the summoning

This is the last place I thought that I would be in right now. But then again, here I am. Standing nervously in a shadowy, barely lit, circular room, surrounded by hooded figures, all murmuring words which were just barely out of my hearing range. I was summoned to this magical and mysterious location, which I was only able to witness from afar when I was in my early years. The Mages, as the common folk tend to call them, of this establishment are some of the most popular and famous people in our world. It is so esteemed, that out of thousands of contestants who wish to join them, only a meager number manage to pass the first test, and even less manage to scrape by and get through the rest of the tests. For reasons beyond even me, I've managed to pass almost every exam with flying colors, and now I stood before them one last time.

"Will contestant number 11037 please present their work?" the first hooded figure standing in the shadows announced, "This will be your last and final test on your ability to animate the unliving." I was snapped out of my nervous thoughts. Contestant number 11037- that was me alright! This number only goes to show how many young men and women came here before me and stood in the same shadow covered, dimly lit room, only to be swatted away when they simply weren't enough. I walked into the center of the room with uncertainty, the spell I so carefully crafted inserted inside a special contraption. As I readied myself to present my work, a small, quiet tone started playing from a seemingly invisible music box. Suddenly, as it stopped, a black ghostly figure materialized behind me. A little shadow, covered in shades of black and grey- with the only exception being its eyes- which were a bright, glistening white. While frightening at first, this shadow's only mission and purpose is to aid the lonely and the neglected. It protects them, like a comforting eclipse covering one's sorrows, and like a mother's love- infinite and unconditional.

In the end, I was spent and exhausted. I showed them everything I had, yet they haven't moved an inch. Will I end up like all of competitors before me, yet another failed contestant who must go home in shame? Accept that "Some people aren't made for this job. See what momma told you? You'll get nowhere if you keep on chasing shadows and fantasies?" and continue my life as a simple child, abandoned by all those around me? As I dejectedly turned to leave, the first instructor swiftly announced with a booming voice "The test is officially over," and then in a warmer voice told me what I was waiting for since I came,

"You got the job. Welcome to the Witchcraft Studio, the most esteemed animation studio in the world!" the examiner exclaimed. “We simply adored how lifelike your little creation was. We felt like it was alive! With how realistic your animation is, I think it will be our utmost pleasure to work with you.”

The shutters that hid away the sun now flew up, chasing away any sign of the shadows that were occupying the room before. I sighed in relief as I took the contraption, a simple projector I used to show my work. I didn't bother opening it, since unlike any of the other contestants, I didn’t use the conventional methods and I knew that no film would be found inside. They were ignorant enough to not notice what was in front of them. As I exited my new workplace and began walking down the street, discerning bystanders might had noticed a small, sad tune coming from an invisible music box, almost drowned out by the traffic outside. They may have noticed a little "friend" following me; a small shadow with glimmering white eyes. A special spell I've made for myself, after years of neglect from the common folk around me, which came out of being forced to hide my true nature as a member of the almost extinct Shadow Witches.

Illustration by Hadas Friedman