Shadow Theater

In an old town, there lived an old lady named Ophelia. Long ago, when she was just born, her parents said, "Our children will become famous actors in the future." So they gave her this name - it was Shakespeare's play "Hamlet" The name of the famous heroine.

　　Ophelia grew up not to be an actress, and her voice was too low. But, no matter what, she wished she could devote herself to art - even in the humblest way.

　　In this small town, there is a very beautiful theater. At the front, near the stage, with her back to the audience, there is a small hidden box-shaped house. Ophelia sat in it every night, whispering to the actors on stage when they forgot their lines. Ophelia's voice was so low that it couldn't be more appropriate for the job, because her cues couldn't be heard by the audience.

　　Her whole life was dedicated to this profession, and gradually she was able to recite all the great tragedies and comedies in the world, and she no longer had to read books when prompting lines. In this way, Miss Ophelia is getting old, and times are changing. Fewer and fewer people come to the theatre, because in addition to theatre, there are now films, television and other entertainment. As a result, the theater in the small town had to close. The actors left one after another, and the old lady Ophelia lost her job.

　　When the curtain fell for the last performance, Ophelia was alone in the theater for a while. She sat in the box house where she worked, reflecting on her life. Suddenly, she saw a shadow floating up and down the curtain, sometimes big and sometimes small. However, there was no one in the theater, so it couldn't be who cast the figure.

　　"Hey!" cried Miss Ophelia in her small voice. "Who is that?"

　　The shadow was obviously taken aback and immediately huddled into a ball - the shadow had no fixed shape anyway. However, he stopped immediately again, and it got bigger and bigger. He said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone else was here, I didn't mean to scare you, I just wanted to hide here because I don't know where I should be."

　　Ophelia asked eagerly, "Are you a shadow?"

　　The shadow nodded. Ophelia asked in confusion: "But, every shadow should have its own master!"

　　Shadow said: "No, not all shadows have their own masters. There are some shadows in the world that are superfluous, they belong to no one, and no one wants them. I am such a shadow, my name is Shadow Tramp."

　　Miss Ophelia nodded: "No one wants you... Are you willing to come to me? I don't belong to anyone, no one wants me."

　　The shadow was overjoyed and replied, "Great! But I must grow on you, and you already have your own shadow."

　　"You'll get along well," said Miss Ophelia.

　　Since then, Ophelia has had two shadows. She didn't want to be talked about, so during the day, she asked one of the shadows to become smaller and get into her handbag. Anyway, the shadow could find a place anywhere.

　　One day, Ophelia was sitting in the church when she suddenly found a shadow on the white wall of the church. He looked very thin. He stretched out a hand as if pleading for something. Ophelia asked, "Are you also a shadow that no one wants?"

　　Shadow said: "Yes, we have spread the word there. I heard that someone is willing to take in us shadows that no one wants. Is this person you?"

　　Miss Ophelia said awkwardly, "I already have two shadows."

　　"It doesn't matter if there is one more!" Shadow pleaded, "Can't you take me too? It's so sad and lonely that no one wants it."

　　Ophelia asked, "Then what's your name?"

　　"I'm afraid of the dark," Shadow replied timidly.

　　"Okay, come with me."

　　In this way, Ophelia has three shadows. Since then, shadows that no one wants come to her almost every day, because there are many, many such shadows in the world.

　　The fourth shadow is called Loneliness, the fifth shadow is called Long Night, the sixth shadow is called Never, and the seventh shadow is called Emptiness... This phenomenon continues. Miss Ophelia is poor, and fortunately these shadows neither eat nor wear clothes to keep warm. It's just that her little room is sometimes dark because it's crowded with so many shadows. To make matters worse, the shadows sometimes quarrel, and they often fight for seats. Ophelia didn't like to hear people quarrel. One day, she finally came up with a brilliant idea. She said to the shadows, "Listen, everyone, if you want to stay with me, you must learn something."

　　Shadow stopped arguing and looked at her expectantly from all corners of the room. So she began to read the poets' masterpieces to the shadows, everything she could recite backwards. She asked the shadows to follow her. Although the shadows worked hard, they were also very studious. Gradually, they learned all the great tragedies and comedies of the world from the old lady Ophelia.

The situation is completely different now, because the shadows can play everything in the play, they can play a dwarf or a giant, a man or a bird, a tree or a table, depending on the plot. They often performed their best plays all night long in front of Miss Ophelia, who was still there to give them their lines.

