Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Who are the Shadow People?

I must admit that I had never heard or had any interest in the Shadow People. I have been a fan of horror since a child, remembering the eerie voice announcing my father's weekend movie. Its single word playing over in my head: "Chiller." My sister and I jumping up and down hoping to catch a glimpse of what was occurring on the TV screen, I was desperate to open the door of the unknown.

While I was too young to remember any particular movies, and I was not allowed to watch them anyway, the word that played on Chiller Theatre remained with me. Much like the words of my youngest son, when he divulged that he was being visited by shadow people.

Every mother's life changes with the second child but as mine aged, he became a little more "intuitive" than I had liked and I was not amused. Besides, one day claiming to have been my father's father, where he made certain statements about his so-called past life, which only my father had known about his dad, he claimed to have visitors in his room at night. Hence, his continual visitation to my bed, holding his pillow in his arms asking to crawl in for escape from the shadow man. It raised the hair on the back of my neck for one night. After the first few nights, I was tired and wanted sleep.

Unable to handle the bags under my eyes any longer, I decided to look up shadows to try to end this nightly occurrence. I had to get this child to sleep in his own bed. I did not have these problems with my older son. Possibly, I would be able to explain to my son that all little boys see this. That this is a common thing among children and there is nothing to worry about. Shadows cannot hurt you. I repeated that verbiage over to him again and again.

When I started hunting online, I was shocked to find over a 100,000 various websites listing those darned shadow people or shadow folk. I found stories and details and sometimes even pictures. Some of the stories matched exactly what my three-year old had spoken of.

However as time went on, I would do all I could to make my son independent enough to sleep alone. I asked him often why the shadow man sat on the edge of his bed. He would shrug his shoulders. As this became a three to four night weekly occurrence, his unusual intuitions kicked in full force. He would sit in the cart at Price Chopper and wave to people and ask them how their sick cat was or if they missed their deceased father and before I knew it, I was in a conversation, assuring that person that I did not know them or their loved one. It was strange times indeed.

One evening, as he stood at the side of my bed again, begging to come under the covers with me, he announced in a whisper that he knew why the shadow man was here. The shadow man was here to get his mama. He had been trying to sleep with me all these months to protect me. With everything that was going on with my intuitive boy, I didn’t say a word. I raised my blanket up and let him crawl in.

Friday, September 19, 2008

Coming Soon!

The Sightings

Dark silhouettes. Movement from the corner of your eye. Look again. Is someone there? When five-year-old Jeffery tells his mother about his confrontation with the shadow man, she all but dismisses it as child’s play.

The Questions

Can she believe what she saw with her own eyes? How does one explain the need for protection against what most cannot see? Is Maggie caught up in her child’s superhero fantasies? Is Jeffery correct in saying they are coming to take sides: some evil, some good.

The Confrontation

As a few local "believers" help her, Maggie vows to give her own life to protect her son. Can she fight those that emerge from the Hidden Shadows?