The Harsh Friend

"The Harsh Friend" - Audio

Written by Jaden Dockery

Music Composed by Aidan Chapman & Jewelz Forehand

The Harsh Friend

Lisa had grown used to silence,

not the peaceful kind,

but the hollow hush of a house with no footsteps left.

On Halloween, laughter bloomed in windows,

she had learned how to move.

In the old frost-bit field,

her shadow lay at her feet,

a dark thread unraveling.

She watched it

as if it, too, were tired of being attached.

Then, the wind shifted, 

and the shadow lifted

hesitant, trembling,

like a child reaching for a hand.

Lisa did not flinch.

Loneliness can make anything gentle

if it only reaches toward you.

When it pulled her in,

she let her body follow,

surprised at the soft ache of being held.

They moved in widening circles,

a girl and her absence entwined.

But midnight sharpened the air,

and the shadow’s grip changed

not cruel,

But in control

as if it feared she might vanish.

It drew her toward the graveyard ridge

where the moon refused to shine.

“We can’t go there,” she whispered,

her voice thin.

The shadow trembled,

pulling harder,

Lisa felt herself yielding.

“Please,” she called,

but the shadow knew its needs were

deeper than hers ever was.

And in the end, Lisa stepped into it.

Jaden Dockery, Grade 10

Creative Writing Major

Aidan Chapman, Grade 12

Band

Jewelz Forehand, Grade 10

Music Technology