The Carnival of Lost Shadows

At the shadow carnival the shadows suddenly tangle, and Vesta blames Alice in front of everyone. Blushing to burning cheeks, Alice finds the cause in her own lantern — and instead of keeping quiet, admits the mistake before the whole square. The mistake becomes the best act of the carnival, and the quarrel ends in shared laughter.

Once a year the twilight town holds a carnival of shadows: children launch lanterns, and shadows dance on the white walls. Alice brings a homemade lantern — and the shadows begin to tangle: someone's shadow dances behind the wrong owner. Vesta blames Alice in front of everyone, and out of embarrassment Alice first makes excuses — but the hotter the excuses, the less anyone believes them. Inspecting the lantern, Alice finds the truth: the second glass sits the wrong way round, the lantern shines with two flames, and the fault is truly hers. Keeping silent would be easy — no one could prove a thing. Instead Alice walks to the centre of the square and admits the mistake aloud. Then turns it into a game: the double shadow invites a dance, the children's shadows swap partners, and Vesta laughs first. It all ends not in a trial but in laughter.