Shadows

She hid herself in a narrow, secluded alley, and prayed that the great black dog wouldn't find her. She breathed in shallow gulps of air, trying her best to not create any disturbance. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the shadow of the dog lurk past her hiding place and then eventually disappear around the intersection.

The dog hadn't always been a nuisance; he would skirt around her ankles as a puppy and she had kept him at bay with distractions. In the 12 years that had passed, the scraps of thoughts had nurtured the puppy into a monstrous black mass. Eventually, he grew too strong to be kept away. Since then, he'd been her constant companion. Every moment was shadowed by his presence and to make matters worse, the dog had learnt to speak. He spoke to her of infidelity and treachery, of loneliness and failure, of evil and hatred. His constant murmurs kept her head in a whirl and it became her voice too.

The dog became her best friend. He did care for her after all, warning her of people who could hurt her and keeping her well away from them. He gave her advice - telling her to stay safe; failure would be too much for her to handle. It made hers a life of material satisfaction, for who needs friends when they can swipe a card and purchase better sources of joy? She lived on the edge for highs and lows in life were only to be dictated by intoxication and sobriety. It engaged her in conversations about the profound topics about life. Together they contemplated death and the life after, the vast darkness that is the future and the tragedies that defined the lives of people. Positivity was dismissed as God's carrot-and-stick policy - only fools chase after hope.

Her level of discomfort surfaced when the dog started controlling the things she loved doing. She watched her camera gather dust on her study table. Her books had long lost their covers from the fits of rage. Her sketchbook lay half-shredded in the bin along with broken pencils. A look across her room showed her the remains of her life, but even then the dog obstructed her view. Her life had become all about tending to its needs.

Before she could breathe a sigh of relief, she felt the shadow gather over her again. The black dog wasn't ready to leave her alone yet. It placed its paw on her shoulder and told her it was time to go home.

ILLUSTRATION: ZOHEB MASHIUR