Footprints of Shadows

The Girl's feet pounded down on the hard, caked dirt. She had been running for days and days, and her feet were sore and covered in blisters. Her hair fell in matted knots down her back and her throat was parched. Still the Girl ran on.

She entered a forest. Braches flew by her, whipping her arms and legs with no mercy. The trees were thick and little light showed through. Her whole body was tired and she knew that she could not last much longer. The trees started to thin out. Soon she came to a clearing with one old, gnarled and twisted tree in the centre. The Girl fell to her knees and muttered a few words in a hoarse voice. As she did so she gestured with her hand and a small fire sprung up where she had pointed. She stared at it a few seconds and it grew to a contained crackling blaze. The Girl drew herself in closer to the flame, and curled into a ball. Her eyes were heavy and they slowly closed, obscuring everything, and leaving darkness.

The Girl's eyes sprung open. She was disoriented, and it took her a moment to see what had woken her. Then her gaze fell on it. It was a shadow, a nothing, squirming at the edge of the firelight. She was not worried. Then they came. More and more of them. All around the edge of the clearing, twisting. Not wanting to enter the light but drawn to it like a moth to a lamp. The started circling her. They seemed to dace, with angular movements, pushing, falling, pulsating. They were like wild rats. With no regard to how many they trod on as long as they were at the front of the pack, first to the food. Their dance grew faster and faster, she felt nauseated. They spun and leaped, their shapes indefinable like water and light. Like shadow. The Girl buried her face in her hair, to block out the sight. Suddenly, everything stopped. The movement stopped. The rushing sound of the dance stopped. Everything stopped. The Girl un- shielded her eyes. Around the edge of the fie light there were now shadow men. There were nine of them and they seemed to have no real size. They just were. The Shadow man stood stock still. She presumed that the twisted rats had morphed into these. They caused her no harm, they just stood there. She watched, pretending to be asleep. With a sharp intake of breath she realized what they were doing. They moved in, and as they did, the light from the fire shrunk back, as if afraid. The girl breathed a word and a greyness appeared between her and the shadow men. She could feel the men pressing against it but she held it there. The Girl did not sleep again that night, but kept watch.

The sun rose and rays dappled the forest floor. The shadows shrunk away, like night itself, as if it was never there. The Girl was wearied from her hard nights work. It took all her strength to get to her feet. She was no longer certain that it had actually happened. The Girl shakily walked over to where the dance had been held. The Autumn leaves were blown out of the way and a dirt track worn into the ground. Along this track, so light you could barely see it, were footprints.

Footprints of Shadows.