• Sahan watched as the Mother slid from the sky, slowly and surely. The black of night turned from hues of calm blue to fiery reds and oranges. The young Shadow watched in fascination as the bright yellow sphere peeked shyly from behind the horizon, until the heat became too much and she seeped back into the ground, like every shadow must do.
    Underground, she was refreshed by the coolness of her home. Deeper and deeper she sank, until she was finally freed from the pressure of earth and into the dark and open of a cave. The smell of earth and water welcomed her as she glided down the slimy walls of the underground.
    "Princess Sahan! Where in the world have you been?!" Hovering a few centimeters above the ground, the black blob named Metra huffed angrily towards her. Metra was Sahan's royal caretaker. She was also old and overprotective. She wasn't exactly liked by Sahan, but not hated either. With a sigh, Sahan walked towards her, simply for the comfort of the elderly Shadow whose too-old substance must be protesting.
    "Princess Sahan!" Metra yelled again, "You better not have watched the Sun again! You know how dangerous it is!"
    Sahan sighed. It was true. The Sun's blistering heat damaged the Shadows' sensitive skin. But it was so frustrating, only being able to freely walk the earth for only a few hours at night. And the night was so lifeless, too! If only the humans thrived during the night. Now those are interesting creatures!
    Metra gave a heaving sigh. "Oh, Sahan. You may think that you are only putting yourself at risk with these sun-rise viewings. But if the Sun were to catch you!" Metra shivered at the horrible thought, "Not only would you be potentially dead, but the treaty might end!"
    The treaty was the only thing preventing the death of all Shadows. If the treaty were to end, the Sun would free to warm the earth until the Shadows were trapped between his heat and the earth's core. Both were deadly hot.
    Metra shook her blobby head. "Your mother requests your presence for your shapeshifting class. Come."
    ~~~
    But Sahan could not concentrate on turning into various inanimate objects. Her thoughts were devising a crazy and stupid plan that could potentially free the Shadows from their earthly prison.
    or cause her certain death.
    That night, the Shadows rose from the earth to play. They breathed the fresh air of the sky instead of the stagnant air underground. The grass tickled as the glided joyfully everywhere they could. So filled with joy, that when they sank back underground, they didn't notice that Sahan wasn't with them.
    ~~~
    Sahan only sank into a large rock directly outside a strange hut that housed humans. She had seen those strange beings sleep, but never awake. If her stupid plan worked, she sould be able to walk in the full glory of day. Granted, she would have to stay with the human, but at least she would always feel the grass and smell the delicious scents of true life.
    The Sun rose and the earth warmed. Please, please! Sahan begged the human to at least get out of the hut. The warming rock sent an uncomfortable prickling sensation all over her body. Still, the Sun kept climbing, and Sahan started to pant. If she tried to run for it and slip underground, the Sun would catch her and kill her. but the heat was mounting quickly.
    Sahan was making her last prayers to Mother Moon when the door to the hut creaked open. Blinking in the light of day, the human stood dazed. Without thinking of how to put her plan in motion, Sahan glided to the human. The full force of the Sun struck, until the heat became so unbearable Sahan doubted she would ever make it to the human. But, she finally did reach the human, show stared at her in fear, and bolted into the hut.
    'No! Don't go!" Sahan called, following the human into the hut. She glided through the door, as the human watched wide eyed.
    "G..g...ghost!" The human mouthed in fear.
    "No," Sahan said, trying to sound powerful, but her panting was anything but, "I need your help human. The Sun has kept my people under his tyrant power for too long. I believe that if I could...follow your every step...maybe...I could truly live."
    "How?" the human asked, curiousity overcoming its fear. "I want to help!"
    Sahan didn't know how, but she knew exactly how to become attached to the human. "Walk..through me."
    The human hesitated. For a few long seconds, Sahan thought that the human wouldn't do it. But, as she was ready to slither back into the comforting dark of earth, the human stepped forward.
    And Sahan was the happiest of shadows.
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    And, to this very day, the Sun is unaware that with everything, one Shadow hides, living the glories of earth during the day. And, every night, the shadows break free and celebrate their eternal happiness