Vashta Nerada – Count the Shadows

There are things that live in the shadows. When I was a young boy I used to always check under the bed before switching off the lights then run from the light switch and leap onto the bed from a distance. I was afraid of what was under the bed might reach out. "Everyone at some point in their lives has the same dream: You sense someone in the dark. You get out of bed. A hand reaches out from under the bed and grabs your ankle. But what if it's not a dream?"

Fear makes companions of us all. What if their are things living in the shadows and one of the things are the Vashta Nerada, microscopic beings. Although individually they are like specks of dust, not dangerous but when their numbers get out of control they swarm and can devour the flesh straight off your bones in milliseconds.

When swarming they tend to mimic the shadows, your shadow. Count the shadows, if you want to live, count the shadows. And stay out of the shadows. Best of all run. And Scarlet and I ran.

Late in the afternoon, on my Vespa, I counted the shadows.