Janine sat outside in the sun and attempted to catch her breath. The gossamer scene she was seeing behind open eyes left no doubt in her imagination that what she witnessed was real. Anxiously she twisted her head about, focusing beyond the image of the office inside, checking to see if anyone witnessed her odd behavior. Fortunately, no one seemed to be looking at her strangely.

Lunch forgotten, she refocused her inner eye on what her shadow beheld, willing it to move closer, to examine the open folder on the desk. Amazingly, no longer acting of its own accord, the shadow followed her desires and slid forward into the cone of light emanating from the lone desk lamp.

Unbeknownst to either Janine or her eidolon, the shade of her boss on the wall behind the leather chair began to move independent of the corporeal body. A phantom limb slowly unplastered itself from the wall and carefully reached for Janine’s spying other.

Outside, Janine grasped her own throat, struggling to pry away choking hands.