A fleeting shadow

[The Bovine Rodent]

I've had an idea for a fantasy novel for quite some time. I was just going to delve into the story, but then I remembered that this isn't dA and you don't know who the characters are So I typed up a short little prologue-type deal for it. Ready the eye-gouger, I'm horrible at writing. And sorry if it ran a bit long >.<



It was dark. The only sounds that penetrated the blackness were the ceaseless patter of rain on the window and the occasional roaring crack of thunder. Katerina fidgeted on her perch on the windowsill- it was getting cold so close to the glass. When she focused her eyes, she could see her distorted reflection gazing back at her from the glass. Her face seemed blank, the pale green eyes constantly flicking to the cell phone that sat by her side. Its screen remained blank.

She sighed, curling her knees beneath her chin. Of course no one would be texting her. It was Friday night, after all. They were all out at the movies, having fun and socializing. And, surprise surprise, she was left at home. It wasn’t as if she didn’t want to go- in fact, it was one of her deepest wishes to be allowed out for reasons beyond school.

But no. Her parents would never allow it. Heck, they ‘never allow’ most everything, nowadays. If they let her go out, they reasoned, she’d get into drugs. Maybe even wind up like those kids in the meth ads. Or- heaven forbid- she could get a boyfriend. No, she was much better off alone.

Curse that word! Alone! It’s all she ever was. Kat suddenly leapt upright and began pacing the hardwood floor of her room, ignoring the chill of the floor. She found herself hoarsely whispering her thoughts out loud, addressing the plush cat on her desk.

“You know, I hate this. It’s so freakin’ stupid- do they really think I’d do drugs? How would I even get drugs if I was just at the movies?! God, I wish I was never alone again!”

She stopped short, her fingernails digging into her palms. An eerie tingle ran up her spine- she looked around self-consciously, sure she was being watched. The room was still.

She had turned back around, ready to scoop up her plush, when she heard a noise. She froze, listening intently. There it was again- the soft whish of dragging cloth... and a thump. She whirled around, staring into the space she thought the noise had come from. Nothing. Only her shadow flickered and danced in the muted light from the window. Shrugging, she chalked it up to the normal creaks and groans of the house.

Kat reached behind her, snatching up her plush. After a pause, she reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a pen light, as well. Then she went back to her bed and flopped down on it, turning on a dim lamp for light to read by.

She had only gotten halfway through a chapter when the noise occurred again- louder, this time. The rest of her room was coated in shadows from the lamp; she clicked on the pen light and gave the room a quick check. All was in order.

She had barely settled down to read when the noise happened, seemingly just behind her. She didn’t move- she just listened. After a few moments, it repeated. It almost sounded like the downstairs door was open, blowing around the curtains. She grabbed the pen light and hurried from her room.

The pen light didn’t provide much illumination, but she didn’t need it. Kat could have navigated her home blind and deaf. She jogged down the stairs, stopping halfway. Crouching, she checked the back door through gaps in the railing. Sure enough, it was wide open. After shutting it firmly and making sure the latch was locked, she turned back towards her room.

Immediately, the sound of laughter echoed all around her. Her heart shot into her throat and she stepped back, frantically groping for the light. The moment she flipped the switch, the laughter stopped. The house appeared normal. She took a cautious step... and heard a muffled giggle. It sounded just in front of her, but she couldn’t tell from where.

A slight movement in the corner of her eye made her turn, brandishing the pen light. At first, she couldn’t tell what had caused it. And then she finally noticed- it was just her shadow.

... wasn’t it?

She reached out one arm- the shadow mimicked her perfectly. And then its hand lowered, and waved. Kat’s mouth dropped wide as she watched her shadow stretch, then scratch its head. It seemed to notice her. At least, the head suddenly jerked up. And as she watched, two intelligent, white eyes opened.

The shadow jolted suddenly. It peeled from the wall, shifting and gaining depth as it did so. The hands morphed into paws, the head into an elegant cat’s with oversized ears. The arms and legs stretched grotesquely as it sprouted a long, bushy tail.

