Timmy continued along the path, glancing backwards as time went by, more frequently as he past more human eyes, and soon his walk became a stroll, then a slight jog, then a run, then a galloping sprint where Timmy couldn’t make out the shape of his legs, just a random blur. Eventually Timmy stopped in a gasp, and collapsed on the hard floor, his elbow cracking helplessly on the ground and his the blood on his leg gushing out. He let out a gasp of exasperation and sobs of fear and pain, wishing he hadn’t grabbed the $50.00 note on the floor. Why was this causing him so much distress? Timmy felt under his two hoodies and grabbed the note, which was still warm, and as he pulled it out it wriggled in his hand. Timmy dropped it in surprise, then he hastily caught it before it squirmed away.

“Are you alive?” Timmy said to himself.

“Define alive?” replied a voice.

Timmy’s heart jumped into his throat and his shoes growled, not wanting to support his weight as he ran away, but Timmy was frozen to the spot.

“Well?”

Timmy looked at the note, and for a strange reason was not at all surprised to see it was Sir Apirana Ngata looking up at him with a quizzical look on his face.

“Umm sorry I meant, why am I here?”

“Well you are here because your mother gave berth to you after your parents had se…”

“No no no, I meant why am I at this particular spot right now instead of at home”

“I chose you”

Timmy was now the one with the quizzical look on his face. He thought himself delirious that he was talking to a $50.00 note as if it was real. The note smiled. It had surpassed itself this time.

“Why Timmy, of coarse your not delirious, I chose you to come here so you could be the new member of the Shadows.”

Timmy said nothing.

“Don’t worry Timmy, everyone knows its only orphans that get into The Shadows, but I have got that taken care of,” the note paused, Timmy frowned,

“They’re dead Timmy, its okay, I killed them for you, well, you did anyway.”