A Little Red String -A Short Story

Humans have lots of little myths. Invented to help keep them happy, hopeful. My people, the shadow people think it's beautiful. I can say with confidence, that for quite some time, I thought it was stupid.

Though, there is one little story I've always found interesting, about a magic red string. The belief is, that every human being has a red string tied around their little finger. The other end is tied around the person, that one day, they will marry. In other words, their soul mate. The red string is unbreakable, no matter how much it gets pulled or knotted, it will not snap. This story is a lie. Of course, the humans know this. However.

They have no idea how close they came to the truth.

You see every human does have a red string, but, it's not attached to another human, it's attached to a shadow. The shadow that was born at the exact same moment as you. A shadow that was born to grow up with you. A shadow bound to protect you until adulthood.

Our fates are unfair, cruel, that is, if you're one of the unlucky shadows born with a string. As after our human no longer needs us... We vanish.

Us shadow people have stories too, well, more like laws that are encrusted into our skulls from a very young age.

'When your partner is 5, you will be their imaginary friend, until they can no longer see you.

You will then become their guardian angel, as they begin to mature.

Finally, when they no longer have a shred of hope your real, you will disappear.'

Unlike the magic red string, the real string breaks when you are supposed to fade. Mines happened to break six years ago. When she was still 8. Yet, for some reason, I never faded from existence. It's like it started, but the process was cut off. No one can see me, no one can hear me, not even my own people...

I'm all alone.

And I blame her.

My humans name was Maggie Stewart, and we were still on the 'Imaginary friend' stage. She was my best friend, and I hers, I can honestly say we knew everything about each other. Those were the times I will always find a place within me to treasure.

It wasn't to last though.

You see, she was intelligent. A prodigy of sorts. Top of her class. Soon, I could see her forgetting me, not believing in a shadow like me, it hurt like hell. Our string was tightening, ready to snap. Then, one day, it happened. She was looking troubled, so I asked her what was wrong.

Nothing.

She didn't even look up. Eventually she got called for her dinner, she stood up silently and walked past me. Slamming her door on the way out.

Snapping her invisible string with it. Snapping mines too. Falling to my knees I stared at the door silently. It stood there, staring back mockingly. Reminding me that I would never look into a humans eyes again, to see them staring back.

For some reason I didn't even fade. I was stuck, not even the shadows could see me anymore.

I was stuck in this nightmare.

I continued to stare at the door, an unfamiliar sadness, and an unfamiliar anger, starting to build up inside of me.

I still follow Maggie to this very day. Like a lost sheep. Watching. That's all I can do, watch. In fact, the only reason I still stick around her, is, I literally do not have anyone else. Which, is a little sad. I guess. The worst part is that every single time I see her I want to scream at her for forgetting me. Yet today, something I never expected to happen, happened. She, well, we were walking down to the shops. We were half was across the road, when a car came at us, way above the limit. She didn't notice it. I did. Before I knew it, I was protectively shielding her from the car.

I don't know what would have hurt more. Being hit by the car, or the fact the car went right through me, just like everything did nowadays, and hit Maggie instead...

There is a new emotion brewing inside of me. Guilt. Though it is an unfamiliar emotion, I still know exactly what caused it. The fact that I could do nothing. It's was worse when I looked directly at her unconscious body. It's even worse whenever her family visit. Which happens to be very often. I know now that I didn't truly hate her. That I probably never would. Otherwise, why would I have jumped in front of that car to protect her? Inside my head, I pathetically try to tell myself otherwise. 'It was instinct...' No. It was the raw feeling of not wanting her to go that kept me in front if that car. So why? Why is she sitting in a hospital bed, in a coma, looking as dead as a log. Why?

It's been a month since the 'incident.' One day I overheard her mum talking to the doctor. It wasn't good news. Apparently they didn't she would wake up. Naturally, the mum was in tears, of course. So was I. Somehow, deep down, I think I had forgiven her.

You could just feel the tension when the family was in the room. None of them seemed to have much hope left. Honestly, neither did I. The days of me standing over her emotionless, limp body seemed to pass in a blur. Days turned to weeks, turned to months. Her birthday passed, then Christmas, New Years, Easter. Eventually it had been an entire year. That was the day they first mentioned the idea.

Stopping her life support.

The parents immediately rejected the idea. Thankfully. Yet, I could tell, that they were both thinking the same thing. What if we did turn it off?

Every Friday, I could hear them whispering about it outside, just quiet enough to make sure their son couldn't hear them. They were always discussing the same thing. 'Should we do it?' 'There's still a chance though...' Every time they would both come in looking more tired than the week before. Every time they would be trying to hide the redness around their eyes.

Today is a Friday, and as always, I hoped they will decide to keep her alive. And as usual, I will quickly leave for a short walk around the local park trying to clear my head after they inevitably have the chat. Then when I get back to the hospital, the doors won't open as usual, and I will have to walk through them. Then, when I enter her room I will see her limp body, as usual.

My 'usual' Friday plan didn't happen today. I got as far as leaving the door when I heard a great deal of commotion coming from behind me. I stood there, silently, staring. Unbelieving.

Beep. Beep. Beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Silence.

Maggie was dead.

"MAGGIE!" Her younger brother screamed. Suddenly the Doctors was through doing their thing. The parents stood there in shock. Her brother was crying, screaming.

Everything seemed to slow down. No. Everything stopped. I'm sure there were tears streaming down my face. Not that it mattered. No one could see.

I always thought her forgetting me was the most painful thing that I would ever feel. Yet, this breath taking, gut wrenching feeling was much, much worse...

Something peculiar happened. My body completely froze. Then Maggie appeared in front of me. Like a shadow would. Shock and regret evident in her eyes.

'Lauren...' She whispered. Looking at me sadly. We locked eyes. Eyes...

For a moment nothing mattered. Maggie was here and for the first time in years, someone else was looking at me. Directly at me. My precious moment was soon broken as she whispered, just loud enough for me to hear, "I'm so sorry..." Before she started to disappear, to fade away.

And I could feel myself fading with her.

Humans have lots of little myths. Invented to help keep them happy, hopeful. My people, the shadow people think it's beautiful. And I can say with confidence that, for quite some time, I thought it was stupid. There was one little story though. About a magical little red string, I found always gave me hope. I think that this story about a little red string, was beautiful...