In 1813, Adelberto von Chamisso fell into the hands of a notebook - the diary of his friend, Peter Schlemel. He was brought early in the morning by a strange man with a long gray beard, dressed in a worn black Hungarian. Here is its content.

After a long voyage, I arrived in Hamburg with a letter for Mr. Thomas John from his brother. Mr. John's guests, among whom was the beautiful Fani, did not notice me. In the same way, they did not notice a long, bony man in years, dressed in a gray silk redingot, who was also among the guests. To serve the gentlemen, this man, one by one, took out objects from his pocket that could not fit there - a spyglass, a Turkish carpet, a tent and even three riding horses. The guests, as it were, did not find anything miraculous in this. There was something so eerie in the pale face of this man that I could not stand it and decided to quietly leave.

How I was overtaxed when I saw that the man in gray had caught up with me. He politely spoke to me and offered any of his fabulous treasures - the root of the mandrake, pfennig-changeling, tablecloth-self-assembly, the magic purse of Fortunatto - exchange for my own shadow. No matter how great my fear was, at the thought of wealth I forgot about everything and chose a magic wallet. The stranger carefully rolled up my shadow, hid it in his bottomless pocket and quickly left.

Soon, I began to regret what I had done. It turned out that it was impossible to appear on the street without a shadow - everyone noticed its absence. I began to wake up the realization that although gold is valued on earth more than merit and virtue, the shadow is respected even more than gold. I rented a room in the most expensive hotel overlooking the north. I hired a man named Bendel to take care of my own. After that, I decided to check public opinion once more and went outside on a moonlit night. Due to the lack of shadow, men looked at me with contempt, and women - with pity. Many passersby just turn away from me.

In the morning I decided to find a man in gray by all means. I accurately described it to Bendel and indicated the place where I met him. But in Mr. John’s house, no one remembered or knew him. On the same day, Bendel met him at the doorstep of the hotel, but did not recognize him. The man in gray asked me to tell me that he was now going overseas. Exactly one year later, he will find me, and then we can conclude a better deal. I tried to intercept him in the harbor, but the gray man disappeared like a shadow.

I confessed to the servant that I had lost my shadow, and people despised me. Bendel blamed himself in my misfortune, because he missed the man in gray. He vowed that he would never leave me. I was convinced that he was not led by greed. Since then, I again decided to be in public and began to play a certain role in the world. With amazing dexterity, Bendel managed to conceal the absence of shadow. As a very rich man, I could afford all sorts of eccentricities and whims. I was quietly waiting for the visit promised by the mysterious stranger in a year.

Soon, the beauty Fanny drew attention to me. This flattered my vanity, and I followed her, hiding from the light. I loved only with my mind and could not love with my heart. This trivial novel ended unexpectedly. One moonlit night, Fani saw that I had no shadow and lost her senses. I hurriedly left the city, taking with me two servants: a faithful Bendel and a dodger named Raskal, who did not suspect anything. We non-stop crossed the border and mountains. Crossing to the other side of the ridge, I agreed to stop to relax on the waters, in a secluded place.

I sent Bendel forward, instructing me to find a suitable house. About an hour's journey from the destination, a festively dressed crowd blocked us — it was the locals who arranged a gala meeting for me. Then for the first time I saw a girl as beautiful as an angel. Later I learned that I was mistaken for the Prussian king traveling around the country under the name of the count. From then on, I became Count Peter. In the evening, with the help of my servants, I held a magnificent celebration, where I saw her again. She turned out to be the daughter of a chief forester named Minna.

With my truly royal extravagance and luxury, I subjugated everything to myself, but at home I lived very modestly and in solitude. No one but Bendel dared to enter my chambers during the day. I accepted guests only in the evenings. The most treasured thing in life was my love for me. Minna was a kind, gentle girl, worthy of love. I took possession of all her thoughts. She, too, selflessly loved me, but we could not be together because of my curse. I calculated the day I met the man in gray and looked forward to it with impatience and fear.

I admitted to Minne that I was not a count, but simply a rich and unhappy person, but I did not tell the whole truth. I announced to the forester that I intend to ask for the hand of his daughter on the first day of the next month, because from day to day I expected a man in gray to visit. Finally, the fateful day came, but the stranger in gray did not appear.

The next day, Raskal appeared to me, said that he could not serve a man without a shadow and demanded a calculation. Rumors circulated around the town that I had no shadow. I decided to return the word to Minne. It turned out that the girl had long unraveled my secret, and the main forester became aware of my real name. He gave me three days to get a shadow, otherwise Minna will become the wife of another.

I wandered away. After a while, I found myself in a sunlit meadow and felt someone grab me by the sleeve. Turning around, I saw a man in gray. He said that Raskal had betrayed me, and now he was wooing himself with Minna, in which he was helped by the gold stolen from me. The stranger promised to return the shadow to me, crack down on Raskal, and even leave me a magical wallet. In return, he demanded my soul after death.

