Bedtime Stories: The Learned Man and His Shadow

Fairy tales usually begin with, "Once upon a time …." Not this one. As the tale begins, a learned man has just left the cold lands he called home and has settled in the hot lands. It's a lively place during the evening, but he found during the day it was a good idea to stay inside. It was just too hot to do much else. He soon became fascinated with a place just across from him where the doors would open and music would play, but no one was ever seen.

 

 

One night, the man was sitting on his balcony, staring at his shadow on the neighbor's wall. He had woken up the evening before to see a beautiful maiden in doorway of the house and the same sweet music coming from inside. Now, he was really curious. He sat and watched the shadow he cast on the mysterious balcony, thinking about how it was probably the only living thing that had come anywhere near it. He even went so far as to jokingly suggest that it go inside and explore the place before finally getting up to go inside. He never noticed the shadow turn around and do what he said.

 

The next morning, he went out on the balcony to read and drink coffee as he always did. Something was different today, though. "I have no shadow! So then, it has actually gone last night, and not come again." This upset him because he knew there was a famous story like that out there and he didn't want anyone to think he was imitating it.

 

He tried several times to get the shadow back, but had no luck. Finally, over a week later, he got a new shadow. It was small and faint at first, growing to a normal size and shade several weeks later during a journey back to his home land. He stayed there for many years, writing books about his travels and what he had learned. One night, he heard a knock on his door and got up to see who was there. In front of him stood a tall, thin man who was dressed in fine clothes.

 

"With whom do I have the honor of speaking?" he asked. The stranger said "I thought you would not know me. I have got so much body. I have even got flesh and clothes. You certainly never thought of seeing me so well off. Do you not know your old shadow?"

 

The man was shocked. How could this be? He asked the shadow to explain what happened. The stranger told him that since the learned man had set him free, he was able to get out and do very well for himself. The shadow had decided finally come back to the homeland to see it and the learned man again. The learned man said he was very happy for the shadow and was not owed anything, even though the shadow tried many times to see if there was a way to pay the learned man back.

 

All the learned man wanted from the shadow was to hear more about what he'd been up to and what went on in that neighbor's home. The shadow agreed to tell him about it, but only if the man would never tell anyone about the shadow's true nature. "Be quite at thy ease about that," said the learned man; "I shall not say to anyone who thou actually art: here is my hand--I promise it, and a man's bond is his word." As the learned man waited patiently to hear the story, he couldn't help be amazed at how human the shadow actually looked. Finally, the shadow began to tell his tale. The man listened with excitement as the shadow explained that neighbor was a Posey, the most charming of all beings. The shadow had only been in the house for three weeks, but said it felt much longer. He had been able to learn everything he would ever need to know there.

 

The man asked question after question, desperate to finally satisfy his curiosity after all this time. The Shadow described all the wonderful things in the house and how one room, called the antechamber, made him a man. The shadow said that once he left the house, he was both loved and feared by everyone and he had gained knowledge no man should know. The man sat in awe through the whole story, saying that it was "most extraordinary" as the shadow left and went on his way.

 

Eventually, the Shadow returned and convinced the man to go with him on a journey. They spent many years together, traveling all over and sharing knowledge, even though the man soon grew tired of it. During these travels, the shadow met a princess and fell in love. The shadow told her the learned man was actually a shadow and he could answer almost anything. The princess was so impressed by the learned man's knowledge that she kept them around and soon agreed to marry the shadow.

 

The learned man didn't like this and wanted to be honest with the princess. He told the Shadow he would not continue the charade anymore. He was going to tell the princess who the real shadow was, even though it was breaking the vow he had made. Of course, this made the Shadow very angry.

 

Later on, the Shadow went to the Princess and said the learned man was crazy and dangerous--he actually believed he was human! He had to be stopped. The princess agreed and later that day, they were married. The learned man never knew this, though. He had paid the ultimate price for daring to go against his word!