The Secret Book
It was a very cold and windy night. Samuel was shaking. He sat at a dark wooden table. He had an old, special book. The book belonged to his dad, Jonathan. But Jonathan is no longer alive.
Jonathan was a very, very kind man. Everyone in town loved him. He always gave his food to hungry children. In the winter, he even gave his warm coat to people who were cold. But today, Samuel found a big secret in the book. His dad had special magic help to do these nice things!
The Magic Shadow
A long time ago, a traveler came to the farm. The traveler told Jonathan a big secret. He said, "You can call a strong, magic shadow to help hungry people. But you must be very careful. You can only use the magic shadow to do good things."
The book told Samuel exactly how to call the shadow. Jonathan had to go to a very quiet place for thirty-one nights. He had to draw a safe circle on the ground and stay inside it. He ate very little food. He only ate simple things to keep his body quiet and calm.
The Big Test
Jonathan wrote about scary tests during those thirty-one nights. He saw things that were not real. One night, a very big, dark dog stood outside his circle. The dog had bright, glowing eyes.
Another night, he saw a shape that looked just like his mom. She was crying. On the very last night, a huge, invisible wind blew hard. A mean animal chased a shape that looked like Jonathan's wife. She cried for help. But Jonathan was very brave. He knew it was just a magic trick. He stayed sitting inside his safe circle.
A Good Promise
On the last day, the magic shadow finally appeared! It spoke with a very deep and loud voice.
"I am here," the shadow said. "I will help you because you are patient and brave. But remember this rule. You must only ask me to do good things. If you are bad or greedy, I will leave. And you will be in very big trouble."
Jonathan kept his promise forever. He never asked the shadow for toys or money. One day, a hungry mom and her kids came to his house. Jonathan had no food left. He asked the magic shadow for help. Whoosh! Suddenly, warm and yummy food appeared on his table. The magic shadow liked Jonathan because he was so good. It stayed his friend for a very long time.
Samuel's Bad Choice
But Samuel was not a good man like his dad. Samuel wanted all the magic for himself. He went to a dark room in his house. He lit one small candle. He stared at his own shadow on the wall. He said the magic words from the book.
Samuel felt the room shake. Things in the room fell over. Finally, the air got very still. A shadow that looked just exactly like Samuel stood up! It had bright, glowing eyes.
"I am here, Samuel," the deep voice said. "Do you remember the rules?"
Samuel nodded his head. But he had bad ideas. Right away, he told the shadow to clean his messy room. He told the shadow to bring him fancy food and expensive drinks. The shadow looked very unhappy.
The Big Mistake
Samuel got greedier every single day. He only cared about getting more stuff. Samuel had a big rival in town named Robert. Robert had taken all of Samuel's money a long time ago. Samuel was very, very angry at Robert.
One night, Samuel called the shadow. Samuel gave a very bad order. He said, "Make Robert go away forever."
The shadow yelled with a loud roar! "No, Samuel! That is a very bad thing to do. I only stay here because your dad was so good. If you make me do this bad thing, a giant storm of trouble will come to you!"
But Samuel did not listen. He was too proud and angry. The very next morning, the town heard that Robert was suddenly gone.
The Shadow Leaves
That same night, bright lightning flashed in the sky. The door to Samuel's room blew open! A thick, dark cloud filled the room. A loud, scary voice came from the dark fog.
"You are not a good man like your dad, Samuel!" the voice boomed. "Your dad made me a friend. But you made me do a very bad thing. I am leaving now. I will bring a big storm to you and your family!"
The dark cloud went away. Samuel felt very cold and very afraid.
Running Away
Samuel was so scared that he ran away the next morning. He drove far away to find a wise man named Thomas. Thomas knew a lot about magic. Thomas closed his eyes to think. When he opened his eyes, he looked very worried.
"Samuel, you have made a very strong shadow angry," Thomas whispered. "Even the good spirits are hiding from it. This shadow is very old and very strong. No one wants to cross its path."
Thomas looked at Samuel sternly. "You did a terrible thing to Robert. You must run very far away. I will try to talk to the shadow. I will tell the shadow about your good dad. Maybe your dad's good heart can keep you safe. Go now. Cry and say you are sorry every single day."
A Long Journey
Samuel did not wait. He hurried to see Robert's sad family. Samuel cried big tears. He told them the truth about his bad choice. He begged them to forgive him. The family was very surprised, but they decided to be kind. They said they forgave him.
That very night, Samuel and his family packed their bags. They left their home. They went far, far away. Maybe they went to the hot desert. Maybe they went to the cold snow. Samuel uses a different name now. No one knows if the angry shadow ever found him in the dark.
Today, only Jonathan's old book is left behind. It tells the quiet story of a greedy son who made a very big mistake.
