My Shadow Roommate

Prologue

12/17/20??

The creature in my corner had been there since I moved in. It didn't really do anything, just stared with those weird red eyes. Sometimes it moved, most times it didn't. It was basically a shadow with eyes and only moved within the corners of the office room of my one-bedroom flat.

It caused major paranoia at first, insomnia, anxiety, the whole deal. It almost felt like a stalker. I learned to live with it, and over time it became a comforting presence. If it were gone, the room would surely feel empty.

Eventually, I started to talk to it. Complaining about the boss at work, about Keith who put five different reports on my plate due by Friday, or some person eating my lunch. Sometimes the good news, a promotion, free food, etc. It never talked back, but sometimes moved closer, maybe to listen easier from its shadows. I eventually told it my name, Lennox Royden.

One day at work, I had clocked in to find more reports from Keith, totaling about 16 of them. I worked on them all week, not going in my office room for a couple of days. A day before the reports were due, I saw it. It was in the corner of my cubicle. Staring like always.

I stared back, the first time I'd ever done it. It didn't bother me, like normal, I suppose.

But then it spoke.

"You haven't been home..." it said in a low voice. It was almost a meek sort of tone, nervous-like.

"I've got all these due in about 27 hours, so unless you've got anything in financing you can tell me about, I'm afraid I've got to ignore you for a while," I muttered back, turning in my broken spinning chair.

It moved to the corner right by my computer, its curious red eyes on the bright screen. It didn't talk again for quite a bit, just watched my quickly moving fingers as I typed up the documents in succession.

"Will you be home soon?" it eventually asked.

"No clue," I had to mumble, distracted at the moment.

Again, it became quiet. It just moved closer to me, observing the knick-knacks on my desk, as well as my phone. I scoot closer to it, most likely without even realizing it.

"So, do you have a name?" I asked.

"Tenebris."

I thought for a moment. It- Tenebris- ushered back into its corner as I didn't respond. As I watched it, a bit of sadness washed over me. "You can come back over here, I don't mind."

For the rest of my shift, Tenebris emanated a happy feeling as it shifted close to the computer. It was easier to work with it beside me. Every once in a while, it'd make a small comment, or try to make a correction on whichever document I was working on.

Finally, several hours later, all the reports were done, thanks to Tenebris keeping me company. Before heading home, I stole a coffee from our run-down machine in the office. It was better than the one at my apartment, which at the moment, was very much broken.

"Can we return to the warm space? This place is cold," Tenebris whispered in its low and gruff voice.

"You mean my house?"

"Yes. The one with the nice chair and pretty walls."

The way Tenebris explained it made me think for a moment. "Have you never been outside that room before?"

"Other than this brief meeting we've had, no. I've never ventured out of the warm room I call home."

"You have got to get out more. Why haven't you talked? I've been talking to you for months," I grumbled out, taking the steaming coffee with me as I walked to the cubicle. "How did you even get here?"

"I traveled inside your large wheel device," Tenebris explained, moving with me back to the small space.

"My car?"

It seemed to nod.

"Well, I'll be packing up if you want to come back home," I said, grabbing the bag sitting by the cheap desk of my cubicle.

Fast forward half an hour later, and I was giving Tenebris a tour of my tiny apartment, oddly fascinated by the shadow creature. It ended with my bedroom, the darkest room in the place.

"You can stay here if you want to. It's pretty dark and shadowy if that's what you like."

"Thank you. It was good to see my home for the first time," Tenebris said, its low voice resonating with me for the hundredth time that day.

It looked back at me, and I could just barely see a shadow of a smile within my mass of a roommate.