Class 9 (English Assignment)

 

Story: The Village Without Shadows

In a small mountain village, something strange began to happen — one morning, the villagers noticed that their shadows were gone. The sun shone brightly as usual, but when people walked, stood, or waved their hands, there was no shadow beneath them.

At first, everyone was excited. “We’re free from the dark!” said Mira, a curious 14-year-old girl. But soon, things became odd. Without shadows, the temperature in the village grew hotter. Crops began to dry, and even the village dogs refused to go outside.

Mira, curious and brave, decided to find out what had happened. She remembered that an old astronomer named Arun used to talk about the “Balance of Light and Dark.” She hiked up the mountain to find him. When she reached his observatory, she found it abandoned but discovered a note that read:

“If the village forgets its shadow, the light will burn it.”

Puzzled, Mira thought deeply. What could it mean? She realized the villagers had recently cut down all the trees in order to expand farmland — removing all the “shadows” of the forest. Maybe nature itself was responding.

Mira convinced the villagers to plant trees again. Over weeks, small sprouts appeared. One morning, Mira saw something miraculous — her shadow had returned.

Questions

1. What could the disappearance of shadows symbolize in the story?
2. Why do you think the author chose to connect the loss of shadows with cutting down trees?
3. If you were Mira, how would you have investigated the mystery differently?
4. How does this story relate to real-life environmental issues we face today?
5. What lesson can be learned about balance from this story, both in nature and in human behavior?