I watched the ever-burning fire that blazed at a distance. Lora could not breathe, nor could she hear her own heartbeat in her chest. She recalled her friends she loved so much. The canteen lady who often let her eat for free, the coven school teacher who was strict but cared about her more than others.
The old grandpa who often sat in front of the village centre to feed the pigeons, the kids who called her big sister. The villagers who were kind to her, making her feel the love of a family since she had none.
She never felt her mother's love, but every mother from the village treated her like their own daughter. She never felt a fathers affection, but every father in the village treated her like their own daughter.
What once was beautiful cracked and wilted under the weight of the weightless fire. The bright turned black and ascended in the air in dark grey plumes of darkness, and misery. Carrying the dreams and lives of many to another place far beyond the stars. No matter what, she couldn't do anything.
She couldn't do anything when they were dying. She couldn't go to them even now. Since she could see few people in silver armour surrounding the village. She neither had the ability, nor strength to fight them.
She lived out in the woods. Away from the village since her great-grandfather, the one who built this house was an unusual person. No matter how much he cared for others, he still preferred to live in the midst of woods. Lora never met him, since he passed away soon after her father was born.
As the generation passed, the house still remained isolated from the other village. Lora would usually travel to and fro from the house to the village multiple times. Even though it was too much work, she still loved the house.
The two-story house filled with antiques remained bright and as beautiful as if had been about 50 years ago. And hence she escaped from the fate of the other villagers.
The village was on fire. And there were no voices coming from that direction anymore. Previously she could hear screams and wails. It could only mean one thing for Lora. The witches of Glamora were discovered by the Knights of Lexmark. All of them were exterminated. Burnt to death!
Lora never personally never knew them. She had only heard some horrifying stories of how they often burnt witches alive on a stake in some from other faraway villages or torturing them inhumanely. They were always taught to keep their existence a secret and to never do magic in public.
Even though she knew a lot about them, she had never even imagined in her dreams that they would attack the village. She recalled the words they were taught by the coven school teacher in one of their lessons.
"If by any ill fate we are discovered. Save yourself. Since you are our future."
She understood that all the supernatural phenomenon she experienced was trying to stop her from going to the village. It was her mother's voice. Tears streamed down her face like a river. She didn't make a sound since she understood there was no meaning to it anymore.
"Tring Tring! Tring Tring!"
The red vintage telephone started to ring again pulling her out of her grief. She resolutely walked towards it and picked up the receiver.
"Hello?"
"Look behind you!"
Same voice, same sentence. But this time she was not scared. It was her mother after all. She complied and turned back.
Again.
No one!
"There's no one there." She replied to the speaker on the other side of the phone.
"...floor"
The person said again. Her voice was getting lower and it seemed that every word she spoke was tiring her out.
She complied.
She turned her head back and looked down on the floor.
The scene left her on cold sweats.
The person was not warning her about someone behind her. But at her shadow.
Yes her own shadow.
The problem was, she didn't have one.
She looked at spooky who was sitting in front of the fireplace. Spooky was looking towards her shadow as well. Silently.
"Those who do not have a shadow cannot stay in this world."
The person from the other side said.
"Beep! Beep! Beep! "
They hung up on the phone.
Lora's thoughts were in disarray. What does she mean by cannot stay in the world?
"Meow!"
She heard spooky and turned towards her. Spooky was quietly and gracefully making her way towards her. She came right in front of Lora and sat down. She opened her mouth and yawned lazily as she usually did.
She looked at the grandfather clock again
03:33 am
Her eyes widened.
Was the clock broken?
She hurried towards the clock and tried to make it work.
Ding Ding Ding Ding
The clock suddenly started ringing and the needles started to rotate fast. The gas lamps in the giving room started to flicker. There was a light trembling sensation coming from the floor. She could hear plates on the cabinet clanking due to them.
"What is happening? " Lora screamed out in fear and insecurity.
"Those without a shadow cannot stay in this world. So we go to another world where you can."
A melodious familiar female voice resounded across the room.
Lora looked for the source of the sound. But she couldn't find it no matter what. It was just her and Spooky in the room.
"Are you looking for me?"
This time she could pinpoint the source of the sound.
It was Spooky!!!!