Shadow on the Wall

A man left home to fulfill his military duty. As his post was a distance from home, his wife and infant son were unable to establish contact with him. During his absence, the young child often cried out heartily for his father and there was seemingly nothing his mother could do to console him. In an attempt to pacify the child, the mother pointed to her shadow on the wall and told him that “the person” was his dad. The young son apparently took it as truth and stopped crying.

After the husband completed his military service, he returned home and reunited with his family. Unfortunately, his son refused to recognize him as his father. He claimed that his real father visited him and his mom every night. They were one happy family, he said. After hearing this, the husband was infuriated by his wife’s supposed infidelity. The wife was arrested after her “crime” was reported to the local magistrate.

Before the wife was able to rectify the misunderstanding, she was found guilty of adultery and hastily sentenced to death. The unfortunate woman was tied to a big log and was released into the river. It was said that she remained unwavering on her claim of innocence till the end.

One night, the husband was tending his young child when a curious thing happened. The son directed him to his shadow on the wall and said, “Daddy has returned again.” The man instantly realized what a terrible thing he had done and bitterly lamented the loss of his wife. In honor of the innocent woman, the town built a golden stele to commemorate her virtues.