The Shadow

Vincent had felt strange all day. Something had been missing. Everything in his life was fine. He had recently married his long term partner and had been promoted at work. No matter what he tried to find out he could not put his finger on what was missing.

As he walked home his eyes focused on the pavement and he noticed what was wrong; what was missing. He had no shadow. He stood underneath a streetlamp and waved his arm about. He began moving in many different positions underneath the orange glow and often got strange looks from the odd passer by on their own way home. Vincent felt sick. His shadow had gone. But when did it go? You never really pay any attention to the fact that you cast a shadow but now it had gone Vincent began to want it back.

When he arrived back home he tried to tell his wife the problem, and when he showed her she began to cry. Vincent sat down next to her and felt lost. Where could his shadow be? Vincent’s head was full of questions and his wife’s tears were no help to him and his problem.

* * * *

Across the road Frank Merryweather was promptly demonstrating to his wife that he was now the owner of two shadows. It had come from nowhere and it also didn’t follow his movements. He didn’t want it.