on this side of the night, things were safe. wrapped snugly around by the sweet smell of an old blanket the color and texture of milky oatmeal, and surrounded by his twin avian companions, owlie and duckie, the boy felt a measure of belonging. it was the kind of feeling he imagined someone or something cherished by the world must feel, held within a gentle embrace. it was a good feeling, if inauthentic and fleeting.

shadows already cast themselves haphazardly across his room. he was somewhat ambivalent to them. on the one hand, he was still young, and lacked the cognitive machinations to convince himself that nothing monstrous hid within their black edges. on the other hand, he knew how liberating it was to dwell in darkness; after all, the shadows never ridiculed or rejected him.