She floated through the shadows of an empty hearted street. The lamplight whispered softly making inky yellow spots along the blackened concrete, shameful in its display of luminosity and vanity. How she longed to be light, even just to stand in it, for a moment. But she never could, never would, never will be again. For you see… she… was a shadow. She drifted down the ally way, finding friends in the stays and rejects. Pushed aside where they couldn’t be seen, so much like her. So very outcasted on the edge of a hatful world.

The wind howled and twisted the trash along the streets. Debris flew up, tumbled and fell, danced around in a tangled waltz, disgustingly beautiful in an odd sort of way. In and out weaving around, she let her hand fall into the breeze but she couldn’t feel it. She knew it was there she could almost see its tangibility but she just couldn’t feel it. She screamed in a frustrated way, but there was no sound, only a slight rustling of the dust around her feet. A stranger might think it was merely a breeze. Her throat felt dry but she continued to scream. How had she become so very separated? How long had she been this way?

The pulse of the night beat in her hollowed out chest expanding her dusty rib cage….. Useless. It was always useless. Her effortless breathing was useless. Her insides didn’t work like they used to, her breathing was a habit that wasn’t easily broken. There was no point to any of it. She settled down on a trash can and gazed out into the lamplight pool. It glimmered, making the dust about it shimmer as it passed through the warm glow. She sighed in disgust, why should dirt be so lucky.

Why was she so rejected? Forced into blackness for the end of time? When would time end? She often pondered on time and the meaning of eternity. She questioned the uselessness of humanity. Why were they born to die? The young wished to be old the old wished to be young and they all wished to live forever. But they were being selfish, forever wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. At least they could feel the rain, and the fire and they could bask in the light of that damned lamp and not fade into obscurity. And when they were gone people would grieve and miss them, they’d be remembered, she wouldn’t be remembered, no one remembers their shadows…

What was the point any more, why should she float about dreaming of a life that would never be hers? Why suffer any more? She stood from the trash can. Nothing moved or made noise, everything was as it should be. She drifted out into the open street. She faced the lamp met it in the golden eye. She could end it; she could be light once more before… well… before it ended right?

She lifted an inky hand, and poked a thin finger into the glowing light. It didn’t hurt, her finger merely disappeared. She wasn’t as frightened as she thought shed be, actually… she was rather calm. The glow seemed to be filling her empty chest with a certain warmth she’d never know. She pressed her hand in further, still no pain, just warmth and happiness. Yes happiness, she had never felt it before but she knew that’s what it was. She felt a part of the beams; one with the yellow river shed lusted after for so long. With a heaving breathe she leapt under the lamps light…. And she…. Disappeared.