Author's Note

I didn’t approach this project with any preconceived intention; it came together of its own will while I only wanted something to play with.

You could say I’m addicted to the study of story and prose, and so, when I sat down and wrote the first few paragraphs, over and over, pushing myself to achieve different levels of narrative distance, well . . . something came from nothing.

It’s not always clear what motivates a story, especially when it comes about without a plan. This story seems to have a theme centered around change: change is scary, change is hard, change comes with a lot of uncertainties that often disrupts life.

It’s April 2020, and the world is fighting against a new pandemic. We all are experiencing change.

I suppose I had a subconscious need to illustrate that despite all the unknowns that we’re dealing with, all the shadows in the darkness, that the world isn’t without kindness, generosity, and encouragement.

Everyone is in a different place, dealing with different challenges. Some of us have lost loved ones, some of us have lost jobs, some of us have lost their ambitions and passions.

I believe that despite these terrible challenges, we can weather this storm and find the good things in life: the exciting, fun, happy, fulfilling things. We just need to hold persevere and help others to do the same.

Thank you for reading A Shadow in the Darkness. I hope the story was enjoyable, even if it was a bit crazy and shares several things in common with my other short story, The Pink Knight & Daughter Princess.

I think that’s what happens when you let the pen do the work: you get strange mutations of past stories. But despite their similarities, I enjoyed their differences and look forward to sharing more stories with you in the coming months.