Coming to her senses, Kat did the first thing that came to mind: scream. She stumbled back, just barely catching herself on the kitchen counter. At this, the shadow grew a mouth which grinned widely at her. Stalking forward gracefully on its elongated limbs, it thrust its demonic face inches from hers and hissed,

“Wish granted.” It continued to leer unpleasantly at her. Kat swallowed several times. Her throat clicked, dry. Her heart was having a heyday, pounding against her ribs.

“Wha.. What wish?” She stuttered. The shadow let out a rough bark, amused. It stalked around behind her back, before leaning around her to address her again.

“You can’t tell me you’ve already forgotten, my dear,” it clucked disapprovingly. “You wished just a few minutes ago! Never be alone, indeed.” Kat stared at it, horrified. It disappeared behind her again for a moment, before she felt it slinking up over her shoulder. She felt the tickle of whiskers on her cheek. “And after all, my dear, you can’t get much closer than your own shadow, can you?”


So, should it go on? Or should I kick it behind a dumpster, leave it for a week, then tie it off in a sack and toss it into the sea?

[Golge]

i personally would like to see more of the story, and your writing isn't bad, it's worlds better than mine ^^

[The Bovine Rodent]

i personally would like to see more of the story, and your writing isn't bad, it's worlds better than mine ^^

Aww, thanks ^^ Yeah, I'll probably be writing some more.

[Dog Donovan]

It's very nice so far. I'd love to see more of it ^^

[The Bovine Rodent]

I worked on it all through Journalism, I didn't have much else to do

Do you think it would be better in first person, from Kat's point of view?

[Golge]

its up to you really, i like it in this perspective personally

[The Bovine Rodent]

It's not much, but meh. Part one of chapter one, I suppose ABSOLUTELY NOTHING HAPPENS


But that was all years ago, now. Kat hadn’t forgotten the incident, of course. It was impossible to forget, when she awoke each morning to see two devious, purely white eyes glaring at her. The only thing she hadn’t gotten used to were the shapes of the eyes themselves- they were never constant. The shadow- or SD, as she had named him- was in the habit of shifting form every few hours. There didn’t appear to be any reason for the shift, but each time Kat turned around, he was different. His preferred forms were fanciful: usually feline-based, with elongated limbs and impossibly skinny chests. He loathed taking “earthly” forms, but was forced to do so each time they visited a city. She could see one such city now, if she leaned around him. A few hours of steady walking would find themselves in it, on one of their infrequent stops.

Kat was not thrilled at the prospect. She blindly patted the ground around her until she felt the flimsy material of her traveling satchel. Propping herself upright, she dragged it to her and peered inside without much hope. Nearly empty. There was no doubt about it- they needed supplies rather badly.

Well, may as well get off to an early start. It would be best to get there before lunch hour, when it would be nearly impossible to get anyhting done. Besides that, there would be people. Crowds of them. And that was the exact reason she stayed out of cities in the first place.

She rose and stretched, tottering uneasily as hundreds of pins prickled and jabbed at her legs. They subsided after a moment, and she bent down to grab her satchel. It seemed slightly heavier than it was before. Looking inside, she saw a glimmer, and an innocent smile.

“Well, my dear, if we’re to be going to a city, it won’t do for me to be seen, will it?” The rat shuffled around, hiding its face. The rest of the words came mumbled. “Besides, it really is a tiresome duty, watching you each night.” Kat knew these were just excuses- in towns before, he’d had no such qualms with trotting in by her side as a large sheepdog. And he was a shadow- he didn’t need sleep. She kept these arguments to her self, slung him over her shoulder, and set off.

The forest around her was sparse. Sycamore, oak, and aspen were scattered around, surrounded by open fields. Wild grass sprouted and drooped, clinging to her clothes. As she got closer and closer to the city, the solid weeds and brush were slowly replaced by faded pieces of trash; they had the tendency to be plucked up by the wind, fluttering meekly for a few yards before settling back down again. The grass grew thinner, and then cut. The trees disappeared almost entirely. And then- they had reached it.

[Golge]

very descriptive, i like what im reading, keep up the good work ^^