In the light of a candle - The Shadows

A Story by D.Y.Petkova

Hello and welcome. Please, come in, it is getting cold outside. Pick a pillow and sit, I will light the candle. Tonight I will tell you a story, no ,not a story. Tonight we will talk about something I am sure you all have experienced. What, you would ask ? The shadows, of course.

Have you ever seen a fleshless shadow ? A dark spot right where a vase would be, if it was on the dining table ? There is no vase, of course. Or a rope, hanging from the ceiling in your room. You would think it is a simple spider web, those are practically invisible sometimes. The truth is that you’ve all seen them. Sometimes they move, sometimes they are still. Sometimes, if you try to count the shadows of a group of people, the numbers will not match. Most of the times nobody actually notices. It’s just a shadow in a sea of similar dark spots. And they usually tend to disappear the moment you avert your eyes. Do you know what those are ?

Those are memories. Surprised ? Did you think I was going to say ghosts or demons ? No, not this time. Not your memories, but other people’s. I have already told you about a whole resort existing only in someone’s dream and thoughts, why would this be different? Usually, they are just that. Maybe the Universe is rewriting itself wrongly, maybe you were dreaming vividly about having an extra plant on your windowsill. It doesn’t matter. The static ones are harmless, simply your mind catching a leftover thought that has been there for a while. Sometimes even years.

But not all of the memories are peaceful or harmless. Do you know the feeling of being watched ? Of course you do. Has this ever happened when you were home alone and you knew there was nobody with you to stare at the back of your head ? Again, no ghosts. If you had turned around in that exact moment, you would’ve seen a shadow where there’s not supposed to be one. And that one ? It wouldn’t have been static. They are lucid, they have some form of a mind and they are not there for you. They are leftovers again, but from strong memories, linked to people. Memories so strong, they have burned a hole through reality and left a mark, bright enough to be seen. The strange thing is, they are the loudest memory someone had ever had for whoever’s shadow you are seeing. Now think about it and tell me which is the strongest memory you can keep ? Which picture of a person would be forever etched in the back of your eyes ? Did you find your answer ? The moment they die. Or, to be precise, the moment you saw them dead.

And this is how you end with a shadow of someone’s memory, a memory of a dead person, right on the place where he or she has died. Those spots tend to be rather… hostile. You do not see them all the time, you do not feel them all the time. But if you don’t have a pet, be glad. Because unlike you, animals do see those…all the time. And a shadow that refuses to disappear even if you change the light, turn it off and shine right at it, it is conscious, it thinks and as you stare at it with growing terror, it would reach a stage when it would actually stare back. And if it stares, it thinks. And it doesn’t remember, not really, since it a piece of a memory itself, but it thinks. It is filled with darkness and feeds on negative emotions, connected to that spot. Trust me, you don’t want it become that strong. You really don’t.

So close your eyes, don’t count the shadows and remember �" your thoughts are not alone in your head. Sleep tight.