A Series of Surprising Stories

The Shadow Game

Inspired by a peice I wrote for my English language work, The Shadow Game:

An eerie night had rolled in over the lifeless town, the air still and heavy and the thick clouds blotted out the stars. The orange light was out so it was the lampposts turn to give light for the shadows, but even they did not pierce the dark blanket of the night in all corners of the town.

As the sky screamed it's oncoming storm, its ice cold breeze whispered to the small town;

Stay inside and lock your doors children, shut your windows and turn out the lights, hide from the shadows and sleep through the night.
This night was no night for children - shut your eyes tight. You're their favourite snack children, and the shadows are hungry tonight.

But not all children are afraid, for this night played three young boys in the areas the big lamps could not reach. No parents, this night, just the playing woods and the game, nowhere for the light to reach.

The game was simple; whoever were tagged were the shadow man - who could only travel where not to be seen. The shadow could hide but could not run, the children could run but they could not hide. The darkest of nights was the perfect time to play - where the clouds covered the splattered stars and the moon gave no way because it was too obvious in the day light for the shadows to lurk, they needed the darkness of the night for the game to work.

These boys were far too young to be playing the shadow game, but one boy didn't like rules and now he his ashamed. What happens when children play the shadow game in the darkest of nights? For this is a story of the boys who did, but to the boys is was only a game without the light.

Little Liam was a lively boy, he was as light as a feather but as strong as bricks, always being picked on for his body as fragile as twigs, but he never seemed to care, for this time it was Liam's turn to be the shadow, and lucky for Liam he was the best climber of them all. There he stood, in the climbing tree waiting for enough light to hit through the trees to get a good look of where his friends may be. He waited, ever so patiently he waited. Just a bit longer, he told himself for the shadow to see it's prey.
And there's his chance; Jack running through the trees a few meters away. He jumps from the tree, landing on both feet, he hides behind the climbing tree, for his prey to come to him. "Tag!" He laughs, tapping Jack's shoulder before running for the trees.

Jack giggles, stops and thinks - where do I hide? He looks around, he can't climb, but he is quiet, so of he tries. He listened out, *Snap* he stays still, *Snap* Okay, I've got him he thought, but shadows can't run, so he'll have to tiptoe through the trees, already began to sought. And off he heads, tiptoeing over the forest floor to find the source, snickering as he sneaks. He hears the boy run through the trees, the twigs snapping one by one and he knew he had him, he hid behind a hiding tree and waited, ever so patiently he waited. Just a bit longer he told himself, until the shadow heard it's prey. "Tag!" He snickered, reaching his hand through the dark when he heard his prey as close as he picture, before swiftly heading through the trees.

Harry grunts, he can't climb, he can't tiptoe through the night. Harry's - he's the fastest but the shadow can't run for its prey. But, the prey can't see the shadow move in the darkest of nights, but this play was already underway. So of he sets with any light his only enemy through his flight.
He runs through the trees, over the twigs and leaves until there is a dark figure he can see. He can't wait, patiently he can't wait, he runs, runs through the trees waiting for a dark figure he can see.

"You're running!" Exclaims Little Liam, "You can't run, shadows can only hide!" Harry freezes but it's too late, Little Liam's already seen him through the darkness of the night.

"I'm not a cheater! I'll get you for this you little rat!" And of they run, through the playing forest as fast as a bullet from a gun. Liam runs to the street, and Jack follows the sound for Liam needs the light, where the shadows can be found. They run, run towards the light, onto the street where the big lamps shine. The boys look back, and the bullets catching up, onto the street they run where a different sort of bullet had caught him up, Thump thump thump.

Liam a very fragile boy, very smart, forever a candle in the darkest of times is now a boy forever, just another shadow in the night.
For a while Harry stayed in doors, shut his windows and turned out the light, hid from his shadow and slept through the night because he knew children were shadows favourite snacks and this shadow was hungry, coming back to bite.