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People said Elias was strange.
He never cast a shadow.
On bright sunny days, he walked the market streets in perfect light, but the ground behind him remained empty. No silhouette. No echo of shape. Just light… and silence.
The children whispered he was a ghost.
The old men said he was cursed.
But only Elias knew the truth.
When he was eighteen, a traveler came to his village—a man with silver eyes and gloves made of mirrors. He called himself The Collector, and he offered Elias a deal.
> “Your shadow,” he said, “in exchange for anything your heart desires.”
Elias thought it a joke.
> “What good is a shadow?” he laughed.
> “More than you know,” The Collector replied.
Elias asked for success.
He became rich. Famous. Respected.
Everything he ever wanted, he received.
But something strange happened.
At night, he couldn’t dream.
His reflection grew paler each year.
Dogs barked at him. Children cried. Lovers left. Friends faded.
And when he stood beneath moonlight, he heard a voice whisper,
> “You gave me the part that made you real.”
He tried to ignore it.
Until one day, he met a blind girl named Lira, who didn’t care about his wealth, his charm, or his fame.
She said he “sounded hollow.”
He asked, “Do you mean my voice?”
She shook her head. “No. Your silence. It feels… empty.”
For the first time in years, Elias felt seen. Not by the world, but by someone who couldn’t see at all.
And when she asked, “What happened to your shadow?”
He broke down and told her everything.
She didn’t laugh.
She didn’t run.
She simply held his hand and whispered,
> “Then let’s go get it back.”
They traveled far—beyond mountains, over deserts, into forests where time hung heavy.
At last, they found The Collector again, sitting in a hall of mirrors, surrounded by shadows dancing like puppets.
He welcomed Elias.
> “Do you regret your wish?” he asked.
Elias nodded.
> “Good,” the Collector smiled. “Regret means there’s still something human left in you.”
But the price to buy back a shadow… was a memory.
> “One must leave behind the moment they treasure most,” he said.
Elias hesitated.
Lira touched his face.
> “I’ll remember it for you,” she whispered.
He kissed her.
And gave up the memory of her forever.
When he walked away, his shadow returned—stretching behind him, finally real again.
But when Lira said, “Do you remember me?”
He blinked.
> “I’m sorry… do I know you?”
She smiled, tearfully.
> “Not anymore. But your shadow does.”
She turned and left.
He stood there—heart aching for something he couldn’t name—while behind him, his shadow waved… and wept.
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Moral:
We chase the world’s light, not realizing it’s our shadows—the parts we hide, the memories we hold, the people we love—that make us real.
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Hope you all like it! Comment if you want the second part!
