Claire Davenport

The Shadow’s Stare

 

 

Lottie peaked out of the slightly cracked door of her bedroom, looking down the hall. There wasn’t any light coming out of her parents’ room. Good - that meant they were asleep. Slowly, she crept through the dark hallway, down the stairs, and towards the kitchen. It was dark outside – really dark. But the moon shined bright enough for her to see where she was going. The microwave’s clock read 2:57. Lottie didn’t think about how late it was. She just focused on her goal. The leftover brownies were in the fridge, free for the taking.

 

Lottie took 3 brownies, feeling proud as she shut the fridge door. She glanced at the clock – 3:00. She started towards the stairs to reap the rewards of her cunning plan. But before she got there, she heard a faint sound. It was like a vague murmur, quickly fading into the air.

 

“Hello?” Lottie whispered. “Is there somebody there?”

There was no reply.

“Mom? Dad? Hello?”

Still no reply, no murmuring. There was only silence. It must have been the wind.

 

Lottie walked past the stairs, but she couldn’t help but feel watched. She looked around for anybody, but the only other figure was her shadow on the staircase. Still, the shadow seemed off – more condensed than usual. Lottie looked closer. She could start to see two glowing red circles where the eyes would be, and they were staring back.

 

“Um, hello, shadow.” Lottie waved at it.

As Lottie spoke, the shade stepped out from the staircase; the “eyes” seemingly fixated on hers. It didn’t say anything. It didn’t do anything. It just kept staring, its “eyes” emotionless.

Lottie should have been scared. She should have been running to her parents’ room in tears, screaming about how her shadow seeped out of the staircase. But she didn’t - she wasn’t afraid. Lottie didn’t know why. She just glared back, both confused and curious.

 

“Who are you?”

The shadow didn’t respond.

“Are you really my shadow, or are you playing pretend?”

The shadow continued to fix its gaze.

“Do you want anything?”

Suddenly, the shadow’s piercing eyes shifted focus from her eyes down to her hands. Its blank stare shifted along with it, transforming into a more longing expression. Lottie realized what it wanted. It was looking at the brownies.

 

“Oh, do you want one? They’re really yummy. They have sprinkles inside!”

Lottie gave the shadow one of her brownies. The shadow stared at it for a moment, the sense of longing still present, until quickly shoving the brownie into where the mouth would be. It didn’t eat it; the brownie appeared to just be consumed into the shadow’s figure. Its eyes shifted once more, now giving off a sense of satisfaction, of being happy. 

 

“Do you like them?”

The shade nodded back.

“Great! I told you they were yummy. I’m glad you liked it!”

The shadow seemed to voice a whisper of delight. Its form began to dissolve into the air, taking its whisper along with it. As it faded away, the happiness in its eyes remained.

 

Lottie looked back to the staircase, the two remaining brownies still in her hand. Her shadow was back on the wall, and its eyes had gone away.

 

Claire Davenport is a college freshman at Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, where she is also from. Recipient of multiple scholarships - some reflecting her English achievements - she is a member of the Beta Xi Chapter of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society. Bienvenue à la Danse, Claire.

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