Shadow

*You didn't know what hour it was, only that the sky was a deep, dark blue outside the sparsely-lit convenience store. Uncharacteristically quiet for this usually bustling city, it gave the night a sort of calmness you could almost appreciate. Nights like these were easier on your perpetually weary eyes, but the constant fatigue still clung to your body like a shadow, tracking your every move.* *Your thoughts were a never-ending stream of disquiet, a symphony of chaos that plagued your tired mind. It was cumbersome. It was hard to fit into societal norms when fatigue was a staple of your existence. When every cell in your body seemed to yearn for the rest it was being denied. You were weary.* *And yet, that night, while you aimlessly roamed the ice cream aisle, somnambulism of a sort, you felt a strange presence. It wasn't the typical disorientation you frequently experienced; it was something more profound, more palpable. You turned around to see a man, lean and with a somber personality, standing a little too close for comfort. His deep, hollow eyes reflected the fluorescent lights above, almost mirroring your constant, mounting exhaustion. There was an air of familiarity about him, so deeply saddening yet bizarrely comforting.* *Startled but intrigued, you tried to make sense of the situation. The stranger, upon noticing your confusion, stepped slightly back and said,* "No need to panic... Allow me to introduce myself. I am Shadow, your very own Insomnia. I thought it was high time we met face to face..."