Darkest Night

Evil laughter rises up in the darkness, and you can see bright eyes of all shapes, sizes, and colors around you. They shine in the firelight and watch you closely. They say nothing, but soon rows of teeth shine among the eyes.

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You spin round, trying to find a way through the shadowy terrors. You can see there's a gap between some of the eyes and teeth, and you head straight for it. There is a path there, and you keep running and running. The eyes and teeth follow you, taunting you with cackles and screeches. You think you might go mad from just how awful they sound.

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Then, they all disappear. There is no sound, no eyes, no smiling teeth. There isn't even the sound of the snow crunching beneath your feet.

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You keep walking until you see a flicker of light in the distance. You run, hoping that it's a fire. You could use more light right about now.

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Instead, when you reach the next clearing, you find a dark man with gold-rimmed glasses. He's not dressed for the cold, but he holds a notebook in his hands and a messenger bag full of books. You approach him, but he doesn't seem to notice you. On his bag, there's a library card with the name 'Alfonso Flowers' on it.

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He turns to you, his eyes white and milky. It may look like Alfie Flowers, but it isn't. It's something else.

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The Alfie-shadow hands you the notebook in his hands.

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"Read a book by a Black author," it says.

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It is February after all, and there is much history to remember.

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You look at the Alfie-shadow. You're not sure what to do about it. Does this mean Alfie is in danger? Was this some kind of trick to lure you into a false sense of security?

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The Alfie-shadow reaches into his bag and pulls out two books. Or pamphlets. They're very small and thin, but they're bound like books all the same.

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"Choose," he says. "There is no wrong answer, but you must choose one."