Shadow

There once was a very old creature called Sun. Sun was ancient, and kind, and spread warmth wherever they went. Everyone loved Sun and Sun loved all of them. The flowers and trees would open their arms wide and praise Sun as it went by. Sun, in return, smiled brightly at their beauty and gave them food to eat. Cats loved Sun because it never judged them for sleeping all day and so, no matter where they slept, Sun could reach down and rub their bellies as much as it liked without worry of being clawed or bitten. The creatures of the sea swam up from the depths to leap out of the water and wave hello to Sun. This made Sun happy and so it stretched its arms down into the water and allowed the fish to enjoy its warmth in the privacy of their own home. But Sun's greatest gift was bestowed on the birds. The birds were the only creatures who could get close to Sun. They would soar through the clouds, laughing at Sun’s jokes and whispering their secrets to them. Sun gave the birds their secrets in return. The birds were very proud of this and would travel the world telling anyone who would listen about what lovely little secrets Sun had told them and how they, “Couldn’t possibly reveal a single one,” for fear of losing Sun's trust. They would flitter about, whispering into the ears of the flowers and bragging loudly from the tops of the highest trees. This was considered to be in very poor taste but as the trees say, “birds will be birds”. And so they were allowed to holler and tease as much as they liked.

Unfortunately, giving all these gifts was very tiring, even for a creature as powerful as Sun. So every night Sun would lie down behind the world to rest. This made some creatures very lonely, as they were always asleep when Sun was around. Sun’s cousin Moon noticed this and took pity on them. Moon had always liked the darkness and they chose to walk the world while Sun was asleep. Moon was not as warm as Sun but they still made good company for any beings that wandered at night. The owls would use Moon to help them find mice in the darkness. And Moon, being the trickster that they are, would hide behind the clouds just as the owls swooped in to give the mice a chance to escape. The wolves loved to sing, and they would sing all night long with Moon smiling brightly, hanging on every note. The lizards and snakes in the desert liked their solitude and would hide from Sun in the daytime. But they loved talking to Moon, as Moon only ever listened and had the best advice. All of these creatures loved Moon and Sun in their own way. And at the back, watching them all, was Shadow.

Shadow did not smile brightly. They did not give food to the plants or warmth to the fish. They were always standing just behind, suddenly appearing over a shoulder or zipping by in the corner of an eye. Shadow often went unnoticed, but they wanted more than anything to be adored like Sun and Moon. And so Shadow learned to tell stories. They watched from the dark and observed the other creatures. They saw all of the things that Sun and Moon were too busy to see. And when they were ready they nervously approached the birds, who loved a good tale more than any other creature.

“I have a secret to tell,” Shadow whispered. “It’s a story that even Sun doesn’t know.”

“Tell us! Tell us! Tell us!” the birds chirped.

“Somewhere deep in the dark of the woods lives a snake,” Shadow said. “And he slithers in the grass, hungry for eggs. Birds' eggs are his favorite. But he also hungers for little birds and waits in the dark until they are asleep to eat them alive. The little birds do not know they are eaten until they wake up in the dark.”

“Oh no! Oh no! Oh no!” the birds cried. “Don’t eat! Don’t eat! Don’t eat!”

And they flew away from Shadow, as fast as they could towards Sun because they knew it would protect them from the snake.

“Wait,” Shadow said. “Why are you flying away?”

But the birds were in such a state that they did not hear them. Shadow followed them to Sun, who was speaking with the flowers. The birds flew up next to Sun and told them about the snake that lived with Shadow that wanted to eat them all. Sun turned to Shadow, who shrank in their presence and grew very small.

“Why did you scare the birds with your story?” Sun asked.

“I did not mean to,” Shadow whispered. 

Shadow tried to say more, but Sun was so big and bright that they could not find the words. Sun smiled down at them and Shadow shrank even more.

“I’m sure you meant no harm,” Sun said. “Perhaps you should give the birds some space. There is no sense in scaring them more.”

Shadow sadly nodded and retreated into the woods. They walked along until they came to a beautiful field of poppies. A blaze of colors lay out before them; reds, oranges, yellows, and brilliant whites greeted them. Shadow smiled and moved out into the field to say hello. But as they knelt closer to look the flowers dropped their faces to the ground and sulked.

“What’s wrong?” Shadow asked.

“We are hungry,” the flowers whined. “We cannot eat unless Sun gives us food. Without food, we are sad and do not shine as brightly.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Shadow said. “ I’m afraid that I have no food for you. Can you shine for me just once? I am sad and would love to see your beautiful colors up close.”

“We cannot,” the flowers cried. “Without Sun, we are as sad as you. Maybe when Sun comes by you can see us shine.”

