Shadow Baby

This is an oldie, but I find the ideas intriguing. I dedicate it to my parents even though it isn't my best work they were the inspiration.


Once there was a world of shadows. Shadow people lived in shadow houses and drove shadow cars. Very little of the shadow world was real; everything was just shadows that looked real. There were, however, two shadow people who had been made real.
Being real made them different from the other shadow people. For one thing they glowed. People for miles around watched the two glowing people through the walls of their shadow house. Everyone wanted an invitation to the real shadow’s house. Some folks said if you talked to them long enough you could find out the secret of being real.
The two real shadows loved each other and their shadow house, but somehow it had seemed rather empty lately. The lady shadow fussed and cleaned and decorated the house, but that didn’t help. The man shadow invited more and more people to the shadow house, but they never filled the house.
As the real shadows pondered and prayed they slowly realized what they were missing—a shadow baby. As soon as the plan was decided upon, the real shadows went to work. People smiled for miles around as they watched the glowing shadows prepare. “There’ll soon be three glows in that shadow house.” They said.
Slowly but surely the day arrived and a shadow baby came to live in the little shadow house. The mommy shadow was so pleased with the beautiful shadow baby. She diapered and bottled and burped her with great joy, and most folks agreed she was glowing more brightly than usual. The daddy shadow couldn’t help showing the shadow baby to everyone because he was so proud of his shadow baby. But as people watched for miles around they were surprised. There were still only two glows living in the shadow house.
“Is your baby all right?” A neighbor came to ask. “I can’t see her little glow.”
“Oh, she doesn’t glow—not yet.” The shadow daddy answered.
“We’re hoping she’ll become real, soon.” The shadow mommy said.
“Oh.” The shadow neighbor said. So the word spread for miles around that the shadow baby wasn’t real yet.
“Hmmm,” The neighbors said as the years went by. “Maybe shadows can’t be made real.”
But the mommy shadow and the daddy shadow knelt down together and prayed.
Time went by and the little shadow baby became a shadow girl, who loved to play house. One day she called all of her shadow friends and they began to play house.
“You can be the daddy shadow and I’ll be the mommy shadow and little Sue can be the baby shadow.” Baby Shadow said.
“O.K., can we be your family?” asked her friend.
“Sure.” Said Baby Shadow.
“We need two flashlights to make us glow like your mom and dad.” The friend shadow said.
“What about little Sue? Won’t she need a flashlight?” The shadow baby asked.
“Baby shadows don’t glow; they’re just like everybody else.” He said.
Baby Shadow’s eyes grew wide. “Baby shadows don’t glow, even if their mommy and daddy glow?” She asked worriedly.
“Course not. Look at you. Your parents glow, but you don’t.” Baby Shadow’s friend explained matter-of-factly.
“I’ve got to go home now.” Baby Shadow said and began to run. She ran and ran as fast as she could to her little shadow house and her real shadow mommy.
“Mommy, Mommy, I don’t glow!” she cried as she crashed through the door.
The mommy shadow snuggled her baby shadow close to her heart while she prayed. When the sobs slowed to sniffles, and the prayer had been answered, the mommy shadow quietly said; “Baby Shadow, would you like to glow?”
Baby Shadow’s soggy face nodded.
“The only way to glow is to be made real.” Mommy said.
“Will you make me real, Mommy?” Baby Shadow asked.
“I can’t make you real, Baby; you’ll have to ask the Real Man to make you real.”
“Who is the Real Man, Mommy?” Baby Shadow was very curious now.
“The Real Man made Shadow world and all the shadow people. He meant for them to be real, but they decided to be shadows. The Real Man knows that someday the sun’s light will fill the whole world, and all of the shadows will disappear; only what is real will be left. But there was no way for the shadows to be made real.”
Baby Shadow interrupted. “You and Daddy are real.”
“Yes, we are, Baby Shadow.” Mommy continued, “We asked the Real Man to make us real. You see he became a shadow. He came here and lived in Shadow Land. We hated him because he glowed, so we took him out to the sun. The sun was so bright we thought that he had disappeared. We thought he was gone forever, and some of us missed his glow. A few days later he returned, and he was no longer a shadow—he was real. He was the first real shadow. He gave us the glow that makes us real.”
“Why don’t I glow then, Mommy?” The baby shadow asked.
“Because you have to ask the Real Man to make you real.” Mommy answered.
“Can I ask him right now?” Baby asked.
“Of course.”
“Do I have to go anywhere special?”
“No, you can ask him to make you real right here, right now, if you want to, Baby Shadow.” Mommy Shadow said.
“I want to, Mommy.” Baby said.
Right there in the little shadow house Baby Shadow was made real and started to glow.
“Look at that!” said all the people for miles around, “Baby Shadow is real!”
“The Real Man is real.” Said all the people for miles around, and some of them began to glow.