He saw her,
Eyes piercing the darkness
To seek him out.
She seemed to be thinking heavily,
Hanging over the fence that divided them.
He saw her everyday ordeals,
The facade she put on to pass through the sunlight unmarred.

The light never crossed the divide,
Because of his own doing.
He had control of the shadows
And they protected him.
They still hissed at him sometimes,
Weren't always friendly,
But they never but him.
They knew he would bite back.

You see, controlling The Shadows was easy.
He simply bound them to the song.
A song that reverberated in his very being.
They knew he had nothing to lose.
They feared him.
He had always been more comfortable in the dark,
It spoke of silent beauty and danger.
He'd been breeding them because he wanted to further his territory,
But he couldn't bring himself to darken the rest of the world.
The result was a swirling vortex where the shadows frolicked,
For now they had a domain,
And a keeper,
All their own.

Day after day,
The Girl would sigh,
Hop down off of the fence,
And secure her mask.
It covered tired eyes and an accusing frown.
Once the mask was in place,
The others didn't see a difference,
But he could see the lines where her skin ended and the lie began.

The eyes were too cold,
The smile too shallow.
Her laughs rung hollow.
And each day,
She had to tear it from her face,
With more difficulty each time.

He missed her that morning.
He started over as she hopped down and put her mask on.
That night he was waiting for her on the other side of the fence,
His guitar slung across his back.
The shadows followed like they always did,
One flanking each side.
As if they are silent sentries.
He stood silently as she approached,
Wondering if she saw him,
And what she would say when she arrived.