Great stuff! I like the effect of the rising mania as it would be the most realistic reaction of people. In a short story format the pacing is fast but I think it works. It's like watching an action sequence of a person suffer some terrible life experiences and then deal with something unexplainable but set in a very ordinary scene of a normal house on a normal street with a formerly normal life.
I like how the ending makes clear that Reg is telling this story in retrospect. I think there's an opportunity to make that clearer in the beginning of the story - how would he tell the story if he knows much more about the shadow thing than the audience? As far as the human interactions go, it's moving a little too fast for me, with the people as props rather than real people with motivations and desires. Like Subhir telling Reg he's free to sleep with other people, it's hard for me to believe Reg decided to leave his wife after zero emotional processing (and under duress from the shadow perplexity). Also, why didn't Kat bother to come home? Seems like pretty strange behavior from someone who's cheating on their spouse and doesn't know they've been caught...
"swooped around the room" is great imagery haha - I want to "swoop" around mine!
Can't wait for part 3!
All things are possible to those who dream
I wonder what my shadow is getting up to out there?
It wonders the same thing.
Great stuff! I like the effect of the rising mania as it would be the most realistic reaction of people. In a short story format the pacing is fast but I think it works. It's like watching an action sequence of a person suffer some terrible life experiences and then deal with something unexplainable but set in a very ordinary scene of a normal house on a normal street with a formerly normal life.
Thank you! I've always gravitated to stories where the magic meets the mundane.
I like how the ending makes clear that Reg is telling this story in retrospect. I think there's an opportunity to make that clearer in the beginning of the story - how would he tell the story if he knows much more about the shadow thing than the audience? As far as the human interactions go, it's moving a little too fast for me, with the people as props rather than real people with motivations and desires. Like Subhir telling Reg he's free to sleep with other people, it's hard for me to believe Reg decided to leave his wife after zero emotional processing (and under duress from the shadow perplexity). Also, why didn't Kat bother to come home? Seems like pretty strange behavior from someone who's cheating on their spouse and doesn't know they've been caught...