Seventeen-year-old Ben had always felt like an outsider in his small, dreary town. The only thing that gave him solace was wandering the dense woods behind his house. His favorite spot was the old hollow tree—a towering, gnarled oak with a blackened hollow rumored to be cursed. The stories said it stole pieces of anyone who got too close.
One evening, after a fight with his parents, Ben stormed into the woods, anger fueling his steps. As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting long, eerie shadows, he found himself standing in front of the hollow tree. The opening seemed deeper than usual, almost pulsing like a living thing.
A low whisper floated through the air. "Ben... I've been waiting."
He froze, his pulse quickening. "Who's there?"
The whisper turned into a chuckle. "Don't you recognize me? It's your shadow."
Ben glanced down, but his shadow didn't match his stance—it stood upright, mimicking his movements with a delay, as if it were alive.
"I'm tired of being stuck to you," it said, the voice low and menacing. "You don't appreciate your life. Let me live it instead."
"Very funny," Ben scoffed, trying to ignore the chill creeping up his spine.
But before he could step away, the shadow lunged forward, grabbing his ankles. It was cold and sticky, like tar, and Ben's body began to feel heavy, his vision darkening.
When he woke up, the world felt... wrong. The trees were darker, the air colder. He turned to look at the hollow tree and saw something horrifying—himself. His real body stood there, smiling, but the eyes were empty and glowing faintly red.
"You're free now, just like you wanted," his voice said, though it wasn't really his anymore. The shadow had taken over.
Ben tried to step forward, but he couldn't move. He looked down and realized with a sinking horror that he no longer cast a shadow. He was in the shadow, his world now the cold, suffocating void the real shadow had endured for so long.
The new Ben turned and walked away, leaving the hollow tree and the real Ben behind, trapped in the darkness. From time to time, Ben's screams would echo faintly through the woods, but no one ever dared get close enough to hear them clearly.