Late

• Shenali Dissanayake, Grade 8
• Short Story
• 2020

I lurked in shadow. My essence thrived in every single dark place imaginable, from the gloomy corners that were often ignored, to the deepest tunnels underground. Present when life began and present when death emerged.
I did not know my age, nor did I know of my gender. If I had a name, it would die eventually. Everything died eventually. So why would I ever need one?
Like most of things, human knew of my existence. Many also obtained the knowledge of how I could be summoned, to commit their murders, eat their sacrifices and all the vile activities they swept under the carpet. All of them lunatics, yet even with that knowledge, I still performed the tasks they had set out for me.
I watched as mankind rose, and at the time, I had been watching their gradual downfall. I found it strange how they didn’t care about what they had done to their planet, how they disturbed nature, killing thousands of species. They saw it as their dawn, while I saw it as their dusk. One day, the consequences they had set out would swallow them whole. I waited for that day, patiently absorbing unnecessary information every single minute that passed by.
Today, I floated, invisible above a town that had been experiencing a drought. It was Christmas, the one day in the year that warmed people’s hearts. Never in my existence before, had I been summoned on Christmas. There was no reason to expect it. I had hoped, but it never occurred. But when I had finally accepted my situation, someone summoned me.
My skin became visible, pitch-black with an ember glow emerging from the few cracks present. Judging by the glow— and by that fact that I was summoned on Christmas, my new master must have been extremely powerful. Perhaps they were responsible for the death of a wealthy man — no, the death of an emperor! The image of a cunning, strong man appeared in my mind's eye. Maybe this was it. Maybe, this was the day, I'd take down the whole world!
I teleported from my place to the room that the summoner was. A damp, dark shed, perfect for evil incantations. Pivoting, I faced the human, who possessed a power strong enough for my underskin to glow brighter than the sun.
"Tell me, Master," I hissed, "What evils shall we begin with? Are we going to massacre thousands? Are we going to conquer an empire?"
I viewed my new master. She was half my size, with wrinkles stretched across her forehead, and delicate limbs. She must have been a witch, I guessed. A vile sorceress whose deeds had reflected on her appearance. Strangely, this perspective of her wouldn't stay put in my head. It wriggled around and holes grew across the image in my eyes.
"Evil?" she asked, somewhat vacantly. "Oh, no, I didn't call on you for that. I was hoping that you'd be able to chat and have a cup of tea with me if you want to."