Once upon a time,
there was a baby sheep. It loved playing in the meadows on sunny days, particularly sunny days.
It loved watching its own shadow mimic the jumps, tumbles and the leisure of a young sheepling.
The master of the ranch called him "Shade", named after the sheep's shadow.
The sheep grew up with its shadow, going on excursions to the sunniest parts of the fields only to play without the clouds interfering.
The shadow had a soul, as far as the sheep could tell.
And when he went to the creek to drink some water, the shadow revealed its face to be the likeness to the sheep.
This was delightful, thought the sheep. A face to put to a name. Even though the sheep never considered giving the shadow a name, much less the thought of ever giving a name at all.
Days passed, the sheep and his shadow, gleefully playing, childishly running from the clouds.
When it was bed time, this made the sheep mad and equally sad.
He did not like saying goodbye to his friend, not at all.
Years passed and the shadow still remained. Still playing side-by-side.
One day, the master of the ranch had emerged from the building that sheep only enter once.
He introduced another sheep to the heard. Who looked identical to all the others and sounded alike.
But the sheep and his shadow noticed instantly about this new fellow...
Why he had no shadow, no shadow at all! This was frightfully alarming.
All the other sheep soon picked up and began to avoid the new fellow.
Shade and his shadow did their very best to keep separated from the shadowless, soulless sheep.
On that first night of being introduced to the new fellow, Shade had a dream.
He dreamt that he was approached by the new fellow and the master of the ranch had explained to Shade: "He is your shadow."
This was frightfully alarming, indeed. Shade looked down, and to his horrifying shock, found no shadow, no shadow at all!
Shade ran out into the field where the other sheep grazed, only to find the same cold unwelcome that the new fellow had received.
Very well, Shade considered. And, he began to graze upon the grass by himself, staring at the empty grass where his shadow would be.
And then he saw his shadow! He was filled with a heart-felt joy that matched his childhood happiness.
Until he looked up only to see it was the new fellow. Grazing. Imitating Shade.
Shade, fearful for his own well-being, ran away, trying to outrun his new shadow.
But there he was, galloping at accelerating speeds.
Shade soon got near the creek and found himself trapped, too afraid to try cross the creek, yet too afraid to confront the new fellow.
There was something deeply odd about the new fellow. His eyes were empty, completely full of darkness. As if he had consumed his own shadow.
Shade bleeted out for help, but no one cared, no one even winced.
The new fellow was holding Shade under the water! Holding him tightly!
Shade began to panic and was trying his best to call for help under the water, but all he could accomplish was filling his lungs with water.
Every so often the water would splash so much that enough cleared to reveal some air for Shade.
But at the same time, he was so frightened that everytime the water cleared, all he could see was the new fellows empty, dark eyes.
Why would he do this, Shade though to himself. Does he have no soul? No care in the world for those who do have souls?
Shade's mind wandered so much, that he felt if he did not find a way to get up, he'd soon become the reflection in the water and the shadow of the new fel---
Shade woke up. Scared enough to sleep, scared enough to find comfort with the other sheep as the dream had alienated him.
After a long time in the darkness, waiting to fall asleep, Shade found himself wide awake and with a solution to his problem.
He finally summoned the courage to get up and walk over to the new fellow. He was prepared, he was ready.
Shade stood silently over the sleeping new fellow, staring intently. Wondering what's going to happen next.
He took several steps forward, and lowered his head, as if to nudge the new fellow awake.
The morning started, not with the rooster, but shrieks from the owner's wife.
She screamed so loud and so horrific, it awoke all the animals and startled the sheep.
In the barn where the sheep stayed, the sleeping ones awoke and dashed into the corner, away from the owner's wife.
They saw her hair turn white. They looked over in the direction she was staring. And if their hair could turn any whiter, it would.
In the stall where the new fellow had slept and where signs stated of biological ongoings and had the new fellows name: Bo-Sheep #001.
Bo-Sheep was a biologically-engineered sheep, the signs had stated. The first. The only. And the last.
The signs were covered in blood, the hay-straw bed was covered in blood.
Bo-Sheep #001 had been mauled apart and ripped open. Intestines were strewn about, blood had poured everywhere, and even some limbs were separated.
The fake-sheep coat had been dressed in red. The eyes pulled out and one of them half-eaten.
The corpse of Bo-Sheep #001 was in utter chaos.
And there, in the wreckage of Bo-Sheep, rested Shade. His head resting on the remains of Bo-Sheep's chest.
Blood-covered mouth, blood-splattered coat. And, even his morning shadow lay in blood as the sun broke through the rickety wooden window.
If one observed closely, Shade had a smile. Shade was extremely comfortable knowing that he'd wake up to see his shadow.
But this isn't the case. Shade remained sleeping, even through the screaming. The bleeting of the other sheep. The sobbing of the children.
The downfall and sudden impact of the axe that severed Shade's head, and so, his shadow's head...
~Fin~
