No Plan Walk/SMASh

Shadow Goes Shopping :)

I walked out tonight.No reason.Just needed air that was not inside four walls.

The street was quiet.The road was empty except for the white fence on one side and the trees that looked black in the night.The light from a pole hit me from behind and threw my shadow forward on the ground.That is what this photo is.Just me,my shadow and a lot of empty road.

A shadow is simple.It is you when the light is behind you.It copies everything.The way you stand.The way you hold your phone up to take the picture.It gets long when the light is low.It gets short when the sun is high.At night under a street light it gets big and dark and follows you like it has nowhere else to go.Mine was right there on the asphalt,head tilted,hand up.It looked more sure of itself than I felt.

I did not plan to go far.But feet keep walking when your brain is tired.So I kept going.Past the fence.Past the quiet houses.Toward the lights in the distance.

I ended up at Centaurus.

I went for shopping.Nothing big.Just walking through the mall to see things and to be around people and noise after so much quiet.The glass doors opened and cold air hit me.Music was playing.The floor was shiny.People were carrying bags,eating,laughing,taking photos by the fountains.It was a different kind of night.

I did not buy much.Walked through a few stores.Looked at clothes I did not need. Looked at shoes.Sat for ten minutes just watching the crowd go by.Sometimes that is the whole point of shopping.Not to buy.Just to move.To see new things.To remind yourself that the world is bigger than your room.

By the time I left, my feet hurt a little and my bag had one small thing in it.Outside again,the night was the same.Dark road.White fence.Street lights.My shadow was still there waiting for me on the ground.It walked with me all the way back.

It is strange how a shadow makes you feel less alone.It does not talk.It does not ask questions.It just stays.Step for step.Even when you are walking with no plan,to a mall,for no real reason,it comes along.

Some nights are for sleep.Some nights are for noise.Tonight was for a walk,a shadow and a random trip to Centaurus.That is enough.

This is my entry for contest. Here are the rules