[Finish the Tale contest] Part 5. Catch the Shadow

I started writing a new story for the Finish the Tale contest.

Here is how the previous part finished:

They had tried everything they could. And ten whole years had already passed.

Over the course of ten years, the villagers realized one very important thing: shadows do not lie. And shadows do not obey people. Some of them behave quite differently. Every year, during each festival, the villagers carefully observed the shadows. They noticed that several of them visited the places the missing girl had loved most. The villagers decided to follow those shadows.

Suddenly, they saw one shadow stop. It seemed to be searching for something. Then another shadow appeared. It looked like a woman’s. The villagers watched closely. It seemed as if the two shadows were having a conversation. The male shadow embraced the female one when it seemed she began to cry.

The people were afraid to disturb them, yet one of the villagers almost whispered, “Is it you, Joanna? And is that the shadow of your abductor?” The shadows recoiled from one another. Then the male shadow stepped forward, trying to shield the female shadow.

The man continued, “We want to help you. We must catch your abductor tonight. Otherwise, our village will disappear forever.”

Silence fell.

Joanna’s shadow stepped forward. She looked at the male shadow. Then she nodded.

The villagers asked if she could point out her abductor. Joanna nodded again and gestured for them to follow her.

They walked for a long time. The male shadow followed behind them.

They approached a crowd of people. There, the girl’s shadow stopped in front of one of the men. Everyone understood at once - this was the abductor. The villagers surrounded him and shouted loudly, “You are the criminal! You kidnapped the girl! Bring her back!”

The man grew furious and tried to attack them. But there were too many people. He began looking around for his shadow, but he could not find it.

Suddenly, stars began to fall from the sky. It was breathtakingly beautiful. As the stars fell, the shadows returned to their owners. But one shadow remained standing in the distance. It was the shadow of that man. It stood beside the girl’s shadow.

After a while, they took each other’s hands and disappeared.

The curse was lifted from the village. The girl’s abductor was thrown into the dungeon - the very same one where the innocent young man had once been imprisoned. Every night, the abductor felt as though someone else was in the cell with him. Something frightened him. He wanted to speak to the villagers, but they would not listen. Instead, they gave him paper and ink so he could write. He wrote about all his crimes. And with every line, the young man’s voice grew quieter and less frequent.

When the abductor wrote his final line, a bright star lit up in the sky.

From that day on, the villagers always listened to one another to the very end. And in the main square, they erected a monument of three shadows: the innocent young man, the abducted girl, and the shadow of the abductor.

The End

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