Shadow

Shadow — page 7 — No we’ve got it covered Mrs Colander Vi says in the sweet voice she always uses with authority figures All right well I’ll leave you to it Mrs Colander says She finishes with the computer Then her chair scrapes against the floor as she stands up Thanks again for letting us help out Vi says Not a problem I can hear the smile in Mrs Colander’s voice Thank your parents again for letting us use the theater It’s a great venue for our film festival I will Need me to see you out No I’m good Good night you two Have fun screening the films Definitely I say waving a hand in the air even though Mrs Colander’s already walking down the stairs Her footsteps fade as she reaches the first floor and then trails through the lobby Suddenly it’s just Vi and me 6 Mere Joyce

Shadow — page 8 — Tonight we’re going to watch all the films that will be played on Friday We need to make sure there are no sound issues or problems with the files As far as I’m concerned it’s the perfect way to spend a Wednesday night I love watching movies It doesn’t matter if I can’t really see them I don’t have to There’s a lot to a movie besides the actual picture There’s music There’s dialogue There’s witty humor tense sound effects and well-placed shrieks Besides I’m not totally blind I mean I guess technically I am But I can still detect light I know when there’s an absence of light too And I can make out shadows So I know when movies are shot in the day or the night I can even tell if a scene’s been shot on a busy road with headlights shining off traveling cars I watch movies in my own way I love watching movies in my own way 7 Shadow

Shadow — page 9 — And I love watching movies with Vi Should we go down and start screening she asks She’s closer than I realized Her shampoo smells like candy apples I breathe it in I nod Yeah let’s get started Vi helps me back down the steps to the main theater I sit in the back row while she returns to the booth to dim the lights and start the videos Mrs Colander uploaded onto one of the school’s laptops There are five films in the festival this year Each film runs around fifteen minutes Which means for the next hour and fifteen minutes I get to sit in a dark theater next to Vi It’s not like Vi’s my girlfriend or anything But on a night like this I think maybe she could be If the movie’s music is just right If the dialogue is swoony and romantic If a jump scare catches her off guard and sends her curling into my side for comfort 8 Mere Joyce

Shadow — page 10 — The cinema can do it all It can turn ordinary friends into something much more And right now me and Vi have an entire cinema to ourselves A door in the lobby rattles I jump glad I’m not holding a bag of popcorn Hey somebody let me in I almost groan out loud I forgot about Nico So much for the perfect night 9 Shadow

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