　　During the day, except for her own shadow, all other shadows stayed in the handbag. No one else has ever seen these shadows of Ophelia, but they still vaguely feel that something unusual has happened, and unusual things are often not liked.

　　People said behind their backs: "This old lady is a little weird, it's better to send her to a nursing home with someone to take care of her." Others said: "Maybe she's crazy, who knows what she'll do someday."

　　Everyone stayed away from her.

　　Finally one day, Miss Ophelia's landlord came and said, "I'm sorry, from now on, you have to pay twice as much rent as before."

　　Miss Ophelia can't afford it.

　　The landlord said, "Then I have to apologize, you'd better move out."

　　So Miss Ophelia had to leave the house where she used to live, bought a ticket, got on the train, and hit the road. She didn't know where to go. After a long ride, she got out of the car and started walking. She carried a suitcase in one hand and a handbag full of shadows in the other.

　　It was a long, long way. Finally, Ophelia came to the beach, and she couldn't go any further. So she wanted to sit down and rest for a while, and soon fell asleep. Shadows came out of their handbags and gathered around her, and they discussed together what to do.

　　A shadow said: "It is because of us that Miss Ophelia is in this bad situation. She helped us, and now it is our turn to help her. We have all learned something from her, and maybe, we can use these learnings to help her."

　　Later, Ophelia came to a small village. She took a white sheet from the box and hung it on a stick. The shadows immediately began to perform, the repertoire that Miss Ophelia had taught them. She sat behind the curtain, and when the shadows got stuck during the show, she gave them lines behind them.

　　At first only some children came over, and they watched in amazement. In the evening, a few more adults came. After watching these wonderful and interesting performances, everyone paid a little money.

　　In this way, Miss Ophelia went from village to village, acting from place to place. According to the requirements of the plot, her shadows played the king at one time, the harlequin at the other; the noble and pure maiden at the other, the enthusiastic and lively teenager at the other... People laughed and cried along with the plot. Before long, Miss Ophelia became famous, and wherever she went, people were eagerly waiting. They had never seen such a show before.

　　After a while, Miss Ophelia saved up enough money to buy an old car. She asked an artist to write her a beautiful colorful sign with capital letters on both sides: Ophelia's Shadow Theater. Since then, Miss Ophelia has traveled the world, and her shadows have followed.

　　Speaking of which, the story should have ended, but it wasn't.

　　One day, Miss Ophelia's car was stuck on the road due to a heavy snowstorm. Suddenly, a huge shadow stood in front of her, this shadow was darker than all the other shadows.

　　Miss Ophelia asked, "Are you also a shadow that no one wants?"

　　The big black shadow said slowly: "Yes, I think you can say that!"

　　Miss Ophelia asked again, "Do you want to come to me too?"

　　Shadow asked, "Can you take me in?" Saying that, he got closer.

　　Ophelia said: "Although I already have a lot of shadows, you must have a place to stay."

　　Shadow asked, "Don't you want to ask my name first?"

　　"Then what's your name?"

　　"People call me Death."

　　Miss Ophelia did not speak for a while. Finally, Shadow asked gently, "Even so, you will still take me in, right?"

　　"Yes," said Miss Ophelia, "come on!"

　　So, this huge, icy shadow enveloped her, and the world around her became pitch black. But suddenly, she seemed to open her eyes again, and these eyes became young and bright, no longer as old and dim as before. Now she can see where she is without glasses: she is standing in front of the gates of heaven, surrounded by many incomparably beautiful figures in beautiful costumes looking at her with smiles.

　　Miss Ophelia asked, "Who are you?"

　　They said, "Don't you know us? We are the shadows you took in. Now we are saved, and we don't have to wander around anymore."

　　The gates of heaven opened, and those bright figures surrounded the old lady Ophelia and walked in. They took her to a wonderful palace, the most beautiful and luxurious theater. On the door of the theater was written a line of bronzing words: Ophelia's Shadow Theater.

　　From then on, they used the great language of the poet to tell the angels about the fate of mankind. The angels learned from it how painful, how great, how sad, and at the same time how ridiculous people who live on earth are.

　　Miss Ophelia is still giving lines to the actors. I heard that sometimes dear God comes to their shows, but for sure, no one has found him.