A voice via a microphone: On this very special First Quarter Moon in Scorpio, I present to you: The Shadow. Drum roll please.
As the curtain opens, a child steps out on the stage. Five seconds before, you hear a man stage left reassuring her, “You’ll be great! Just go out, and do what you were made for!” He smiles gleefully.
Hi! I’m Deanna! she exclaims, touching her throat. When I turn 7 years old, my daddy’s gonna hold me up by the neck after I forget to wash the dishes. He’ll reinforce that forgettin things makes me wholly unlovable, and worth hurtin, and I’ll carry that there belief with me the rest of my life!
The man with the headset stage left gestures with his fingers to the corners of his mouth, nodding for her to smile real big, and she does, exiting stage right.
Amarie, a shy little boy, comes out next but hides his face quickly, running back to stage left. The man with the headset nervously turns him around, “Oh no, now don’t disappoint us Amarie, you’ll be great! Just channel what we talked about, fulfill your destin-” and as he finishes the word destiny, he pushes the little boy out onto the stage.
Amarie awkwardly trips over his own feet, but half smiling, he begins. Hi, he says quietly, motioning to the audience with his left hand. From ages 9 to 12, I’ll make more messes than I can count-I’ll spill my drink, lose my swim goggles. I’ll pee on the floor by accident! The crowd roars with laughter, and little Amarie perks up. And my Aunt who adopted me, with her ugly words, will drain all my confidence, and the rest of me’ll go with it! He then began to hold his belly, and laugh loudly.
Both the man with the headset and Amarie give each other a thumbs up, as Amarie exits stage right.
Everyone claps loudly and the children receive a standing ovation.
The man then takes off the headset, throws on a black cloak and steps out from stage left. What violence struck them you say? What, tragedy, befell them you inquire?! Why, these children were split in two! Can’t you see it? Can’t you feel it? Don’t shy away from it now! That’s what it’s there for, in your psychic house! And mine! It’s subtle, it’s direct, it’s the shaaaa-dow and the more violent it was at the splitting, you see, he points his finger at the audience, the more violent the child will be to themselves or others. Out there, somewhere, these children split themselves off and are floating, until they snatch it back! The man stomps his left foot, You gotta snatch it back!
The man in the cloak holds up a sign as the curtain closes. “To honor and accept one’s own shadow is a profound spiritual discipline. It is whole-making and thus holy and the most important experience of a lifetime.” Now tell me this ain’t better than your bible!
Under the dark Leo moon, and by the light of Scorpio, I thank you for being here with me today.
Jennifer Diane is a witch scholar, writer and model based out of New Jersey. She’s authored Folk Horror, Rural Horror, Devil’s Manifesto, Emotional Horrorshow, and Salvation. Book a one on one session, shop her books and zines, or find her on Instagram.
Please note, I pen free and paid content for this publication, Darkness Thriving, as well as monthly fictional stories for the Dark Lord Show Me the Way section. You can control what you receive via email by going here.