The Weight of Shadows

Burden of Shadows

Chapter 1: Burden of Shadows

Casandra leaned against the creaking wooden fence, her fingers tracing the familiar grooves worn from years of use. The sun was setting, casting a faint orange glow over the fields, but she barely noticed. She was tired—always tired. The weight of her life seemed to press down on her shoulders, heavier with each passing day.

For as long as she could remember, Casandra had taken on every responsibility in the family. From cooking and cleaning to working extra shifts at the factory, it all fell to her. There was never room for anything else, no space for her dreams, not even a moment to breathe. All that mattered was keeping things together, and more importantly, making sure her younger sister, Elara, had a chance at something better.

Elara deserves more than this, she reminded herself, as she often did when the exhaustion threatened to swallow her whole. Casandra had worked so hard to shield Elara from the same hardships she’d faced—ensuring she could go to school, keeping her away from the long hours of labor, and promising herself that her sister would never suffer like she had.

But there was a price to pay for that protection. Casandra could no longer remember what it felt like to want something for herself. Life had become an endless cycle of toil and sacrifice, where each day blurred into the next.

As the sky darkened, the lights from the distant town flickered on. Casandra sighed, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. It was time to head back home, where another round of duties awaited her. But before she turned, she caught a glimpse of something in the distance—a strange light, faint and flickering, near the edge of the Whispering Woods.

Casandra narrowed her eyes. That part of the forest had always unsettled her, ever since she was a child. People said the woods had a mind of their own, a place where strange things happened. But she didn’t have time for stories. She had work to do.

Yet, as she started to walk away, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something was watching her, waiting.