LIFE IN THE SHADOWS

Based on a prompt

LIFE IN THE SHADOWS

“It rains more and heavier in the shadows. Even when the places outside are sunny and clear, it’s been my experience that it still rains where I spend my time. Naturally, my name is Shadoe. It’s a name I gave myself, when the one I was born with stopped belonging to me anymore.
“I wander the streets, keeping only to the shadows, fearful of the light since I became an adult. You see I don’t resemble other people now. My face and body are twisted and weak. I have only one eye since a creeper damaged the other and it had to be removed.
“Creepers seem drawn to me like moths to a flame. Perhaps it is my one-eyed stare or my crooked body. Whatever the reason, I’ve had to learn to defend myself however I can. Mostly I stay in the shadows, making my way around within them.
“I’ve only stepped outside of them twice. Once when an angel called me to come out. She was beautiful and sweet-voiced and for a brief time I was happy. But then the first creeper jumped me. I was slashed and beaten. My angel couldn’t take the sight of me, after that. She disappeared while I was wandering one day and I never saw her again.
“It almost broke me. I looked for the deepest darkest shadows I could find to hide my pain. It took a long time for me to recover, but eventually I did and moved back into the shadows I’m more used to. Needless to say, I guard my heart against angels in human form.
“The second and final time, I ran to the rescue of a beautiful dog who was being beaten just outside my favorite shadow. I couldn’t let it happen, so I took on the bully. Not actually a creeper, but still a stain on the face of the earth. Amazingly, he ran the moment he clapped eyes on me.
“I knelt down and stroked the matted fur of the medium sized dog. As I did so, she feebly licked me. That was enough. I took off my shirt and made an improvised sling to lift and carry her with. Like me, I noticed she only had one eye. Immediately, I named her Freya.
“It became my mission in life to heal her, and it worked. As she got food and water, she got stronger. Soon, she became the only shadow I wanted. We spent our days in the light, and it helped us both. To avoid the creepers, we spent the night in the shadows and hid.
“For the first time, I met a creeper in broad daylight. Freya started by growling, then she sprang at the evilness. She fought it tooth and nail and beat it! She was my heroine, my queen, my loving friend from then on.


“We are both getting older and I feel it daily. Our walk is even slower and more painful. The vision in our only eye is blurring and dimming. When Freya can no longer travel, neither will I. It will be time to go home.
“I’ve saved most of my meager pension, so we should be able to get a bus to the Ottawa Valley. I still have some family there, who I’m sure will take me in. I’m prepared to carry my Freya if I must. I will never leave her, as she has never left me.
“I waited too long! I am devastated! My darling Freya has left me alone! All I can do is cry as I drift back into the shadows once more. No longer fit to occupy the light without her, I drift along aimlessly.
“I can hear her barking. She wants me to come with her where we both can be free. I cannot fear my Freya! I’m so tired. It’s time to go home at last!”
651 WORDS PROMPT BOLDED 11/15/2025