Caroline was always intrigued as to how shadows could move. They could dart and glide, hide and reveal, slink and dance. She would often move to see her shadow and she saw it dance.
She began dancing in the moonlight and her shadow joined her in the dark. These were turning into her memories, and her memories were dancing with her.
She would step softly in the grass, as though feeling its touch. They turned into skips and they turned into kicks. She would slow down and make her shadow flow before turning and turning to see if her shadow could keep up.
Her movements were precise, her improvisations planned. They were so articulate that they caught the eyes of the highwayman, Keith. He gazed at her in wonder at how she could move. Soon she caught him looking at her and he became part of her act.
Her arms moved as though conjuring a spell. She slowly turned to see his reaction. He was still in awe of her. She walked towards him and slowly moved around him, as though she was a hunter and he was her prey. Caroline started to sing and Keith thought she was trying to enchant him.
“Come to me, come to me, feel my passion. Come fulfil my fantasy. Come and be my phantom lover, be my man of mystery.”
She had seen him for a while, making the ladies swoon, taking what he wanted and it was all for himself. She too had fallen for him.
“Never ever thought how much I’d want you, never ever thought I’d be ready to scream. Will I ever feel your body near me, only in a never ending dream. In a never ending –,”
She stopped as he turned sharply to look at her. She broke away from him and remembered why she was there. She began dancing to her own music. She kneeled to the floor and Keith stepped back to appreciate the movement. She turned and twirled, making every step exactly how she wanted. She stepped and glided through the grass before rising up for her dance.
Her body moved individually and as a whole. She stepped before turning and making circles in the air. She moved her skirt behind her to accentuate her entrance. She went over to Keith to embrace him before letting him go. She bounded in the air and gracefully fell to the ground. The momentum kept her going and she got up to step carefully over to Keith, whose hand was reaching towards her. She hesitated before taking it and he pulled her into him. Neither of them let go.
Soon he was dancing with her. Their shadows became one as they moved in the light of the moon. He held on to her, afraid to let her go. He was dancing for her and she was dancing for him.
She made the mistake of turning around and finding her brother watching them. She stopped and stared at him, her arms slowly falling to her sides. Ryan looked at her and he didn’t need to say anything. He raised his arms as though he was offering her a choice. Caroline knew he was asking her what she was going to choose.
Before she could make her decision, Keith ran over to her and he too saw her brother. He rushed ahead of her; ready to fight him, but Caroline was pulling him back.
She whispered one word to him before they ran off in the opposite direction of her brother.
“Shadows.”
