a pixelbay image of a boy alone in an abandoned city during a solar eclipse

Trina: ‘In the Land of Tall Thin Shadows’

Flash fiction, Humor, Photography and Art

Trina liked empty cities the best and this is her best memory of New York.

She looked up, the Sun rose, partially eclipsed by a big black Moon.

Trina sat primly on the only bench on Queens Boulevard when she saw the shadow of a little boy skipping rope.

She quickly opened her journal and wrote, ‘In the land of tall thin shadows’

Then she pulled a piece of chalk from her skirts, dropped to her hands and knees, and drew a hopscotch court.

The shadow boy stopped skipping rope and came closer.

Trina stood. “Hello,” she curtsied.  “I’m Trina, and you?”

“I am a child of the Universe,” replied the shadow boy.

“I see.” Trina searched the ground for a small stone to use as a marker. “You have a right to be here?”

The shadow boy shook his head, “Maybe yes, maybe no.”

Trina laughed: “Did you lose your boy?”

“I think so. Have you seen him?”

“This is my world. No one comes here, not even shadows.”

“I don’t have a right to be here?”

“Strictly speaking, no.”

Trina found a stone and tossed it onto the court.

“What happens when you vanish?” she asked.

“I don’t exist.” The shadow boy replied.

Trina was appalled. “You stop thinking?”

“I think so.”

“How awful!”

“But I always come back when the little boy goes out to play!”

“Always?”

“Yes.”

Trina reached up and hid the Sun behind her big black moon.

Queens Boulevard went black and the shadow boy was gone.

Trina was sad.

She reached into her skirts and found a torch, then she opened her journal and wrote, ‘They sleep without dreams’

An Illustration of the Shadow Boy at play in a Bird Cage in Virtual Reality
The Shadow Boy

‘In the Land of Tall Thin Shadows’ (c) Rob Goldstein, March 2019

‘Shadow Boy’ (C) Rob Goldstein March 2019

Header Image from pixabay

I wrote this for the March Speculative Fiction prompt on Myths of the Mirror. You can join here: https://mythsofthemirror.com/2019/03/01/march-speculative-fiction-prompt/

 

70 thoughts on “Trina: ‘In the Land of Tall Thin Shadows’”

  1. Rob, I’m so sorry I completed missed this. That was a difficult week.
    I love the story. Your creation of the shadow boy is brilliant. I enjoyed Trina’s interaction with him and the unique world you built for the story.
    Sorry to be late, but glad to have found it now. Hugs on the wing.

    Reply

      1. I was home by then, but I was still getting over the extreme sleep deprivation I gave myself… and getting used to the much higher altitude. Actually, I think my body is still acclimating — that maybe that’s partly to blame for the difficulty getting over this allergic reaction… Anyhow, I wasn’t able to keep up with anything for a few weeks there, with all the moving related stuff.

  2. Pingback: #writeprompt: Trina and The Android at Saks – Art by Rob Goldstein
  3. Pingback: March Speculative Fiction Round-Up | Myths of the Mirror

      1. Because she’s detached. She reminds me of little kids who like to pull wings off of bugs, not to be cruel, but being cruel in their curiosity.

      2. Nope. Just anthologizes, really obscure anthologies. 🙂 I stopped writing in the 1990’s to focus on a career in IT, in 2000 I returned to the field of mental health. I resumed writing in 2012. I’m currently
        taking tutorials on designing and publishing a book.

  18. A most interesting idea, Rob. I love the idea of the shadow boy and his disappearing when the sun doesn’t shine. Where do the shadows go? You could write a book about what happens to them.

    Reply

  20. Oh, Robert, you entranced me again. What a beautiful piece of writing. Thank you so much for taking up the prompt and sharing your imagination. I love this and can’t wait to share.

    Reply

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