“Pull the blade from my chest.” the Shade imposed upon my mind in both image and thought, “remove the sword. Free me.” But as I found myself reaching out to do as asked, a great horror came upon me and for the first time, doubt entered my mind. I wondered if this creature was who it had told me. I resolved to hold off for a moment, to ask more questions and discover a greater understanding of the Shade, and so in trepidation, I refused. At merely the suggestion of rebellion, the Shade flew into a fury! It flamed red, full of rage! And though it could not speak, it made its intentions very clear. I felt my mind torn asunder as images of murder and mutilation were forced upon me. I was… doing things. Terrible things to the ones I loved… to my daughter. I fled in a panic, running from the cave, through the dark forest, cursing myself for ever trusting such a strange creature so blindly. At last, in desperation, I found a small, abandoned fox-hole and burrowed inside. The Shade passed by, still flaming in anger, searching desperately for me. It was in that dark damp hole that I trembled with revulsion and terror, weeping in silence until at last I fell into sleep returning once more to my laboratory. Once back, I fled into the streets, arriving home in the dead of night. Bursting through my daughter’s bedroom, I woke her and hugged her tight, shaking and crying as I did so. Promising that I would never, ever, let her go again.