The Girl Who Could Talk to Shadows

Ellie had always felt invisible. At seventeen, she was the kind of girl who blended into the background, her quiet demeanour and unassuming presence making her easy to overlook. She spent most of her time alone, wandering the halls of her high school like a ghost, her nose buried in a book or her earbuds firmly in place. But everything changed the day she discovered she could talk to shadows.

It started on a rainy afternoon. Ellie was sitting in the empty art room, sketching absentmindedly in her notebook. The room was dim, the only light coming from a flickering fluorescent bulb overhead. As she shaded in the outline of a tree, she noticed something strange. The shadow of her pencil on the desk seemed to move on its own, shifting slightly as if it had a mind of its own.

Ellie froze, her heart pounding. She blinked, convinced it was a trick of the light. But then the shadow moved again, this time more deliberately, forming a shape that looked eerily like a hand. It reached out as if trying to touch her.

“What the—” Ellie whispered, her voice trembling.

The shadow hand paused, then slowly formed into letters, spelling out a single word: HELLO.

Ellie’s breath caught in her throat. She glanced around the room, half-expecting someone to jump out and yell, “Gotcha!” But she was alone. The shadow waited, motionless, as if giving her time to process what was happening.

“Hello?” Ellie whispered back, her voice barely audible.

The shadow shifted again, forming new words: YOU CAN SEE ME.

Ellie nodded, her hands trembling. “Yes. I can see you. What… what are you?”

I AM YOUR SHADOW, it replied. BUT I AM MORE. I CAN SHOW YOU THINGS.

Ellie’s mind raced. This had to be a dream, or maybe she was losing her mind. But the shadow’s movements were too deliberate, too real. She leaned closer, her curiosity outweighing her fear.

“What kind of things?” she asked.

The shadow didn’t respond with words this time. Instead, it stretched across the desk, merging with the shadow of a nearby chair. Suddenly, images began to form—flickering, ghostly scenes that played out like a silent movie. Ellie saw herself as a child, laughing with her mother in a sunlit park. But then the scene shifted, and she saw her mother crying alone in the kitchen, clutching a letter Ellie had never seen before.

“What is this?” Ellie asked, her voice shaking. “How do you know this?”

I KNOW WHAT IS HIDDEN, the shadow replied. I CAN SHOW YOU THE TRUTH.

Ellie’s heart ached as she watched the images fade. She had always wondered why her mother had become so distant after her father left. Now, she realised there were secrets she had never been told.

Over the next few days, Ellie began to experiment with her newfound ability. She discovered that every shadow had a story to tell. The shadow of her maths teacher revealed a hidden passion for painting, something he had given up to please his family. The shadow of the school janitor showed a kind man who secretly donated most of his paycheck to a local shelter. And the shadow of her best friend, Mia, revealed a secret crush on the boy Ellie had been too shy to talk to.

But not all the truths were easy to bear. One afternoon, Ellie was walking home when she passed a man sitting on a park bench. His shadow caught her eye, writhing and twisting like a living thing. Curious, she approached it, and the shadow showed her a chilling scene: the man was a thief, planning to rob a convenience store that night.

Ellie’s stomach churned. She didn’t know what to do. Should she warn someone? But who would believe her? She was just a lonely teenager who talked to shadows.

As the days turned into weeks, Ellie’s ability began to weigh on her. The shadows showed her the best and worst of humanity, and she felt powerless to change any of it. She started to withdraw even more, avoiding people and their shadows altogether. But the shadows didn’t let her go that easily.

One night, Ellie was lying in bed when her own shadow appeared on the wall, moving without her. She sat up, her heart racing, as the shadow formed words: YOU CANNOT IGNORE US.

“Why are you doing this to me?” Ellie demanded, her voice breaking. “I didn’t ask for this!”

YOU WERE CHOSEN, the shadow replied. TO SEE WHAT OTHERS CANNOT. TO HELP THOSE WHO NEED IT.

Ellie buried her face in her hands. “I can’t help anyone. I’m just a kid.”

YOU ARE MORE THAN YOU THINK, the shadow insisted. USE WHAT YOU KNOW.

The next day, Ellie decided to take the shadow’s advice. She started small, leaving an anonymous note for her maths teacher, encouraging him to pick up his paintbrush again. She left a thank-you card for the janitor, letting him know his kindness didn’t go unnoticed. And she told Mia about her crush, giving her the push she needed to ask him out.

But the man in the park still haunted her. She couldn’t shake the image of him robbing the store. Finally, she worked up the courage to call the police, leaving an anonymous tip about his plans. That night, she watched the news, her heart in her throat, as they reported that a would-be thief had been arrested before he could commit the crime.

Ellie felt a strange mix of relief and guilt. She had done the right thing, but it didn’t feel like enough. The shadows had shown her so much pain, so many secrets. She couldn’t fix everything, but she could try to make a difference, one small act at a time.

As the weeks passed, Ellie began to embrace her ability. She still felt invisible at school, but now she knew that everyone had a story, a hidden truth waiting to be uncovered. And though the shadows often showed her the darker side of life, they also revealed the beauty in the ordinary, the kindness in unexpected places.

One evening, as the sun set and the world was bathed in golden light, Ellie sat on her porch, watching her shadow stretch across the ground. It moved on its own, forming a single word: THANK YOU.

Ellie smiled a small, quiet smile. For the first time in her life, she didn’t feel so alone. The shadows were her companions, her guides. And though they showed her the world’s secrets, they also showed her something else: her strength.

She wasn’t invisible anymore. She was the girl who could talk to shadows. And that made all the difference.