A Shadow’s Plot

 A boy sat at his desk, headphones on, rocking his head side to side to the music he was listening to. 

Wind blew in from the open window on his right, ruffling through his autumn-brown hair. 

He spun around in his spinny-chair, humming to his music. He put his foot out against the desk, causing him to stop spinning. 

He stopped humming to the music and stared at a notebook on his desk, tapping his pen lightly. 

Warm sunlight shone into his bedroom, lighting it up. 

“No matter where oh you sunshine...” the song played on the headphones. 

The boy’s tapping increased and finally he ripped the headphones off his head and threw them to the ground with a frustrated sigh. The music wasn’t helping with his writing at all. 

Stuffing his face into his hands, he sighed again. He had put on the music because a friend said it would help with his writer’s block. 

He peeked through a hole through his fingers at the pages below. 

At the top of the notebook, read “THE TIME BEFORE” 

It was title of his book he was writing. He knew what the story was about and the characters but... he didn’t know how to start it. 

“Why is this so hard?” He groaned, leaning back in his chair and dropping his hands to his sides. 

“Why is what so hard?” The voice was right behind him. 

He spun around so fast in his spinny-chair that it took him for two rounds until he planted his feet to the ground. 

His eyes darted all around for the source of the voice he had just heard. nothing was there. Only his shelves full of books, and his shadow which was cast onto the wall. 

“Hello?” He asked in a croaky voice, scanning for any kind of hiding place someone could be hiding. 

Maybe it was my imagination. He thought, starting to relax his shoulders. 

But yet again, the voice responded. 

“Hello.” They replied, a hint of irritation in their voice.

 “Where are you?” The boy blurted out, tensing up and sweet dotting his forehead.

 “Right in front of you, you blind idiot.” The voice laughed. And right as they said it, something bizarre happened. 

The shadow—the boy’s shadow, moved. It flipped in a circle as if it was flying, then came to rest in it’s normal position inside the chair. 

He couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“Are you—are you...” he couldn’t formulate the words. He was too amazed and shocked. 

“Yes?” The shadow replied. The boy stood up and walked right in front of the sunlight coming into his room so he could see his shadow clearly. 

He raised an arm. The shadow raised an arm too. He jumped. The shadow jumped too. 

“Your’e my shadow?” He asked in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. 

“Yes.” The voice replied. 

He continued to raise his arms and step side to side. “But... your’e copying me.” 

“I don’t have to.” The shadow replied, moving from it’s “T” position the boy was making and did another flip on the wall. It returned to a normal standing position. 

“So... your’e like a puppet?” The boy asked, taking a few steps forward. 

Even though it didn’t have a face, the boy could tell it was scrunching up it’s nose. “I wouldn’t say it that way. But that’s one way to explain it I guess.” 

Placing a few fingers on the wall, the boy brushed his fingers across the shadow in awe. “How long have you been here?” 

“Always.”

 “But I have never heard you talk!” The boy exclaimed, his voice rising in excitement.

 “I have never talked before. I have just gained this ability today.” 

The boy dropped his hands to his side. “What? I-Why? Wait no…How?” 

The shadow shrugged. “I have no idea.”

 “But—that doesn’t make sense.” The boy murmured. “Why today?” 

His mind started to race and it was like he was writing a plot. He decided to interrogate this shadow and get as many answers as he could. He sat down as the shadow got pulled into that position as well. 

“When did you figure out you could talk?”

 “This morning.” The shadow replied. “I sighed and a sound came out of my mouth.” 

It faltered for a second. “Or, were my mouth should be.” 

“Okay... so if you’ve always been here, why have I never seen you move?” 

“I have just gained that ability today, as well.” The shadow said. 

Flashbacks of that day replayed in the boy’s mind: he vaguely remembered thinking he saw his shadow oddly move at school but though nothing of it. 

“What’s your name?” The boy asked, scooting forward. 

“I don’t have one.” The shadow shifted in their sitting position. “May I ask yours?” 

The boy hesitated for some reason he didn’t know, but replied. “Leo.” 

“Ah, Leo.” The shadow nodded. “I’m pleased to be here. Alive.” 

“Wait.” Leo blurted, questions filling his head and spilling out of his mouth. “If you’ve always been here why don’t you know my name?” 

The shadow paused. “I think I’ve just came into existence today. I woke up and was alive.”

 “My shadow just came alive today.” Leo murmured under his breath. 

He didn’t know how or why his shadow had just came alive today...was this just happening to him or had everyone’s shadows come alive?

 Leo didn’t have any answers to any of these problems but he knew that he was going to find out. he was going to find the plot to this story.