Of Animals and Friends
You know I love cats. Adore would be the word. But then again, there are foxes and otters that fight over the top of the cuteness list; well, the second spot that is, for cats reign supreme and unchallenged. Still, I have a cat, and have never really touched an otter or stared at the eyes of a fox from up close, so it wouldn't be an overstatement to say that they perhaps hide some secrets unknown even to that most inquisitive of animals, queen of curiosity, the cat.
This is not going to be a story about a cat, though. Nor is it about a fox or an otter, or a hedgehog; albeit I find those inexplicably irresistible as well. No, this story is about my least favourite creature to ever walk the Earth. At this point just about all of you thought I was going to write about the human; for there has never been a more cancerous, malicious beast than that particular breed of mammals. Still, volumes have been penned on human atrocities, and to little avail at that, so no point in continuing down that road. It also might be the place to say that not all humans are despicable; some have redeeming qualities and at times step outside their comfortably warm egocentric universe to actually help nature and her much older inhabitants. The incentive behind the noble deed being undoubtedly questionable to those more cynic at heart.
The story at hand, however, is about a particularly unpleasant being. Not a cockroach, nor a mosquito, nor a rattling snake; believe it or not, some find those attractive companions, or in some cases - entertaining curiosities. My least favourite creature, as I daringly called it above, is my shadow. You would argue that it is most certainly not a being, nor a creature, not even an animal in itself. And rightfully so, perhaps. Still, there it is, just as alive as I am, following each step, haunting every footprint or running ahead claiming the future my pace was set to conquer. And however inseparable we seem forced to be, it bears no face, nor a muzzle, no eyes, nor a snout, no fur, nor a tail, not even a mouth. How can one trust a thing like that, lurking behind, judging in deafening silence, never offering a helping hand?
The story starts at a time long now forgotten, when shadows lived under the cooling oak leaves and at times crept to the bubbling creek to play hide-and-seek around the small pebbles along the sandy banks. One such playful shadow once ventured further into the heart of the oak forest. It started off dark but somehow warm and unimposing, the kind of darkness weary souls and eyes crave. An air of safety enveloped the bark of each stout tree, whilst gossamer threads of sunlight span around twigs and leaves in a daring attempt to crochet a carpet for the sun to visit. The shadow felt right at home, carefree, nonchalantly frolicking from one mossy boulder to the next, wriggling through wreaths of succulent greenery, unbeknownst making its way towards a pastel green meadow peacefully laid out at an elbow of the creek, fenced with some of the wiser oaks in the vicinity.
A fragrant wildflower was what last claimed the shadow’s attention before the verdant blades stole it away. You see, shadows do pride themselves on being focused on one object of their devotion at a time, so you have to believe that particular meadow must have been a stunning representative of its kind. The grass glistened with the shiny pearls the morning dew had generously bestowed at dawn. Darkness had hardly a claim to this place at present. The sun, however being the courteous host that it usually is, beckoned the shadow to join the sprightly sunbeams in their jovial dance. And, oh did it do as bid! The iridescent dewdrops merged into what seemed like endless rainbows undulating rhythmically to the silent beat of happiness. The shadow knew it did not quite belong in the kaleidoscopic waltz of the light but could not return to the safe abode of darkness. Somewhere deep within it knew there was a price to be paid for not sticking to one’s assigned lot and experiencing what more there is out there.
In what felt like a mere second of fleeting evanescence, something put an end to the festivities on that beautiful morning. The shadow looked around dumbfounded, hectically searching for the source of disturbance. And there it was, about 5 feet of a source, lanky, dark-haired, and wide-eyed; standing at the edge of the further end of the forest, a human child. A boy if we have to be precise, not that it mattered one little bit to the shadow. All that now occupied its mind was what it was that that human was after.
