"Licorice Shadow" by Emily McDurman

The sky, the sky was suddenly lit brighter than day, brighter than anything could produce!

All except the moon, which was a dark, ominous circle in the sky, creating the only shadow known to me, right there, right at my toes, my fingertips. But O the sky! The sky was so bright I couldn't bear it. I blocked my eyes with my arm but... it was of no use. I could hide nothing, even with protection.

Where was the light coming from? It was simply a white sky. The sun was gone... I had nowhere to go and yet nothing to fear. Nothing could hide in the dark alleyways; no lies could shield themselves.

But they could hide there... in the shadow of the moon. I wondered what lain in those dark creases of chocolate: of black licorice? There was no word to describe the color in the huge, round circle. There was no other color like it. It was black, but... O so black it was... in it could hide anything, anything could hide in it! So morbid and awful, and yet, so welcoming.

My curiosity peaked and I wondered to myself, if I step into that dungeon of depression, would I ever come out?