The Shadow People

Short fiction about a boy and a diabolical dance

Photo by David Dibert on Unsplash

On a clear summer night, Shadow People waltzed to the wind. Six-year-old Will Prentiss noticed their ghastly, slender frames from his bedroom window. Beyond frightened, he was frozen to the spot and couldn’t look away. He tried yelling for his parents, but some strange magic cut off his voice.

Moonlight served as the chandelier for this diabolical dance. The dark figures shimmied and shook underneath it, moving faster as the wind began to whip through the trees. It didn’t take long for the Shadow People to realize they were being watched. They spotted the boy in the window and waved to him, swaying side to side, cackling as one.

A collective moan swept across the grass and up to the window. Willlllll, they breathed, waving their twisted arms, dancing harder.

The spell broke. “Go away!” Will screamed as he flung himself away from the window and fell onto his bed. Will’s eyes stung so badly that he pressed his fists into them, trying to erase everything he saw.

When Will opened his eyes, streaks of sunlight poked through the leafy trees. He popped his head above the windowsill and peered out into his backyard.

Except for a lone squirrel, nothing moved. Shrubs, bushes, and a handful of recently planted saplings dotted the yard. The grass needed cutting, but it wasn’t too out of hand.

“Hmm,” Will murmured. Maybe it was just a dream. Or maybe it was the nighttime playing tricks on me.

But somewhere in the deep recesses of his mind, he thought he heard a murmur, a whisper: Wiillllll.

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Thank you for reading “The Shadow People.” If you enjoyed it, you may also like “The Hayloft” — a short tale I pulled from my archives.

I recently read “Skeptic” by Dascha Paylor and it spooked me out. It also put me in the perfect headspace to write this story. Thanks for the inspiration, Dascha!

Take care and have a great week.

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