He would sit on the patio, next to one of the larger slate slabs, when the sun was shining where he could see the shadow most clearly. He would talk to his shadow. He never imagined it talking back, instead he thought it was listening to him and being able to talk to something was comforting.He knew he could talk to his brother but there were times when he needed to talk and couldn’t find Jethro, because he was with friends or in private lessons with their father.
When Tyson would address his shadow, it came across more as one dictating a journal entry rather than talking with someone else. It was a way for Tyson to get his thoughts out into the world, without feeling as though he were directing them at the void pointless, by directing his words to a more literal and seemingly sympathetic void.
Before his energy was redirected into fencing, Tyson would shadow box with his shadow and he would practise his coordination by relying purely on the image of his shadow to catch a ball. He constructed a lot of complex games that relied on using his shadow.
As such, Tyson has developed a habit of smiling when he catches sight of his shadow that he’s never truly shaken. On days when he couldn’t see his shadow, Tyson wouldn’t play and that mindset has somehow stuck.