She lay in a patch of bright sunlight, watching the swamp and it's many forms of life. No matter how strong the sunlight, there are always shadows. Some creeping between the mangrove, others popping up under the water rats or marsh rabbits as they dart past. They come in all sizes, ranging from smaller then a blade of grass, to big enough to engulf her. Some are very dark, almost like night, and others just shades of gray.
After a while she stands, looking down at her own pitch black form, and the shadow she casts. It seems to stretch much further then it should, despite the sun shining from directly overhead. Tentatively she takes a step forward, then with a start she dashes into the shallow waters around the mangrove. Easily she slips between the trees, ever careful of their entwined roots. There she blends in perfectly with the darker shadows. Almost silently she picks her way deeper into the trees. Watching the shadows, and the shadows with-in shadows play with and against each other.
She walks through the mangrove, picking her way between the roots. Every now and then she stops to observe the shadows. One seems to be moving of it's own violation, always just a few steps ahead of her. At first she thought it to be her own shadow. Until she looked down, finding hers underneath herself. Looking up again, she continues to follow the shadow, wondering where - and why - it is leading her.
After what seems like hours, but could really only be minutes, she spots a small island among the mangrove. The shadow is moving up its banks. Cautiously she follows, unease warring with curiosity. She stops at the bank, watching the shadow. It too has stopped moving. She steps up onto the bank, slowly making her way toward the shadow. To her surprise it doesn't move. When she is nearly close enough to touch it, it vanishes. Startled she looks around, up in the trees, in the water, and at last at the ground. Giving a small squeak she jumps back, and there at her hooves the shadow follows. She stares down at the shadow, realization coming slowly. After some time she settles down on the island, watching the shadows move around her and contemplating her own.
