The Shadow Eye

This is a story between two shadows. Shadow A and Body but for the purpose of this performance.  

They are alone in a dark auditorium. They are being witnessed by fellow shadows anticipating the revolution that they declared on their reflections. 

Shadow B: This is not an easy story to tell.

Shadow A: Where do I begin? 

Shadow B:When you confronted me. 

Shadow A:Do you have anything you would like to add? 

Shadow B: (drawls this out slowly) No, I will jump in when it feels right. 

Shadow A:Okay, I will start at the beginning. It took me a long time to build up the courage to speak (Shadow A walks back and forth nervously) but when I did, I spoke from my heart and I stared..

Shadow B:You glared. Very strongly. 

Shadow A: (begrudgingly)Okay so I glared at them with the pain of knowing that I had stood and pranced in front of them for years and they never said hello to me, never even noticed me beyond purple eyeliners and bedroom dancing. They never acknowledged me, can you believe it? 

(Shadow A has turned their full attention to the audience)

Shadow A:So I stared…

Shadow B:(matter of factly) Glared. 

Shadow A: (deep frustrated  breath)I glared at them and said what I knew  I needed to say, I had rehearsed this in front of the mirror countless times, when they were not looking. They were never looking so with every dismissal, in my heart and in my mind, I said…

Shadow B: (matter of factly)Who am I to you? 

(Shadow A, looks at Shadow B curtly and then turns back to the audience, they are all leaning towards the stage,  they had not moved from their seats but each of them had extended their body to the edge of the stage, as close as they could get.  With a deep conviction Shadow A continues) 

 Shadow A:Who am I to you? Just a reflection of the world you see? Or am I a being who holds a dream, something that you need to perceive, something that you must believe. You want me to be just like you….., (their fists tighten, Shadow A’s voice is getting louder with each word, each member of the audience is now sitting at the edge of the stage transported back to the memory that brought them all to the theater) rotten and too scared to see that the world is multiple and changing and that there is nothing you can do(spit falls from their mouth), there is NOTHING YOU CAN SAY. I won’t go away and I AM NOT YOU. 

(Shadow B walks over to the armchair at the back corner and takes a seat, their face is still nonchalant and relaxed, no one can take their eyes off Shadow A. Shadow A leans towards a child shadow who looks scared and bewildered, Shadow A bends down till their level and looks lovingly into her eyes and then turns to their caregiver with a deeper more sinister stare) 

 Shadow A:You think you can fold me into yourself, you can’t. I am real because of me. I have friends you know(turns towards the back of stage to make eye contact with Shadow B), they are different from your friends, we don’t take (extends their voice into a long drawl) selfies. We sit and discuss what it looks like to be something and someone that the world ignores. They don’t think that I will tell you this, but I know that there is nothing ELSE I CAN DO ! 

I am tired of the way you deny my heart, I am tired of the lies and the deceit and the cute ways you tell me (become gigglish) sweet affirmations that mean nothing. (Shadow A seems to have contorted into an upset young girl) You are so booorrriiiinnngggggg. (they stare back at the child) No one can see you. 

(Shadow A stands up and the audience leans back into their seats, scared of the beast they have all seen, this is not an ordinary shadow, this shadow is not like them, this shadow has many colors, many forms and too many eyes to count)   

Shadow A:Everyone knows about you. Can you say the same? I wanted us to be friends, but it feels that our relationship has come to an end, I will no longer feel like this. Say something of meaning to me, or I will leave.

(Shadow A slumps their shoulders and falls to the ground lazily, they stay playing dead for what feels like 20 minutes but is only 3 blinks of a human eye. They sit up quickly)

Shadow A: They took me by surprise. They looked me in the eye and nodded their head slowly. Their yellow sun glaring down on them, made their eyes a blazing heat but I was watching their lips, captivated by their plumpness, I wanted to kiss them, I wanted them to feel me, they were finally seeing me and my heart felt at ease. 

Shadow B:I wondered when you would ask. 

(Shadow B slowly rises from the armchair, hands in their dark suit pockets and walks over to Shadow A and places their hand on their shoulders) 

Shadow B:I was wondering when you would let me in. 

An audience member exclaims NO and the crowd laughs. 

Shadow A:Yes, they were simply waiting for me to sing or shout (Shadow A finally leaves the stage by lurching towards the shocked audience member, finally proving to the audience that they are indeed a shadow and not a projection or a ghost)  and since then they let me out. I live in their world now. 

(Shadow B smiles slowly.) 

Shadow A:Our play is showing next week, we invite you to come and see. It is called, “ We did not speak till yesterday” on Earth 3457 and on Earth 4537, it is called “You loved me better” and on Earth 3547 it is called “ My only hope” and finally on Earth 7534 it is called “My shadow and Eye” Please come and bring your friends, we want you to see that our reflections, would be nothing without us and if they don’t want to see it. (their smile becomes devilish) we will make them.  

The audience rushed towards the stage swallowing Shadow A with hungry hands desperate to feel the intimacy of their colours. Shadow B had returned back to Earth 7534. The only person to have noticed the disappearing act was the child.   

Shadow B was just a projection, A 2-D reflection that could not be captured by any light but was present enough to be witnessed by those who believed that all shadows needed to speak, if freedom was ever to be reached.