In the old city theatre, the heavy curtain had just fallen. The last spectators had left, all the lights in the auditorium went out, and only the quiet click of the lock on the door could be heard. Silence.
But not completely.
On the large wooden stage, where just a moment ago the puppets of a prince and princess had danced, a single, forgotten lamp remained lit. Its warm, yellow beam fell upon the back wall, and it was right there that the real adventure was about to begin.
The first to move was a long, slender silhouette. It was the Shadow of the old Tree, which stood in the corner of the stage as a piece of scenery. Its branches stretched out wisely and slowly. Right next to it, a supple back arched, and the Shadow of the Cat appeared elegantly, having just woken from a nap on a plush armchair. It stretched until its shadowy tail flickered merrily from side to side.
"Peace at last," mumbled the Tree's Shadow in a deep, rustling voice. "Peace? Not at all, the fun is just beginning!" meowed the Cat's Shadow in a thin voice and hopped.
Suddenly, they both noticed something strange. In the circle of light lay a small, dark spot. It didn't move. It was not a circle, nor a square, nor any familiar shape. It was just a blurry, uncertain little smudge that seemed to be trembling with fear.
"Hello," said the Cat's Shadow cautiously. "Are you new here? I haven't seen you before."
A tiny, trembling voice came from the smudge. "I... I don't know. I think I'm... Little Shadow."
"Little Shadow?" repeated the Tree's Shadow. "Every shadow must belong to someone. What puppet or object do you belong to?"
The little smudge trembled even more. "I don't know! Just a moment ago I was beautiful, I had a shape... maybe a princess? Or was it a flower? Suddenly, everything moved, and I was left here. Alone. I don't know who I am."
The Cat's Shadow and the Tree's Shadow fell silent. To lose one's "person"—that is, the object that creates you—was the worst thing that could happen to a shadow. It meant losing your shape. Your identity.
"Don't be afraid, Little Shadow," the Tree's Shadow soothed her. "We won't leave you like this. Together, we will figure out who you are. What if we start searching?"
Little Shadow stopped trembling just a little bit. Having friends was immediately better. "Searching? But how?"
"Simple!" exclaimed the Cat's Shadow. "We'll try out what you could be! How about a mouse? You're small and fast!" The Cat's Shadow crouched and shrank until it looked like a small rodent. Little Shadow tried to imitate it, but she was still just a formless smudge.
"Then maybe... a ball?" suggested the Cat's Shadow and jumped, flashing on the wall like a rolling, shadowy circle. Little Shadow tried to become round, but it didn't work. She remained just a sad spot on the stage. "It didn't work," she whispered, disappointed.
"Never mind!" said the Tree's Shadow calmly. "At least now we know it's not about guessing. We have to try a different way. Little Shadow, look up."
Little Shadow raised her gaze to the forgotten lamp. It was the only source of light in the entire theatre.
"What do you think will happen if you move closer to that light?" asked the wise tree.
Little Shadow didn't know. Carefully, step by step, she moved towards the lamp. And then something wonderful happened! Her smudge on the wall began to grow. It got bigger and bigger, until it was huge, but its edges were very blurry and indistinct.
"Wow!" she exclaimed in surprise.
"And now try moving back, as far away from the light as you can," the tree advised.
Little Shadow obeyed. The farther she was from the lamp, the smaller she became, but her outline—that is, her edge—grew sharper and clearer. Suddenly, she was no longer just a smudge, but a small, dark, precisely defined shadow.
"See?" smiled the Tree's Shadow. "Your shape changes depending on how far you are from the source of light. That's the first mystery we've solved."
Little Shadow was thrilled. She was no longer just a helpless spot. She could change!
"And now, look at me!" called the Cat's Shadow. It stood directly under the lamp, and its shadow was just a small, short spot beneath it. Then it ran to the edge of the circle of light. The beam hit it from the side, and its shadow suddenly stretched across the entire wall. It was long, thin, and looked like a funny noodle.
"Haha, you look like an earthworm!" Little Shadow laughed for the first time.
"Exactly!" nodded the Tree's Shadow. "It also depends on the angle at which the light shines on you. When it's directly above you, your shadow is short. When it shines from the side, it's long."
To show Little Shadow even better, they moved a forgotten hat that one of the actors had left on the stage. When the hat was directly under the lamp, its shadow was just a small circle with a bump on top. When they moved it to the edge, where the light shone on it at an angle, the shadow looked like a long boat with a smokestack.
Little Shadow watched this shadow play with her mouth open. She understood. She didn't have to have just one single shape! Her form changed with every movement, with every change of light.
"So I... I don't have to look like a princess or a flower?" she asked cautiously.
"You don't have to," replied the Tree's Shadow kindly. "You can be anything you want."
And so, Little Shadow tried. She stood up, stretched one part of herself high up and left the other on the ground. Suddenly, she looked like a little bird drinking from a puddle. Then she curled up and resembled a cheerful snail. She stood on her tiptoes and stretched until she was as tall as a tower.
The Cat's Shadow meowed with joy and started to chase Little Shadow. Their shadows danced on the wall in incredible shapes. Sometimes they were huge, sometimes tiny; sometimes long, sometimes short. Little Shadow was no longer a sad little smudge. She was changeable, playful, and full of ideas. She found her identity not in one fixed shape, but in the infinite possibility of becoming.