THE MAN WHO SOLD HIS SHADOW

There was a man, Emeka. Emeka was very poor, but he was very handsome and very smart.

One day, he was walking in Lagos traffic, hawking pure water, when a big black jeep stopped.

A man in suit came down. He was wearing dark glasses, even though it was night.

Man: "Emeka, I have been watching you. You are a good boy. I want to make you rich."

Emeka: "Oga, I no want trouble o."

Man: "No trouble. I will give you 50 million naira. In return, you will give me your shadow."

Emeka laughed: "My shadow? Take am! Shadow no dey feed person."

The man brought out a small black bag. He told Emeka to stand under the street light. He cut Emeka's shadow with scissors, folded it like cloth, and put it inside the bag.

Then he gave Emeka a Ghana-must-go bag full of money.

Emeka became rich overnight. He bought car, bought house in Lekki, bought clothes. Girls were chasing him.

But after one week, something strange started happening.

When Emeka entered a room, people felt cold. When he laughed, no sound came out. When he looked in mirror, he saw no reflection - only empty space.

Worst of all, at night, he could not sleep. Because his shadow used to be the one that sleeps for him. Now, he was awake all night, watching himself.

He ran back to the man in suit: "Oga, take your money back! Give me my shadow!"

The man smiled and said: "You cannot buy back what you sold for nothing. You thought your shadow was useless. But your shadow was your peace, your rest, your soul. Money can buy car, but it cannot buy shadow."

Emeka cried. He left all the money in Lekki and went back to hawking pure water in traffic. The day he started hawking again, he looked down and saw his shadow was back, following him, smiling.

From that day, Emeka understood: Some things look useless, but they are the things that make you human.

Moral: Don't sell your peace for money. Money will finish, but your shadow will follow you forever.