Leo and the Shadow of Anxio

Anxio Beneath the Ground. Once upon a time, deep beneath the ground, there existed a dark underground city that never slept. Lights flickered endlessly, tunnels never seemed to end, and bat-like voices echoed. Living in the city was a shadowy, ghost-like creature, he was known as Anxio. Anxio was anxiety itself. It stayed awake all the time. Its unblinking single red eye would watch closely. Whenever people tried to enjoy moments, Anxio crept closer and filled the tunnels with scary thoughts. Anxio slowly crept in at every sign of worry and fear, the people who felt those emotions were his food. He would come out during the night, his large shadow causing fear within every human in the city, and they would become his meal. “Deliciously scared,” Anxio liked calling every one of his meals. They would all run away into their homes when the sun began to set, for Anxio would consume them in their weak, fearful states of sadness, and even in their homes, often, Anxio would find his way into their hearts and consume them and feed them without mercy. Then one evening, something different happened. A boy, no older than eight or nine, stepped forward and stood right in front of Anxio. The creature paused, surprised. The boy’s hands shook just a little, but he stayed where he was. He looked straight at Anxio and shouted, “I will not be scared of you. I am not afraid of you.” Anxio rushed toward the boy, expecting fear, but it never came. The boy stood firm. “You’re not as strong as you think,” the boy said quietly. Anxio froze. For the first time, he felt weak. Courage was the one thing he could not handle. Slowly, Anxio began to shrink. His tall shadow faded, his red eye dimmed, and soon he was no bigger than a small street cat. With one final blink, Anxio disappeared completely. From that night on, the city felt lighter. Fear no longer ruled the tunnels. And everyone learned an important lesson. Anxiety only grows when you fear it, but courage can make it disappear.