The Shadows in Her Mind

By: Victoria m

The town of Black Hollow was shrouded in an eternal twilight, its skies perpetually tinged with hues of gray and gold. In a crumbling house at the edge of the forest, a girl named Victoria lived in isolation. The whispers of her neighbors spoke of her madness, though none dared approach to confirm their suspicions.

Victoria's days were bleak, but her nights were unbearable. Every evening, as the sun dipped below the horizon, she felt the weight of shadows crawling across her room. They moved unnaturally, their edges writhing as if alive, consuming the pale light of her lone candle.

In her dreams, the shadows would become monsters, their gnarled fingers reaching for her, their voices murmuring incomprehensible horrors. They clawed at her mind, reminding her of things she wanted to forget. Death. Loss. Betrayal. Every nightmare ended the same way: with Victoria on her knees, begging for the darkness to consume her entirely.

"Why won't you stop?" she whispered one night, her voice trembling. She had learned long ago that the shadows were sentient. They seemed to understand her pleas, even mock her desperation.

But the shadows didn’t stop. They grew stronger with each passing night. Victoria’s once-lucid moments in the daylight began to fade. Even when the sun was high, she saw them lurking in the corners of her vision. They followed her, their silence oppressive.

Her only escape was the forest—a place the shadows dared not tread. Victoria often wandered its paths, the towering trees shielding her from their prying eyes. But the solace was fleeting, for she could not stay in the woods forever.

One night, when the nightmares were at their peak, Victoria snapped awake, her throat raw from screaming. The shadows pooled around her bed, thick and suffocating. She felt their cold tendrils brushing her skin, and she knew this night would be different.

"Take me," she whispered. Her voice was steady, the resignation in it chilling. "End this. Please."

The shadows hesitated, as if pondering her request. Then, they surged forward, enveloping her completely.

For a moment, Victoria felt peace. The weight of the world, of her mind, lifted. The chaos quieted, and all she could hear was her own heartbeat.

But as the darkness closed in, she realized that this was not the end. The shadows weren’t granting her release—they were dragging her deeper into their realm. Victoria screamed, her voice echoing into infinity, but no one could hear her. Not in the endless void.

The next morning, the villagers found her house empty. The bed was cold, the room eerily silent. They whispered among themselves, spinning tales of how the shadows had claimed her, finally pulling her into the darkness.

And in the forest, where the sunlight dappled the ground, a lone shadow lingered, watching, waiting—for anot

her soul to beg for the end.