to hide underneath the sheets with her. “He’s coming to take me, Melody,” she whispers, near panic. “He’s been waiting all this time, his anger growing. He blames me for sending him away.” The footsteps reach the bottom of the staircase. “I’m frightened,” I say. “Don’t be afraid, Melody, never be afraid. Remember Klanexia? It’s real.” I am astonished by such a notion. “It is?” “Yes, all of it! You are a queen, strong and free, vanquishing evil beyond the magical borders of Klanexia.” “I am?” “Yes! You are Queen Kaila, the Radiant.” “But it’s just a book. Fiction.” Father knocks on the door. “No, it’s a portal to a magical world,” she says, picking up Illuminated Shadows, handing it to me. “A place where you’ll be safe from Father. Do you see? Tell me you see, Melody.” I clutch the book against my chest and nod. “Yes, I see.” Father tries to open the door. The doorknob rattles. “There’s so much goodness and beauty in that world, my queen,” my sister says. “No matter what happens, you can always go there and hide. You’ll be safe. No one can hurt you there. Promise me you’ll hide in Klanexia, my queen!” I promise her. Under the covers it is too dark to see the fear and tears in Harmony’s eyes, but I know it’s there. I flinch as Father begins to kick the door. My sister embraces me. “I love you, Melody. I love you with all my heart. Never forget that Mama and I will always be with you. You’ll never be alone.” The door to the cellar slams open. Like Mama, my sister is gone, taken from me.
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About the Book
Katherine Melody Chambers is an abused autistic savant child in a psychogenic coma. To escape her traumatic reality, she lives as Queen Kaila, the protagonist of a fantasy book she loved to read. Blaming himself for the murder of his wife and daughter, Detective Alex Knight searches for redemption by promising justice for the comatose twelve-year-old. Illuminated Shadows is an epic adventure in an enchanted world and a gripping police whodunit thriller that has reality and fantasy converging toward an inescapable collision.
About the Author
Whether on screen, shared verbally, or in print, Shaun loves a good story. It was this passion that led him to write fiction. Born and raised in Toronto, he has an international MBA at the Schulich School of Business, bachelor of education, and a diploma in creative writing at the Humber School of Writers under the tutelage of award-winning author Joseph Kertes. Shaun was nominated for a 2008 Canadian Screen Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the feature film Amal. Based on his short-story, Amal has won over thirty international awards and was chosen as one of Canada’s top 10 films during the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival. In 2010, Amal was selected as the ninth-best film of the decade in Playback, Canada’s premiere film and broadcasting industry website. Shaun was a finalist for the Dundee International Book Prize for his novel Divya’s Dharma, a love story that confronts caste oppression in Southern India. Shaun lived in India for one year, researching this book. Shaun has also written A Slice of Life, a collection of engaging short stories that explore universal emotions with a dramatic twist. Shaun recently completed his third novel, Illuminated Shadows, a medieval fantasy/crime thriller trilogy. Illuminated Shadows is captivating commercial fiction best described as CSI meets Game of Thrones. Shaun teaches and writes in Toronto.