Stray shadows gather in the alley behind the old cinema, ownerless, flickering. The city opens a Shadow Adoption Agency to pair them with people who lost theirs to accidents, deals, or carelessness. Applicants fill forms: light exposure, personality, willingness to share secrets. Lian lost her shadow during a hospital stay; bright lights washed it out. She misses grounding. At the agency, she meets a jittery shadow shaped like a fern. They spend a trial day together. The shadow clings to her ankles, hesitant. Lian reads to it in the park; it stretches, curious. They bond.
Others are less lucky. One shadow refuses to attach, preferring walls. The agency offers training for humans and shadowsâboundaries, communication, consent. Lian signs adoption papers. The shadow is named Fennel. At home, Lian notices Fennel sometimes sneaks to the window, stretching toward the moon. She lets it. The agency struggles with a surge of people wanting decorative shadows, treating them as accessories. Policies tighten. Shadows are living silhouettes, not decor. Lian volunteers, helping match shadows with those who need grounding. The cinema alley empties slowly, less flicker, more paired silhouettes walking home. At night, Lian tucks Fennel under her chair like a cat. In the morning, she wakes to find it has written "thanks" on the wall in dust, proof that even shadows can learn language when given a home.
On the agency's anniversary, adopted shadows and humans picnic at noon, a challenging time for silhouettes. They huddle under umbrellas, laughing at short, fat shadows and tall, thin ones. Someone brings a projector to show classic films; shadows act out scenes on the sheet. Lian watches Fennel dance, realizing she adopted more than a darkness; she adopted a companion with its own light.
Eventually, the agency runs out of stray shadows. The alley behind the cinema is empty. Lian and Fennel volunteer to check hospitals and bright studios, leaving pamphlets that read, "If you feel lighter than you should, we can help." Shadows, it turns out, are easy to lose and easier to love.