It was then that Sun walked by, beaming as brightly as ever. They threw food down to the flowers who brightened up immediately and opened their arms wide. Shadow tried to look but they were too afraid of Sun’s bright smile. They hid behind the flowers, unable to see their colors.

“This is not fair,” Shadow cried. “The birds will not listen to my stories and the flowers refuse to smile for me. Why should I be here when no one wants me?”

And so Shadow left to wander the world, sad and alone. They walked until they came upon an enormous hole in the side of a mountain. It was humming a ghostly tune and did not know of Sun or Moon. Shadow had never seen such a thing before. It crept inside and was welcomed by the darkness. The walls dripped in rhythm with the breathing of the mountain and the jagged rocks made hundreds of homes for Shadow to stay. They felt more at home, but they were still all alone.

“Hello?” Shadow said.

“Hello.” Shadows echo replied.

“Well, this is just perfect.” Shadow sighed. “A place where I can sit and talk to myself for the rest of time. At least I know I like my stories.”

Shadow sat in the cave, all alone, talking to themselves about all manner of things that creep, slither, and crawl. Their words echoed down the cavern, winding through the cracks until it reached the ears of a centipede.

“What lovely stories,” the centipede thought. “I must find out who is telling them.”

The centipede took the time to put on each of its shoes and set out toward the sound of the stories. The echoes were up to their old tricks of course and after several wrong turns it finally came upon Shadow sitting at the cave entrance.

“Excuse me!” the little centipede piped up.

“What’s this?” Shadow started. “That doesn’t sound like my voice?”

“It’s not, you dumb-dumb,” the centipede replied. For a centipede's life is short and it does not have the patience for asinine comments.

“Who are you?” Shadow asked.

“That is not important, the centipede replied. “I want to know where you heard those stories you were telling just now?”

“I made them up,” Shadow sighed. “I can imagine they scared you greatly, I’ll be on my way now and bother you no longer.”

“Why would they scare me?” the centipede asked. “They are about my friends. It brings me joy to hear them. I must lead you to the rest of our family, they need to hear these tales as well.”

“That would make me very happy,” Shadow smiled. “Please take me to them.”

The centipede turned and zipped back into the dark of the cave with Shadow close behind. The tunnels were cramped, with twists and turns that seemed to go on forever. But Shadow stayed close to the centipede and soon they came out into a massive cavern that was as beautiful a place as Shadow had ever seen. It was cool and damp with bright green and blue glowing mushrooms carpeting the ground. All manner of insects and spiders roamed among the mushrooms and when they saw Shadow they moved in closer as they felt safe in its presence. The mushrooms threw their hats high in the air in celebration which came down and became new mushrooms that bowed their heads in respect. Shadow swelled with pride for a moment but then they remembered Sun and their bright smile.

“This is lovely,” Shadow sighed. “But I’m sure if you were to see how glorious Sun is then you would all forget about me in an instant. Sun can not reach this cave but I can take you to them. It would be unfair of me to deny you that joy.”

“You truly are a silly creature,” the centipede said with a bemused smile. “We know all about Sun. Do you think we are down here by accident? The warmth and brightness of Sun’s smile is too much for us. And the mushrooms cannot spread as the attention tires them out.”

“We are fine on our own,” the mushrooms sang in unison. “There is no greater joy than to be left alone in the dark. When we do want attention the spiders and insects walk through our stalks and we simply enjoy each other's company in silence.”

“But what about Moon?” Shadow asked. “Surely the dark of night is as lovely as this cave?”

“Moon is more interested in listening to the wolves sing and the lizards gossip than us slimy, skittering things.” The centipede sighed. “Moon does not tell stories about us. Everything up above is scared of us. You are the only one who has ever noticed us for what we are and loved us all the same. Please tell your stories, my friends are dying to hear them.”

Shadow stood up tall and proud, as large as the cave itself. They looked around at the masses of squirming legs and glowing fungus and began to tell their story. They spoke of crawling worms and stinking mushrooms. They wove a tale of spider silk filled to the brim with flies. The stories told of dirt that was always cold and caves as damp as the morning dew. They spoke of things both seen and unseen, of death and decay. They spoke long into the night and for countless nights thereafter. Soon, the mice and shrews that lived both below and above heard about Shadow. And they passed the word to the surface of a being who could bring joy to the creeping things. All of the roots, worms, fungi, and insects of the world called for Shadow to speak to them. There was no dark corner of the world that Shadow could not reach. They told tales behind rocks and trees, under fallen leaves, and in the deepest depths of the earth. Shadow found themself surrounded by friends in the dark, now far from alone, and realized they were the happiest they had ever been.