Short Stories

The Shadows Which Lurk

This story is originally written in Nynorsk for my Norwegian class, but I translated it to English. Beware of odd translations because some phrases were hard to translate to English. Also, a criteria to the short-story assignment was to add symbols/metaphors, and I went slightly overboard on the symbols. There is going to be a lot of reading in between the lines. I do hope you like it though and manage to understand what I am trying to tell in this story.

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Here I stood once again. Plants grew around the bench and the paint has started to fall off. The sun shone over the green field filled with life. The wind blew calm and silent as if it was spring. I saw her in front of me. She stood by the untouched bench in the field with her warm smile and glittering eyes. They say that the eyes are windows to the soul, but these were closed. The eyes held many secrets and mysteries. Still, her smile was how I last remembered. It was welcoming and gave me a feeling of safety. I hesitated, but went slowly to her. Was it here she has always been?

Ever since that day, nothing had been the same. I remember the day as if it was yesterday. The house shook of the loud noises which filled the living room. It was the last time I saw and heard from her. When she went away, father became sick and changed. He became worse when sister went her way afterwards to follow her dream. They never came back. Sister held contact, but she who gave me the kind, warm smile, disappeared like the air. I opened my eyes and found the light which led me to a new perspective. The light which she and father hid me from. Even though I found the light, the unknown shadows found me and dragged me towards them. The light vanished and I never found it again. Everything fell apart. At home, there was only noise. Dark clouds covered the house. All our happy memories floated like dust in the air, shattered in many small pieces and can never be repaired.

"Did you miss me?" she said to me, gently as if I was fragile. I said nothing and looked down on my arms. The large blue and purple spots which always covered my arms, were gone. There were no red marks either, which I swear I had. "Where have you been?" I asked her slowly and shakily. I wanted to know why and where she went. She did not answer me and hugged me instead. I felt the warmth I longed for once again, but it was empty. It was not like the hugs she gave me when I was little. Those which were warm and full of love. "If you come with me you will know, but you must be sure that you want to" she whispered in my ear. She smiled to me and held her hand for me to take. If I gave it to her, I would be with her again. Was it worth it?

The shadows came back. They whispered in my ears to take it. I closed my eyes and saw myself in the dark room again. She disappeared. Only black filled my sight. In the dark room, the shadows whispered loudly to take the hand. "No! Leave me alone!" I yelled to the shadows and held my ears. They taunted me for being weak and urged me to take the hand. "You know you want to" they whispered temptingly around me. The shadows laughed loudly as if they were small children who played with a new doll. The laughter did not stop, but only became louder. I looked around me with eyes wide open and searched for a way out. In a corner, there was light. The light was small, but shone brightly in the dark room. I wanted to go there, but the shadows did not let me get closer.

My heart beat fast, my hand reached for the light. Before I could reach it, the shadows devoured the light. Tears fell down my cheeks and my hands sweated. It was suffocating in the throat as if I drowned in a dark ocean. They laughed loudly and continued to mock me. Blue and purple painted my arms again, red stripes appeared right after. My eyes opened widely. The colours which painted my arms, stung. "Are you going back to that?" the shadows asked me "They do not even want you there!"

I did not want to believe the shadows, but they spoke the truth. Should I just take the hand? Maybe then the shadows would go away from me. "Have you chosen yet?" her voice appeared through the dark room. The hand was again held in front of me. My nose was red and tear stains were visible on my cheeks. Before I could take her hand, the voice of my sister appeared in my head. "You little fool. Do not shut others out, I am here if you need me" it whispered. The voice was calm and silent. I could feel the loving smile from the memory. The light which was extinguished, came back beside the hand. I had to choose. Should I take the hand or the light which I have searched for?

The shadows disappeared slowly when I went towards the light. I came back to the green field. She stood in front of me with a slightly disappointed smile "So, you have chosen". I did not want to look her in the eyes. "Do not come after me before you are ready" she patted my shoulder and pulled me into a hug. The hug was no longer empty like the first one she gave me. I slowly hugged her back with a smile on my face. "Do not forget that I am here for you" she reassured me "Even if I am not beside you, I am in your heart". The field slowly disappeared with the wind. I blinked white and there stood my sister with tears which fell on my face. I opened my mouth to say something, but no sound came out. My sister said something I did not understand before everything became black again. I was back in the light room, but there will always be shadows which lurk in the little corner of the room.

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Comment on what you think I'm trying to convey in this story. I would really love to hear your interpretation~