Gooly's Shadow
#22 of 52 Fictions: A Story a Week for 2026
The kids stood around looking at Gooly’s shadow. The sun flamed in a cloudless sky, and the concrete of the empty parking lot vibrated with heat. Dylan had said that Gooly had a weak shadow. At first this had caused only merriment, but as Dylan continued to insist, and the others had begun to look—well, it did seem as if Gooly’s shadow was not as dark as the others’. But it was hard to say, because Gooly kept wiggling, bouncing, and pacing around.
Impossible to remember why they started calling him Gooly. Could he have introduced himself that way? But it seemed like he had always been around, and besides no one would be so foolish as to inflict such a name on himself. Gooly didn’t seem foolish, although a little odd. He often ate tiny pieces of paper. After telling a joke, he would wink like an old man. He could see things in the far distance that no one else could see.
Now Gooly bounced and wiggled and shouted, “This is dumb! Can’t have a weak shadow, that isn’t a real thing!”
He turned as if to run away, but Nina grabbed his arm. “Stand still,” she said. “Don’t be a freak.”
But Gooly continued to bounce. He often seemed to be a little contrarian, a little defiant.
The other kids were increasingly interested in the situation, and they crowded nearer. Wyatt began a chant: “Stand! Still! Stand! Still!” For a minute, the others joined in. Gooly continued to jiggle.
They gathered here in the parking lot behind the abandoned church on weekend afternoons. They had the space to themselves, and with the church on one side and trees on the others, no one would see them, and they could do what they wanted.
Gooly tried again to run, but Nina pulled him back, and this time Tyson, the biggest of them, got hold of Gooly too.
“Just let me alone,” Gooly whined.
“You let us look at your shadow,” Tyson said. “And we’ll let you go. That’s fair.”
“See,” Dylan said, pointing. “Weak shadow.”
But Gooly thrashed around, and it was hard to be sure.
“Let’s be scientific,” Wyatt said.
Tyson kicked Gooly’s knees from under him, to make him kneel. Gooly shrieked and jerked, but Tyson and Wyatt and Nina held him with hard, pinching fingers. Dylan dropped to his knees beside Gooly, so that they could see the two shadows on the concrete, side-by-side.
They grew quiet. Gooly gave up thrashing. Between the two shadows, the difference was distinct. Wyatt’s shadow was dark and sharp, as were the shadows of the other kids, but Gooly’s shadow was pale and vague, as if he were a figure of smoked glass.
“Damn,” Tyson said.
“Gooly,” Wyatt said, “why’s it like that?”
Then, Wyatt caught his breath. All the kids stopped breathing or gasped. Somehow Gooly’s weak shadow had begun to seethe, like a shadow underwater, and at the same time it was growing, bigger and bigger.
“It would’ve been much better for you,” Gooly said, rising up, “if you hadn’t noticed.”
Events: I will be participating in the the Lighthouse Lit Fest in Denver in a couple of weeks, where I will be teaching a seminar and participating in a reading. Lit Fest is a terrific event every year, and I encourage you to explore all of the options. I’d love to see you there.
My Lit Fest events:
Seminar — Friday, June 19, 1:30 - 3:30 — How to Be an Asshole: Stories need villains and brutes, scoundrels and jerks, creeps and lowlifes. Collectively, let’s call them assholes. They create conflict, suspense, and intrigue. They’re often the most interesting characters in a story. But writers are, generally, nice people. How do we put ourselves into the mind of the asshole? How do we give them their humanity without denying their depravity? Let’s explore how to be an asshole (on the page) by exploring their mindset and ways to write it without becoming one ourselves. More info.
Faculty Reading & Happy Hour — Friday, June 12, 5:00 - 6:00 — More info.
Background and implorements: I’m on a mission to write and post a story a week for 2026. Check out this article about the project in Westword!
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This story is by Nick Arvin. Check out the previous stories. The fabulous illustrations for these stories are by Erin Schoepke/Lunascape Photograpy. See more of her images here. Follow her on Instagram. No AI was used in creating this story or the illustration.
Oh wow! This one was really memorable. And the name "Gooly"! Yikes. Great job (and also with the photo, Erin).
I was hoping they’d let it go.