The Shadow

It was a bright sunny day when the Shadow slipped into the house. The sun shone brightly through the window and flowers scented the house with lavender. The intruder crept through the house; silent. A girl lay sprawled across the couch, a smile on her face, a book in her hand. The Shadow grinned in anticipation. Laughing with glee, it slipped into the girl’s soul. The Shadow reached into the depths and began talking to the girl. A whisper, as quiet as the wind, but as deadly as a double edged sword. The voice, dripping with poison, spoke of horrible things. It spoke of her fears, strange fears, no one knew about. But the girl did not hear. She continued with her day, not realizing the sinister force that had taken over her.

The sky, now black as coal, was full of stars. The house was silent and dark; a silent ghost wondered around the house. The girl had awoken from a restless slumber. Nightmares had driven sleep away. Moving from room to room, she saw the monsters that haunted her. Her monsters were not demons and creatures of the night. Hers were her family and friends. Telling her she is worthless. Telling her she is not good enough. Telling her to die. As she wondered, the ghost of her former self slowly slipped away.

The sun slowly began to rise. As it rose, the girl’s fear slowly melted away. The Shadow’s grip lessened and the girl began her day. Her day was like every other school day. None of her friends noticed anything. She was her usual self, just a little tired. The girl didn’t say anything, she was afraid to. She didn’t want people to worry and she thought they didn’t care. The Shadow’s relentless whispering bothered her, but she didn’t show it. The girl noticed the little things around her. The small things that made the world seem dark. The sneer on a girl’s face after talking to a friend. The faded bruises left on the face of a small boy, put there by an abusive father. A girl’s ribs sticking through her clothes from not getting enough to eat. The girl noticed all of these things, and as the sunshine became darker, the shadow’s voice became louder.

Many weeks passed. The girl was no longer her usual self. Sensing her weakness, her friends began to bully her, telling her to go away, that she wasn’t good enough, to go die. The girl was horrified. She realised her nightmares were becoming a reality. At home, she withdrew from her family and, with a face grubby with tears, the girl drew a knife to her wrist and sliced herself. The blood fell to the floor in crimson drops, staining the white tiles. The girl was flooded with relief and the darkness surrounding her seemed to dim. The girl crawled into her bed, exhausted, and fell into a restless sleep.

The girl’s days became a pattern. She would go to school and suffer through the taunts and leers. Go home to an empty house, and cut herself, on her upper leg, the scarlet blood standing out against the paleness of her old scars. The Shadow giggled in delight as the girl sank further into the darkness. Her hair became lank, her skin paled and her eyes became bloodshot from lack of sleep. The girl never laughed and seldom smiled. The Shadow had taken over, now yelling at her, screaming bile, shattering her mind. Headaches from the constant yelling. Her head pounding, her heart sinking, her pure soul now completely lost.

The girl came home to the silent house. Her former friends had been relentless today and had shown no mercy. The girl sank to her knees and began to cry, her tears tasting salty on her tongue. The Shadow saw her weakness and saw it’s chance. It called to Death, called for it to come. It materialized in front of the girl, it’s hood black as the cavity of where it’s soul should have been. It’s seraph blade shone in the afternoon sunshine and it reached out a pale skeletal hand. It called to the girl, called her name, in a soothing voice. It told her that all of her problems could disappear, nothing would ever bother her again, she just had to take his hand. The girl glanced around the room. The past, her former self, smiled out of the pictures on the walls. Her promise showed in the pictures, her friends looking at her adoringly, but now that was all gone. Slowly, hesitating, the girl stretched out her hand and her young one grasped the hand of the other standing before her.

The afternoon sun was warm, the birds sang in the trees, as a scream rang out through the house. The mother was on her knees, crying, as she held her daughters head in her lap, her hand still holding onto the blade, spiking out of her stomach. As the puddle of blood slowly spread across the floor, and the girl gasped her last breath, the Shadow left her, searching for another victim to claim.

After investigations, police later determined that the girl committed suicide, after psychologists diagnosed her with depression