Contracts

The shadow walked to the centre of the room wearing a long cloak. When it got there it pulled its hood over its head. 

In the dim-lit room, only his mouth was visible. As he started reciting the words from the ground puddles of a dark substance started to emerge. 

The shadow's voice got louder, as the darkness started to take shape. Three laughing stars emerged. 

They were dark masses with white eyes and a smile. Laughing slowly in a very low voice. They moved as if they had all the time in the world. Because they did. 

The shadow cut the middle of his hands and let the blood drip forming a small circle. Inside the shadow pleased his hand and let the blood run to cover the shape of his hand. 

The laughing stars didn't like to be commanded, in fact, they laughed at anyone that thought they were in charge. 

The hand in the circle was a contract, they could take it or not. 

The first star approached and looked at the hand. slowly laughing it walked away and went back to the ground. 

The second one touched it and stopped laughing for a second. The long pause took the oxygen out of the room, the starlet go and started laughing again. 

The shadow sighed in relief, it's dangerous dealing with laughing stars. 

The last star approached and with its nothing but white eyes looked right into the eyes of the shadow.

A huge hand at the end of a long arm reached for the hand on the floor and peeled it off of it with the circle around it. 

A long black tongue came out of its mouth as the star moved its head back and let the hand fall onto it. 

Slowly closing its mouth and looking at the shadow a high smile started to emerge on the face of the star, and slowly the laugh became louder and deeper and faster. 

If there was such a thing as tiers on a laughing star they would probably fall right there and then. 

The shadow took a sip of the flask and light started to glow from the would of its hands. Putting them together and reciting the words closed the wounds. 

The skin of Its chest started to burn. It was uncomfortable at first but it started growing. The shadow took off the robe and a shirt and started throwing water onto it. 

The sensation grew larger until the mark started to emerge, its hand and the circle. It was done. And in its way, the laughing star was being the shadow knows. 

" a black sun approaches," said the shadow with both hands on the sink looking down into it. " it has started and there's no way back this time" 

Slowly the shadow started to put the robe on again. 

Both laughing stars that rejected the contract emerged back from the ground. They wanted contracts too. 

And the shadow would have to oblige, under the pressure of the slow laugh. And the endless gaze of the whiteness of their eyes.