In the small town of Stone Hollow, where the houses were made of stone and the streets were narrow, children used to play until the sky was filled with stars. But lately, no one dared to go outside after sunset. Stories were being told of a giant Fire Dragon that roamed the nearby forest, leaving behind a trail of burned trees and fear among the villagers.
One night, young Thomas couldn’t contain his curiosity. Armed with nothing more than a flashlight and an old cloak, he decided to find the dragon and uncover the truth. Silently, he slipped out of his house and ventured into the forest.
As he walked among the whispers of the leaves and the crunching of branches under his feet, a gigantic shadow passed in front of his flashlight. Thomas held his breath. In front of him, the silhouettes of wings, a tail, and the jaws of a dragon were projected on the ground. However, something was strange. The shadow seemed to tremble and change shape.
Intrigued, Thomas followed the shadow until he reached a small cave. There, hidden behind some rocks, he found a little mouse. It was Remy, a peculiar mouse who lived alone in the forest and, with the help of an oil lamp, projected shadows on the walls of the cave.
“Don’t be afraid!” said Remy in a squeaky voice when Thomas discovered him. “I’m just pretending to be a big dragon. I don’t hurt anyone.”
Thomas, both amazed and amused, decided to sit and listen to Remy’s story. The little mouse explained how he had found the oil lamp in an abandoned cart and learned to create shadows with his paws and body.
“I like to imagine I’m big and strong, even if it’s only in the shadows,” Remy confessed with a sigh.
Thomas smiled. “It’s a clever game, but you’ve scared the entire town,” he said.
Together, they devised a plan to show everyone in Stone Hollow that there was nothing to fear and that the shadows were just a game.
Thomas and Remy worked for days preparing the big reveal. They invited all the villagers to a “Shadow Fair” in the town square. With the help of other children, they hung white sheets and set up oil lamps.
When the night of the fair arrived, the entire town gathered, some still fearful. Thomas introduced Remy, who proudly explained how he had created the great Fire Dragon with just his small body and a lamp.
The children of the town took turns creating their own shadows: birds, dogs, castles… The square was filled with laughter and applause. The adults, skeptical at first, ended up participating, making shadows with their hands and bodies.
The fair became an annual celebration in Stone Hollow. Remy was named the “Master of Shadows,” teaching all the children in the town the art of shadow puppetry.
Thomas learned that often, people’s fears are just shadows: forms without substance that, when seen up close, are not so frightening after all.
And so, Remy and Thomas taught Stone Hollow a valuable lesson: that sometimes, the most fearsome dragons are the ones we create in our imagination. And what we often need is to get a little closer to see the reality behind the shadows.