The sun was blazing in a faraway land, and a thoughtful man sat by his window. He was a writer, a man who loved books and quiet. Across the street was a house that always seemed to be full of music and laughter. "Oh, Shadow," he said to his own shadow stretching on the wall, "I wish you could slip over there and tell me what it's like."

One evening, as the lamps were lit in the house opposite, the man jokingly said, "Alright, Shadow, now's your chance! Go on, have a look!" And to his surprise, his shadow detached itself from the wall, slipped out the door, and went right into the bright house across the street! The man was astonished. "Well, I never!" he chuckled.

Days went by, and his shadow didn't return. A new, very faint shadow started to grow from his feet, but it wasn't as sharp or as dark as his old one.

Many years zipped by. The man had traveled and seen many things, but he wasn't very rich. One evening, there was a knock on his door. A very tall, very thin, and very well-dressed gentleman stood there. "I believe we know each other," said the gentleman.
"I... I'm not sure," said the man, puzzled.
"Don't you remember me? I am your old Shadow!" said the gentleman, smiling.
The man gasped. His Shadow had become a real person! And he looked very important.

"I've done very well for myself," the Shadow explained. "I saw everything in that house, learned all sorts of secrets, and became quite clever. Now, I am rich and respected."
The man was happy for his old Shadow but also a little sad about his own simple life.

"I'm going on a trip to a famous spa," said the Shadow. "The princess there is very ill, and they say the waters can cure her. Why don't you come with me? You can be my companion."
The man thought it would be a grand adventure, so he agreed.

At the spa, everyone was impressed by the rich gentleman. The princess, who was indeed very clever, noticed something peculiar. "This gentleman," she said to her courtiers, "doesn't seem to cast a shadow of his own. But that man who is always with him, he looks almost like a shadow himself!"

The Shadow heard this and had an idea. He went to the man and said, "I have a proposition for you. If you agree to tell everyone that you are my shadow, and that I allowed you to walk around like a person, I will give you food, clothes, and everything you need. What do you say?"
The man was poor, and it sounded like an easy life, so he agreed, though it felt a bit strange.

So, the Shadow told the princess, "My shadow is so clever, I sometimes let him walk about as a man." The princess was very intrigued by this. She started spending more and more time with the Shadow, thinking he was incredibly special.

Soon, the Shadow decided he wanted to marry the princess. He told the man, "The princess wants to marry me. But there's one condition. You must promise that you will never, ever tell anyone that you were once a man and I was your shadow. You must always say you are just my shadow."
The man felt a pang of sadness. "But that's not true," he said quietly.
"It is now!" snapped the Shadow. "If you don't agree, things will go badly for you."

The wedding day approached. The princess, still a little curious, took the man aside. "Tell me truly," she asked, "were you always just a shadow, or is there more to your story?"
The man looked at the princess. He wanted to tell the truth. "Your Highness," he began, "I was once..."
But before he could finish, the Shadow strode in. "What is this? My dear, he is just my shadow, a very loyal one, but sometimes he gets confused."
"No!" cried the man. "He was my shadow! I am the real man!"

The Shadow turned pale with anger. "Guards!" he shouted. "This man is clearly unwell. He is saying foolish things. Take him away!"
And so, the poor man was led away, and no one ever saw him again.
The Shadow married the princess and became very powerful. Everyone admired him, never knowing that he was once just a shadow, and the real man had been forgotten. And sometimes, when the sun shone just right, the Shadow would look down, almost expecting to see another shadow at his feet, but there was only the ground.

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