Mollie Kemp ’23, The Black Market of Shadows

The Black Market of Shadows —Mollie Kemp ‘23

At least once you must’ve been proposed the “impossible trade,” one I could” or the tall woman offers up a few inches. You get the jist, a general rushing tide of Reality. But let’s dive deeper and maybe you could lend me your big feet so I could propel beneath the forbidden waves, no matter the price, however steep. Pushing against the weight of the tide with my newly gained biceps, Reality soon realized it was no match for the strength of the supernatural. And so the Black Market of physiques began, an economy so unique even the Sun became perplexed. The Sun looked down on humanity with eyes that had weathered countless wars and the changing of continents and suddenly it doubted whether the world was round after all. Sun around the Earth since the beginning of humankind simply stopped. Eventually, without the Sun’s guidance, rays of Light were slowly leached from the one-dimensional Earth. First, the Shadows mirror ever changing and exchanged bodies. Finally, one day or night - no one was quite sure which - they looked down and their Shadows had vanished. Most likely, the Shadows became nymphs in what was left of the tide of Reality. the nymphs soon vanished altogether as the Moon accompanied the Sun in its Moon to motivate the tides, Reality was pulled to a Hope and Motivation dashed away to the Stars and dragged along the visible spectrum with them. Now what was once humanity began to see only black and white. Inevitably, Darkness enveloped the Earth and humanity was left alone with their thoughts. They called and echoed for Reality, but the waters had long since gone cold. Unable to locate their shoes without the Sun, the trading humans walked along the glass ridden ground until they reached the end of the Sun, Light and bracing themselves if they ever found their again.

—Maren Knutson ‘22

“everything hurts more” you say you miss the smiling child happy and unknowing of how unkind the world can be we see it all today the wars, the hunger, the depression life is unfair we feel it in our souls do we know too much?

“ignorance is bliss” i think now because instead of playing with legos or watching cartoons we worry about our rights and whether or not we’ll see tomorrow

“just keep swimming” homework tests papers and projects work harder, do better focus! therapy for the anxiety sleep for the sadness take your pills, darling “no one understands me” being a teenager is different just make sure you can get to work on time study for the sat, act college applications are due soon! so maybe i’m not a smiling child anymore maybe i struggle and cry the world made me like this and you sit back and watch as the children try and fail and must try and try again