The Shadow

She looked into the golden sun. Rising from the horizon of the ocean, the sun appeared like a massive fireball. The warmth was endearing. The sudden movement behind her alerted her senses to her apparent company. She looked left, sand all over. She looked to her right, sand, only sand. The gentle breeze blew past her cheeks, gently humming into her ear, kissing as it blew past. She felt a presence and searched again. Something dark appeared to be moving around behind her. She turned around rapidly and spoke out aloud - "Who's there?". No reply. And a voice spoke in her head - "I'm your shadow, my dear. I appear in my most magnificent form at dawn and dusk. I will be there with you all the time."

She got up from her brief reverie with her shadow. The sun had got bigger, brighter and it had gotten hotter. Small beads of perspiration appeared on her forehead. She wiped it off and got up to leave. As she walked in towards the horizon, she felt someone following her - the shadow. She asked "Are you following me?". The shadow merely laughed, and said "I am you, I am with you, I will always be with you". A small, yet unconvinced smile appeared on her face.

It was a strange land she was in. With no one around but her shadow, the strange land suddenly felt like home. She missed her real home though, the shadow tried as much to make up for the void. A void that would almost never be filled. She walked, and walked till the shadow got smaller. She wondered as to why the shadow was getting smaller....

The shadow replied, you need your space, I need mine. Though I am with you, you have to be you, I have to be me and we have to be us. Its time, that's all it is. It tells us we can't be together, always, but I will be there even if you can't see me. You will still feel me as I am always with you...

Afternoon strolled into the evening and the shadow grew, yet again. A smile, a small smile appeared across her face. She was glad to see the shadow as it were in the morning. Little did she know, that it would be dark soon. The sun had started to set, and skies were getting dark. She wandered along the path she had been, looking startled about the darkness engulfing the shadow. Like cloud that covered the sun, the darkness soon engulfed around, the only light was that from her large, bright eyes. She called out for the shadow in fear that she might not see the shadow again...

What is darkness? Is it the absence of light? Or is light the absence of darkness. They co-exist like good and evil, love and hate, plus and minus. The shadow replied - Just because you can't see me, does not mean I am not there. I will always be there. I will follow you into the dark.....