Beneath the Shadowlanders

We knew something wasn't right from the moment we awoke. It was like something was missing - a part of our very souls - and we couldn't sense the deficiency, no matter how hard we tried. A hundred million eyes adjusted to the dark all at once, all surprised to be awakened so soon. We ran through our checklists of limbs and senses, drawing ourselves out of our dreams piece by piece. Some went back to sleep, unaware, unbothered, too tired to notice the difference. Some lay in bed, too anxious to stand until the light of dawn crept through their windows at last, and they were sure the monsters in their closets had gone back to sleep. Some leapt from their slumbers, more keenly aware than others that the missing pieces were important. But we didn't know. We couldn't have. Not until we found ourselves standing in the light and discovered: We no longer had shadows.