Leo and the Midnight Shadow Wolf: A Bedtime Adventure

The wolf on Leo’s wall had two pointy ears and ONE floppy one. Now, after the mysteries we started exploring last week, Admin, Leo wasn't the kind of kid who hid under the covers anymore. He was brave. So when he saw the wolf shadow… he just watched. It was only a shadow puppet he’d made before bed. Cardboard cutout, popsicle stick, flashlight. Simple. But now… the flashlight was OFF. And the wolf was still there. And it was… wiggling its floppy ear. Then, it did something impossible. It peeled itself right off the wall. Like a sticker. A flat, dark wolf-shape detached from the plaster and just… floated in the middle of his room for a second.

Leo held his breath. Then it pounced. It leaped from the wall to the ceiling. It bounced from his bookshelf to his dresser. A silent, flat, inky-black wolf, zipping around like a hummingbird. Was it spooky? Oh, a little! A shadow with a mind of its own SHOULD be spooky. But Leo… Leo just propped himself up on his elbows. He wasn't scared. He was fascinated. This was an adventure. So he decided to play along. He put his hands up in the beam of moonlight slanting through his window. He crossed his thumbs, wiggled his fingers, just so. And on the wall opposite the wolf… a rabbit appeared.

A shadow rabbit with long, twitching ears. The wolf shadow froze. It turned its head. And then… it wagged its tail! And the chase was ON. The rabbit darted away, and the wolf bounded after it. They raced over his posters, under his window, and right across the ceiling. It was the quietest, wildest game of tag EVER. The wolf was so fast, but Leo’s rabbit was clever, hiding behind a shadow cast by a lampshade. Then, the wolf did something Leo didn't expect at all. It zipped right over to his bed, hovered for a moment, and its little shadow tail gently booped the end of Leo’s nose.

Leo let out a surprised giggle. The shadow couldn't actually touch him, of course, but he felt a little puff of air. The wolf shadow wiggled its floppy ear, then danced back to the wall, right where it started. It settled down, becoming perfectly still again. Just a shape in the dark. Leo lay back on his pillow, a huge smile on his face. He wasn't afraid of the shadows in his room. How could he be? The shadows were where his new friend came out to play. He closed his eyes, and knew that even when the room was quiet and still, he wasn't really alone. Some shadows aren't for hiding from.

Some are just waiting for you to turn the lights out so they can start the game.