The shadow (3)

‘A party…?’ the older son mumbled unconsciously.

It was like these words turned on a giant spotlight of attention focusing on him. Looking up, warm sparkling eyes full of joy pierced through his soul.

‘You understand!’ his competitor exclaimed with a voice filled with astonishment and elation. His smile could not have been wider, but the older son was more entranced by the eyes fixating him as if he was some kind of great treasure.

The older son was used to people looking through him, as if he was invisible, but these eyes looked deeply at him along with great interest. They apparently liked what they were perceiving as well, which was even more unfathomable to him.

However, no matter what the intense gaze recognised in him, it clearly led to a feeling of connection between them. It was somewhat like finding a kindred soul.

Hot tears ran uncontrollably down his cheeks and dripped like rain on the chess board. He was completely overwhelmed by the feeling of kinship radiating from the person in front of him, as well as his own almost forgotten affection.

Before his blurry field of vision, a slander hand appeared, extended towards him.

‘Let me introduce myself in earnest again, I am…’

From this day forward, the two became friends. Even so, friendship was an understatement of the bond they shared. Soulmates would have been a more accurate description. First, they only continued to spend time together at each meeting of the chess club, however, this was no place for a person that did not strive to win, so both soon decided to stop coming by. Instead, they would meet up at a park or other public places, slowly getting to know each other better. Nevertheless, the words they shared were only superficial bridges connecting their lives, which paled in comparison to the intimate bond of their souls built up by subconscious mannerism and shared feelings. His friend’s way of thinking and acting seemed mostly incomprehensible to others, simply too different from the norm, but totally understandable for him. And with the older son around, more people started to comprehend as well. Just being a shadow of his friend was enough. And for the first time in his life, he was proud of that description.

His friend was a bright light, too bright to look at, it needed a shadow to make it bearable. With the older son around, others could embrace this light without being blinded. That enriched their lives in ways they would never have considered possible. While it didn’t erase the difficulties of life, it created souls that could deal with them better. In small ways, the two friends changed the world around them, or at least the perception of the world – until finally they didn’t.