The Shadow Dancer

The Shadow Dancer

 A wounded victim is standing at the threshold of a full life,
Seeking the courage to cross over.
Hiding from the truth.
Hiding from the dark. 
Hiding from the shadow world.
He consults the Wizard of Elder Green.

 "Open yourself to the magnificence", the Wizard instructs.
"Free yourself for the possibilities.
Stand aside from the fear of being seen.
You're not the only one who has been hurt."

 "I can't. I don't believe I'm hiding." the supplicant replies,
"There's nothing hiding within me. There's nothing to see."

The wizard carefully lights the fire and seats himself.
Looking intently at the man, he nods.

 "Who have you hurt the most?" he asks.

Silence settles on the room.

The broken man shivers despite the warmth.
There's agony revealed in his bearing.

 "But, I've hurt no one", he cries out.

 "Ah. Then why are you here, Phobos?"
 
 "They have hurt me. They wanted too much. Too much time. Too much love. Too many answers. I need to be alone. No one can be trusted not to hurt me."

 "I suppose you're simply defending yourself when you pull away from someone who wants to love you?"

 "That's it, claims Phobos, "Yes, that's necessary. To save myself."

 "To save yourself from being hurt?"

 "Yes."

"Are you lonely?"

Phobos recoils,
 "Never! I'm never lonely. I need no one. I'm satisfied by myself."

 "Again, I ask, why are you here?"

Phobos sighs.
 "I've hurt someone. I didn't mean to. It just happened."

 "When did it happen, Phobos?"

 "Everything was fine until..."

 Silence drops like a bomb.

The Wizard pours tea into two mugs and waits patiently.

 "She wanted love from me. I don't have any love, I told her. She insisted that I already love her. That I show it daily. I disagreed. Now, she's dead. I think it's my fault."

 "Phobos, most people have love within them. What happened to your source of love? Can you recall?"

 "Nothing unusual, really. My mother was the Goddess of Love and my father, the God of War. My brother, Deimos, well...he's just terrifying. We're a normal family."

 The Wizard sighs deeply and extends his hand. 

"The session is over for today. See you next week. Give some thought to what's hiding in your Shadow."


©Ellen Pepper 2026