I flatly refused. Then he took out my poor shadow and laid it out in front of him. At this time Bendel appeared in the clearing. He decided to forcibly take away my shadow from a stranger, and began to mercilessly beat him with a club. The stranger silently turned and walked away, accelerating his pace, taking away both my shadow and my faithful servant. Once again I was left alone with my grief. I did not want to return to the people, and lived for three days in the forest, like a fearful beast.

On the morning of the fourth day I saw a shadow without a host. Thinking that she had escaped from her master, I decided to catch her and take her. I caught up with the shadow and found that she still had a master. This man carried an invisible nest, and therefore only his shadow was visible. I took away his invisibility nest. It gave me the opportunity to appear among people.

Invisible, I went to Minna’s house. In the garden near her house, I found that a man in gray, wearing an invisible hat, had been following me all this time. He again began to tempt me, twirling parchment in his hands with the contract. Minna came out into the garden in tears. Her father began to persuade her to marry Raskal - a very rich man with an impeccable shadow. “I will do as you please, father,” Minna said quietly. At this time, Raskal appeared, and the girl lost her senses. A man in gray quickly scratched my palm, and put a pen in his hand. From mental stress and the strain of physical forces, I fell into deep oblivion, without having signed the contract.

I woke up late in the evening. The garden was full of guests. From their conversations, I learned that this morning the wedding of Raskal and Minna took place. I hurried away from the garden, and my tormentor did not leave me a step behind. He kept saying that my shadow would drag him everywhere after me. We will be inseparable until I sign the contract.

Secretly, I made my way to my house and found it ruined by the mob, which Raskal had discovered. There I met a faithful Bendel. He said that the local police forbade me as an unreliable person to stay in the city and ordered me to leave its borders at twenty-four hours. Bendel wanted to go with me, but I did not want to put him to such a test and remained deaf to his persuasion and supplications. I said goodbye to him, jumped into the saddle and left the place where I buried my life.

On the way, a pedestrian joined me, in which I soon with horror recognized a man in gray. He offered to lend me my shadow while we travel together, and I reluctantly agreed. Comfort and luxury again hit my service - after all, I was a rich man with a shadow. The man in gray was impersonating my valet and never step away from me. He was convinced that sooner or later I would sign the contract. I firmly decided not to do this.

One fine day, I decided to part with a stranger once and for all. He rolled up my shadow and put it in his pocket again, and then informed me that I could always call him, tinkling gold in a magic wallet. I asked if Mr. John had given him a receipt. The man in gray grinned and took Mr. John out of his pocket. I was horrified and threw my wallet into the abyss. The stranger grimly rose from his place and disappeared.

I was left without a shadow and without money, but a heavy burden fell from my soul. I would be happy if I had not lost love through my own fault. With sadness in my heart, I continued on my way. I lost the desire to meet people and plunged into the thicket of the forest, leaving it only to spend the night in a village. I kept my way to the mountain mines, where I hoped to get a job underground.

My boots were worn out, and I had to buy well-worn - there was no money for new ones. Soon I went astray. A minute ago, I walked through the forest, and suddenly found myself among the wild cold rocks. Severe frost forced me to speed up the pace, and soon I found myself on the icy shore of some ocean. I ran for a few minutes and stopped among the rice fields and mulberry trees. Now I walked slowly, and before my eyes flashed forests, steppes, mountains and deserts. There could be no doubt: I had seven-mile boots on my feet.

Now the goal of my life has become science. Since that time, I have worked with unquenchable zeal, trying to convey to others what I saw with my inner eye. Earth was a garden for me. For housing, I chose the most hidden cave for myself, and continued my wanderings around the world, diligently exploring it.

During my wanderings I became very ill. The fever burned me, I lost consciousness and woke up in a spacious and beautiful room. On the wall, at the foot of the bed, on a black marble plaque, my name was written in large gold letters: Peter Schlemil. I listened to someone reading something loudly, as my name was mentioned, but I couldn’t catch the point. An affable gentleman came up to my bed with a very beautiful lady in a black dress. Their appearance was familiar to me, but I could not recall who it was.

Some time has passed. The place where I was lying was called "Schlemmium." What was read was a reminder to pray for Peter Schlemil, as for the founder of this institution .. The friendly gentleman turned out to be Bendel, and the beautiful lady Minna. Because of the long beard, I was mistaken for a Jew. I was recovering, not recognized by anyone. Subsequently, I found out that I was in Bendel's hometown, who founded this clinic for the rest of my damned money. Minna is a widow. Her parents were no longer alive. She led the life of a God-fearing widow and was engaged in charity work.

I left there, never opening my friends, and returned to my previous studies. My strength is declining, but I am comforted by the fact that I spent it not in vain and for a specific purpose. You, my dear Chamisso, I will testament the amazing story of my life so that it can serve people as a useful lesson.