Shadow theatre.
There is a village, Bapan, in a remote part of the world.
It is said that the inhabitants of this village are a carefree people and that is why they live to be over a hundred years old.
The Bapanese work for their livelihood, like all men on earth; but their work is organised around the phenomena of nature. They do not work if there is a storm, thunder, rain, lightning or hail. They don't work if it is very cold or if it is hot. Although farmers and herders start their day before dawn, you will never see anyone working after dark.
The night is dedicated to the stories of the day, to establishing the memories of life. In that way men and women keep the memories of their genealogies. Knowing where they come from gives the people of this wise village a sense of peace and the illusion of living in the shadow of their parents, like happy children.
On special nights they tell the stories of the beginning of the world, when men were chased by monsters. These fantastic stories are occasionally performed by the puppeteers of the village.
Bapan's children love above all the representations that are made by playing with light on dark silhouettes.
Shen is a specialist in shadow puppetry. He has prepared his youth theatre group to perform the legend of Nian the Monster, in celebration of his grandfather Kun's 100th birthday.
Adults have heard the story of Nian hundreds of times, but it is always important for children to know it.
Shen has prepared the little theatre, his group of puppeteers has divided up the tasks, the silhouette of the monster must be carried with sticks by two puppeteers, someone must carry the silhouette of the peasant, while the others will hold the lanterns that will cast the shadows.
Everything is ready: the children are in their seats in the open air. It is a dark night, a thin moon strives, without much success, to illuminate the village. All is silence and shadows in the countryside.
With a beat of a drum the stage is illuminated. A pretty hamlet of houses with pointed roofs appears as if by magic. The children clap their hands in amazement. The drum replicates the children's joy with rapid, high-pitched beats. Gradually the chords become deeper and slower.
An atmosphere of tension gives way to a sense of fear as the drums slow down. Then, the serpentine monster appears. It pokes its furry head out and looks towards the children, towards them it moves slowly... it brings its trunk crowned with sharp fangs closer. A small, stifled scream escapes from the throats of the little spectators.
The curtain closes. The children breathe a sigh of relief.
The scene is repeated. Nian, the snaky monster, strolls through the village, he wants the inhabitants to live in fear.
The curtain closes.
The scene is repeated. Nian blows his horn at some houses, not a soul is to be seen in the village. Everyone lives under the law of fear, year after year.
The curtain closes.
The curtains open, on the top of a mountain a peasant in a red robe strolls unsuspectingly. Nian has spotted in the distance the presence of this man who has not hidden from his presence and comes, swiftly, to chase him.
The children hold hands with each other to comfort each other in the face of the approaching terror.
When he is very close Nian is paralysed. The dragon has a secret: he is terrified of the colour red!
The man, unaware of the dragon's fear, has, out of his own fright, dropped the metal bucket in his hands and the container has fallen from the top, hitting the stones of the mountain and producing a great noise.
Nian, who was already frightened, now squirms, listening to the metallic clatter of the bucket against the stones. With each blow, the dragon feels his ears pop, and in desperation, he spins round and round. It looks at the children as if asking for help.
One child lets out a nervous laugh that is followed by a general guffaw from the whole auditorium.
We all know that children's laughter sounds like bells in the air. This laughter from the audience drove the monster mad and he stormed off the stage, never to return.
The children applaud, applaud for a long time, until little by little the lanterns are lit and the stage is illuminated by the vision of the people celebrating with multicoloured lights, streamers and timpani music.
The shadow puppets are over. Shan is satisfied. Now Bapan's children know why and how the new year is celebrated.
They will grow up without fear of Dragons and other monsters. They will lead a long life, a very long life; a quiet and smiling life.
Your empathy for cultures and peoples across time comes through in your stories. This quality gives your writing a universal appeal. In myth, in tradition, there is a truth that rings true for all of us, no matter our origin.
Effective writing, @gracielaacevedo
Thank you for this kind comment, @agmoore. I agree with you, myths, because of their symbolic charge, are capable of being reinterpreted almost infinitely.
What a beautiful story, @gracielaacevedo. It is full of lovely imagery and high drama, as seen in the eyes of the children.
There are several beautiful lines, but my favorie is the sweet ending.
This will give me sweet dreams tonight!
I wrote this story thinking about children's feelings about puppet theatre, @jayna That, as real as the existence of that village where the oldest people in the world live, made me write this optimistic story.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading it!
I googled, bapan is in china and it is as you say, good story. but do chinese kids do that so they are not afraid of dragons?
The legend says that Nian is afraid of noises and the colour red, that's why the New Year is celebrated with these demonstrations, to keep the dragon away, @innfauno12!
A fantastic tale, full of mysticism, magic and an atmosphere of the illusion of the theater. You conquer the atmosphere very well with your words and you leave us a story within an artistic paradigm.
Thank you very much for considering my text for healing and worthy of your kind words, @celf.magazine !
This is a wonderful story that has been carefully written with a unqiue style of narrative. Well done @gracielaacevedo .
I enjoyed reading your story. Hahah reminds me of how my brother and sister tell different stories at night when I was little.
I felt every suspense in this story. Thank you for sharing.
Thank you very much, @esther-emmanuel ! It's nice to remember the memory of childhood. I'm glad about that!
I love this sentence so, so much @gracielaacevedo! I want to live in a world where people gather at the end of the day and share the magic of existing, spinning tales out of even the most mundane of things. Bapan sounds likes a glorious place, full of tradition and tales of remembrance, I adored your story:)
Thank you very much for this warm comment, @generikat.
First of all I must say that I enjoy your writing very much. I have started to follow you.
Yes, Bapan is a dream place, at least in this illusion of mine that longevity can be lived with the joy one learns from childhood.
It doesn't seem difficult, does it?
Awe, many thanks in return @gracielaacevedo😊 I followed you too, I thought I had already done so because I love your writing, but it's all good now.
The sentiment that longevity can be lived with the joy imprinted in childhood is a glorious one and totally an achievable aim, especially if we all engage in our imaginations a little bit more, just like your Bapanese folks.
Hope you are having a splendid day!