It was so silent that I thought it might

It was so silent that I thought it might have been me for a moment, but a second grunt woke my senses and I cranked the knob on the door, rolling down the window.

Then the shadow of a head popped up in the backseat. It grunted. Fear jammed my nerves so that no communication was possible. The figure leaned forward and I could see it had one e

nema bottle in it's left hand. This was going to be a better drive than I thought! I suggested to the shadow that we get something at the Taco Bell drive through before picking up

a case of Natty Boh at the 7-11. The cool thing was I didn't even pay for the beer and cigs 'cause the shadow snagged 'em while I distracted the clerk.

My buddy the Shadow had fallen on hard times, from being a force that clouds the minds of criminals to become a petty shoplifter. I handed a cool one off the 6-pack. "Shadow,

lips. He was obviously not impressed by the spoils of tonights raid. Maybe a life of crime wasn't for me. Perhaps it was time to get back in to ballet, I was told that my version

sucked horribly, but would improve with time and practice. Why, my old instructor had said, in a few years, you just may be mediocre. I shook my head, deciding to remain a crook.

Fine, he said to me then. He launched into a spinning bird kick, awkwardly exposing his lower torso, and irrevocably burning the image into my mind's eye forever as I blacked out.

for eternity...