To be honest, shadows had been quite content to stay as far away from human beings as possible for many years. They knew there were settlements somewhere across the creek, but could not care any less. Shadows, you see, found humans utterly uninteresting. All they did was hunt all day. What was worse, however, was that they almost always stuck together, in groups of various sizes. Shadows were never like that. They never felt the need to keep company to each other, or go places together in a pack. That was degrading in their book, animalistic and therefore obsolete. Yet, humans for whatever reason seemed to quite revel in their own midst. That particular level of self-absorption was what shadows mostly abhorred.
The boy finally blinked, and at that mustered the courage to address the dark faceless figure towering above the grass.
“You are a …shadow, aren’t you?” – A slight waver sneaked into the question which had been meant to sound confident.
“How insightful”, the shadow thought, not granting the human with an answer of any sort. Nonetheless, the fact that it had been recognized and its existence acknowledged triggered an alarm somewhere in the very core of the shadow’s essence.
“I have been told that you, shadows, hate us. Can you tell me why?” – The boy’s voice now rang clear as a bell.
“Ha, you don’t say!” – The shadow was growing increasingly displeased, but remained silent and still.
“I think if you do tell me, we can actually be friends!” – A tentative step took the boy closer to the shadow.
At this notion, the shadow could keep silent no more. “Friends!” – It exclaimed with noted disgust. “What is it about you humans and your groups?!? Why do you have to be friends with me, or whoever else for that matter? Can’t you just be you, by yourself?”
“But life would have no meaning, no value if one lived it alone, would it?” – The exchange becoming more and more passionate, the boy stared at the shadow with eyes filled with lack of understanding.
“Life has its meaning with or without friends. It is much bigger that your groups could ever get and much deeper than any of your connections. You dare say friends are essential to life’s value, yet you humans never think about anything other than yourselves. You tear down trees to clear out space for your settlements, you kill other animals, as if you were any better than them, to build your houses and feed you children, to continue your kind. All you do you do to keep being you; never seeking ways to co-exist, to sacrifice something of yours to let others thrive, as well; never seeing further than your noses; never looking back at others’ past, at what you have caused to them. You claim you want friends, families; but all you want is more of you; not a real belonging to or understanding of this world; just a world tailor-made for you and your kind. Do not ask me to be any part of that twisted idea for it is not the way I see the world.” – The shadow, which would not normally talk to anyone or anything for words are really redundant once you really connect with what’s around, was now completely out of breath and enraged.
The boy not having anticipated such an assertive response was rendered speechless. Yet, he was ostensibly sad, his eyes darkened with the obvious effort to grasp the meaning of what he had been told. Strenuous it is, trying to thoroughly understand and more so, to perceive a message you do not like.
The boy held out his hand to touch the shadow, which in having refused to be his friend had taught him more than any of his companions had ever done. The hesitant steps and passionate responses had imperceptibly taken the boy at an arm’s length of the shadow, neither of the two quite being aware of the fact. Once the boy’s hand touched the shadow, an unforeseen act for the shadow itself, an acute pang ran through both their bodies. In the next instant, they tried to step away so as to put an end to the pain, but to both their dismay, where one went, went the other.
Stuck together were they for what would turn out to be an eternity, one to remind the other that friends are indeed an essential part of life’s meaning, and friends can be of any shape, form and being; the other to remind the first that our actions have consequences and just like our shadows follow us, so do they; that each step we take, leaves an imprint on the hearts and destinies of others; that just like our shadows stretch ahead of us, what we do, determines our path ahead and fashions our future.
As the boy and its shadow took their first steps together, the rest of the shadows all found a companion to be their friend and cautionary reminder. Some shadows could not say goodbye to the oak trees and stuck to the trunks and leaves, some to the pebbles in the creek. Others found delightful hedgehogs, charming otters and adorable foxes to befriend. Yes, one even ventured to stick to a cat, although it has to be said that it was properly hissed and growled at in doing so.
Ever since then all shadows keep silent and we do not talk to them, either; for words are redundant where the connection is real.
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