The Day Without a Shadow

Chapter 1: The Trade at Low Tide

⟨Character 1⟩ stands on the wet rocks counting ships through a brass spyglass while ⟨Character 2⟩ opens a case in the little boat and holds up a small light that hums, and the shadow-trader rows ashore.

⟨Character 2⟩: Look, ⟨Character 1⟩, this little light hums when I hold it. It glows right through my fingers, even inside my big coat pocket. I can feel the hum in my teeth.

⟨Character 1⟩: Nineteen ships, and one little boat with a case is rowing in. What is that little humming light? ⟨Character 2⟩ loves anything that hums or glows, and so do I, just a little.

Trader: That is a tide-light. It glows with the water and hums through the night, high and soft. I trade only shadows, not shells or coins. Give me your shadow for one day, and the tide-light is yours.

⟨Character 1⟩: I will not miss it. Shadows only make the dark scarier, and I have never liked the dark. I am stepping out of my shadow now, right here on the wet rocks, and it feels cool under my feet.

Trader: Done. Folded like dark silk, it waits in my case until the next low tide. Keep the little light warm for ⟨Character 2⟩, and hold it close when the tower beam swings round.

The moon rises and the big lantern beam swings across the spiral stair wall.

⟨Character 1⟩: Hold the tide-light while we climb. It glows brighter when you hum because it likes company, just like I do. A light is happier when someone sings to it, so give it a little song. The sound is like the sea in a shell, and it makes the dark feel farther away, just like your humming does.

⟨Character 2⟩: The beam just swung past and I looked at the wall. Your shadow is not there. It was there this morning, right by your feet, and now the stone is empty. Where did it go, ⟨Character 1⟩? Did you lose it?

⟨Character 1⟩: I lent it for a day. It will come back at the next low tide, when the water is all the way out. I keep patting the stone, but it is really gone. I did not know it would feel so strange, like my feet are too light, and my heart is a little heavy.

⟨Character 2⟩: I miss it already. The dark is coming and the wall looks empty without it. You are climbing very fast, ⟨Character 1⟩. Do you miss it too? The tide-light is humming louder now, and I wish you would say something, because the dark is coming. I need you to talk to me.

Chapter 2: The Day Without It

The sun is high and hot. ⟨Character 1⟩ skips stones on the point rocks, but her feet look bare without a shadow.

⟨Character 1⟩: The sun is too bright today, and my feet look like two pale stones on the hot rock without a shadow. I keep looking at the ground where my shadow should be, but it is not there, and my hand will not make the pebbles skip straight. I am fine, really, ⟨Character 2⟩, I just need to find the right flat stone.

⟨Character 2⟩: What are you looking for, ⟨Character 1⟩? You keep bending down and staring at your feet, and your hand is shaking a little on the next stone. I brought you a smooth piece of green sea-glass to hold, because touching something cool sometimes helps me when I cannot find the words. I am right here.

⟨Character 1⟩: I am not looking for anything, ⟨Character 2⟩. I miss my shadow. I did not think I would, but without it the dark feels so close, and I am scared of the dark. I have always been scared of it, and now I do not even have my own shadow to walk beside me. What do you do when you are scared?

⟨Character 2⟩: When I am scared, I listen to the hum of the tide-light. I hold it close and let the humming fill my ears, and it makes the dark feel like a soft blanket instead of a big empty room. Listening is a way of loving someone, and it helped me be brave right now. It can help you too.

The moon rises, and ⟨Character 1⟩ and ⟨Character 2⟩ wind the clockwork in the lantern room, then light the big signal lantern.

⟨Character 1⟩: A lantern is a light you carry or hang up to guide someone, like the one in your pocket that hums. The big one here sends light across the sea so ships do not hit the rocks. Now I will send three slow flashes toward the cove, because that is how we call the shadow-trader to come back on the low tide.

⟨Character 2⟩: Then the humming thing is a lantern too, and it is my favorite lantern. I will count the ships between the flashes, and we can wait together until the water goes all the way out. The tide-light is humming louder now, like it wants to help us call.

Chapter 3: The Shadow Comes Home

The trader rowed back to the same wet rocks at low tide, and ⟨Character 1⟩ ran down with ⟨Character 2⟩ right behind.

⟨Character 1⟩: You came back! Please, can I have my shadow now? I missed it all day, and the dark felt so much bigger without it. I counted the ships and waited, and now I need it back.

Trader: Your shadow kept a small fishing boat off the rocks today, guiding it through the fog while you were without it. Here it is, folded like dark silk, just as you gave it to me. Watch how it slips onto your feet, cool and familiar.

⟨Character 1⟩: It feels right, like my own shadow again. I thought it only made the dark scarier, but now I know it is part of me, and it did something good by helping that boat. Thank you for bringing it back.

⟨Character 2⟩: Here, trader, you can have the humming lantern back, because the trade was for my shadow. I loved it, but ⟨Character 1⟩ needs her shadow more than I need a light. Please take it.

Trader: Keep it, ⟨Character 2⟩. A shadow that works is payment enough, and your listening helped more than you know. Let the tide-light hum through the night and glow with the water.

⟨Character 1⟩ and ⟨Character 2⟩ sat on the bed with the tide-light humming low on the shelf.

⟨Character 1⟩: Look, ⟨Character 2⟩, my shadow can make a bird on the wall now. It is back where it belongs, and it can dance with your fingers. I am still a little afraid of the dark, but not as much when you listen to me, and when the tide-light hums low on the shelf. And I know my shadow is right here.

⟨Character 2⟩: I will make a whale with my fingers, and your bird can ride on its back. The tide-light is humming a sleepy song, and I am listening to it, and to you, ⟨Character 1⟩. You listened to me today when I was scared, and that was a way of loving me. I am sleepy now.

⟨Character 1⟩: Goodnight, ⟨Character 2⟩. Keep the lantern glowing on the shelf, and I will keep my shadow right here on the wall beside us. We are both safe now, and the dark is just a soft blue blanket.

⟨Character 2⟩: Goodnight, ⟨Character 1⟩. I will dream about ships counting and a little boat that came back. The tide-light will hum all night, and your shadow will watch over us.