Thank you all for you precious votes and comments.

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Well for anyone-including me- to get head or tail of this situation, we are going to have to visit a few places in the deep recess of my mind. The places from where my journey began. My 'humble beginnings' as one may call them.

It is a location which brings dread, boredom and lethargy,when you have to go, and nostalgia when you can't anymore. The years you spend at this venue are deemed 'the best years of one's life' for both shadows as well as humans.

For those who guessed it right, yes, I am talking about a phrontistery or what one would call in today's world, a school or institution.Forgive me for my archaic or bygone language, for I'm still trying to adapt to the 'modern' language. It really is difficult to keep track. A new word added to the dictionary everyday. And a new word coined every minute by the speaker,whom nobody but him understands. But us gullible shadows, thinking that the person knows the language, pick up the word and continue using the word. Only after a very few embarrassing encounters did I learn not to put into practice everything one learns.

Usually what happens is that in a conversation between two people the person who is even slightly elder considers himself superior. And that the other younger person trying to prove himself superior doesn't at all even question. What more, when he doesn't understand something, he simply nods his head even more vigorously to avoid suffering  embarrassment.

So this is exactly from where the confusion begins. Strange creatures humans are. But anyway I'm digressing, way too much.

In the shadow world I was considered as a...privileged child, better off than the rest. I was a part of the minor group of shadows  that were 'born' rather than 'created'. Shadows are created every day, everywhere and someone obviously needs to care for them. So as soon as a shadow is created another elder and experienced shadow is appointed to care and nurture for it,because everyone needs love. No one can grow up without it. The shadows too willingly take charge of a young one as all of us return the same love that we have received. Mostly the shadows in retirement take up young shadows under their wing or the young ones are sent to uninhabited places, where other shadows teach them ways of our life and raise them. Very few shadows actually have two parents in every sense of the word. Therefore I was very lucky as I had both my parent around me to tend my every need.

Our world follows a similar system like that of the humans.We too have a minimum working age as well as a fixed retirement age. The first two centuries of life are spent as carefree and gleeful shadows eager to discover the world. After that we are trained in many different aspects,however that is a topic to which we will return back  later on. For 5 centuries we are schooled. And finally for the next 7 centuries we toil, day in and day out.

After shadows retire, they are free to live in whichever shadow establishment they like. Shadow establishments are basically places where shadows are free to live however  they please. Mostly they're the places that are uninhabited by humans. There, we shadows live freely and peacefully without the fear of being spotted or causing mayhem. Trust me you'll be shocked to know, just how many uninhabited places there are on this Earth.

My parents were both retired shadows. They were wise and unprejudiced unlike the others of our kind. My mother and father had met in the third century of their jobs. It seemed like lady luck decided to pay them a visit as they got to be together for one whole century! Their masters were common folk in a small town. And during those days, everyone met each other at least once in  a day and chatted for a good ole' half an hour. This gave my parents ample time to meet everyday.

Those were the carefree days, even for mankind. All of them lived a simple and leisurely life. They took joy in the most trivial things.

Alas, after a century they were separated. My mother had to leave the town as her mistress was settled elsewhere. However, that one century was enough for them to understand that they couldn't live without one another.Both of them agreed to meet 4 centuries later that is when they would retire.

True to their promise, my mum and dad, retired and settled down together in the 'Antipodes Islands' and that is from where my story begins...

The Antipodes Islands are volcanic islands nestled in the sub antarctic waters. I think they're a part of New Zealand now. It is a beautiful island to say the least. If you want proof of its beauty then let me tell u that the island itself has been declared as nature reserve by the humans and all public access is restricted so that its beauty is not diminished.Knowing that a place is restricted from humans is truly a great joy for us.

Ever since I was young I was a happy child. My mom and dad showered me with love. As a kid, my best friends and companions were the penguins and the albatross, after all they were the only other inhabitants of the island apart from the shadows.

Some shadows that were on the island took their duty in a pretty lax manner. Mainly because of two reasons. The first one being that the island was mostly in the dark, so the Sun's rays didn't manage to touch the island much. The second one being that, the shadows mostly had to trail trees, rocks and inanimate objects. A couple us were appointed to the penguins but very rarely did the need arise to follow as they were mostly in the dark. Sometimes the shadows even bunked their duties, but it was OK. Afterall there was no one here to panic when they don't see a shadow or like the humans call a team of scientist to investigate the matter.

I was always to be found with the penguins, playing and flapping around with them. I even befriended the white albatross there. A dear friend he was to me, many a things I learnt from him. He even taught me how to deal with the death of a dear one; sadly he couldn't see the result though.

However the most exciting thing that I learnt from him was how to fly. The albatross used to patiently wait in his flying stance as I tried to mimic him, so that I could fly.

I was often teased by the other shadows of my age when they saw my antics. But it never bothered me, because I knew that I had my parent's support and that's all that mattered. Moreover when I mastered it I would be in a position to go and show them that I am better.

And to this day I can say that I was glad that I didn't give up. I'm happy that the other kids jabs a didn't hurt me but rather motivated me because today when the need arises I can fly. I don't need to cling on to other bird's, acting as their shadow to be able to feel the breeze  blowing in your face or the high you get when soaring at such daunting heights.

However such thought remained a fantasy itself. When my parents learnt that I could fly they made me promise that I would never do so. Moreover I was even forbidden  from telling anyone. And to this day, I remember the exact situation when I had shown them that I could fly, as if it were yesterday...

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