Writing Prompt: Seeing Something By Its Shadow First

Cold brick wall to my back, I force the breath through my nose, trying to quiet my panting. I press

into the building, watching the edges of its neighbors for signs I’ve been followed. The lamplight

off the streets reflects onto the red chunks stacked around me and falls to the asphalt. My heart

picks up tempo as a distant hum catches the air and washes towards me. Down the street,

streetlights and moon beams giving definition to sleeping terrain, a repetitive orange light blinks

menacingly. And I know it’s coming. I peek around the corner, nervously.

Its ominous, filthy shape sweeps against sides of houses and buries cars as it passes. The black

shadow continually wiped clean by the orange blink atop it. Blink. Blink. Blink. It spins,

beckoning.

I pull myself back around my corner, sweat cementing my hair into place. I hear it brushing

against the ground, and something in my snaps. Like the pang of an empty stomach or the

heartbreak of a lost companion, the intense horror of my situation races back to me. And I decide

tonight I end this beast’s reign of horror.

It crawls closer to my hiding place just off the street, and against the wall beside me I see its

shadow tower over me. The slow, still shape ghostly hovering across the ground, ravaging

anything in the destructive path it sticks to. Blink. Blink. Blink. The growling hum grows even

louder and I dart from my hiding place.

Toward the street, my wall falling from behind me in slow motion, my feet push off of the park

bench, land perfectly on the trash can beside it, spring up onto the beats right where its horrifically

oversized eyes sit, and I assume the pose.

Back arched, teeth bared, every hair on my body stands on end from anger and fear. My eyes are

glowing evil slits, my claws dig into its hard flesh and I let out my battle cry:

“HHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIISSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!”

The creature swerves from its path, and I hear the captive voice of a man cry out. I will save you

man, I will save you! I hiss again as the beast slowly rolls to a stop. With the beast distracted, the

man escapes from its side and I know my work is done. I leap from its face and onto the

pavement.

As I race off in victory down the damp, clean road from whence it came, the man yells to me.

You’re welcome helpless man. You’re welcome.