Talking Shadows

The forest seemed to have slowly devoured the site, to reclaim what had been taken from it years earlier. Once a regal site, now crumbling into dust as it fought a losing battle with the elements. Previously a bustling hive of activity, now still and silent with only echoes and whispers of what once was. What treasures did this place hold? What secrets was it hiding? It was all beyond their comprehension, they were only children. To them it was a place of discovery, a place where adventures happen, a place for exploration. They were impervious to the emptiness and sorrow that seemed to envelop the ruins and scream through the silence. Too long the walls stood cold and hardened from the turmoil and suffering they had seen. The quiet deafened the world around it, drowning out the songs bird, the soughing of the wind, the rustling of the leaves - the rest of the world dissipated and joined the silence.

Now, the solemn walls heard blissful laughter, breathing life into the deadened surroundings. Their voices resonated and folded back upon one another until they filled the ruins in a choir of echoes. They would climb and tumble, run and scream as they searched the ruins for treasure. Their presence brought back the birds and allowed them to explore their imagination and laugh without fear.

A glint from sunbeams catching metal attracted the children’s attention to reveal a treasure hidden amongst the rubble. The object was carefully dislodged the object and triumphantly presented - the tarnished remnants of an exquisite mirror. They all gathered eagerly to peer into the ancient glass, instantly being transported to another world; one of lords and ladies dressed in beautiful clothing, covered in exquisite jewellery, laughing and talking, dancing and feasting. They had never seen such things. How grand and beautiful it all was – so different to the dirt and grime of the factories and the commune. They were completely captivated. The image began to fade, and saw their own faces looking back at them. Who were those people? What could have possibly happened to them?

Somehow the ruins seemed grander as if the building was growing in confidence. The walls seemed to absorb the sunbeams, letting off a warm glow. The children would often sit watching patterns made by the trees: a dominating castle high above a city that reached far beyond the horizon. Gradually the pictures became more defined. Figures walked across the wall - a noble lady and her ladies-maid. Though truly beautiful, her features were drawn in anxiety. She was in a room with volumes of books. All of the sudden a door swung open and men at arms stormed in. The wind erupted violently around the children making them jump in fright. They sat in silence afraid to speak. Finally, they could see the truth. They now had to hide what they had seen, like their parents and generations before. The secret shared by talking shadows.

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