Alle foto af Væsner er printet på Royal Pearl Prof Photo 300 g Semimat
SKYGGEHATTEN
“Jeg er i chok. Det er lige gået op for mig, at det er mig der står i vejen for mig. Nu har jeg vokset så længe, faktisk hele mit liv, og er blevet til en stor, sund svamp. Har jeg hørt. Det er sådan noget man hører, når folk går forbi: “Naiii, se en smuk svamp! Den har dog den smukkeste farve og står der solidt i skoven og viser alt hvad den er kommet med. Den skinner!” Ja, det siger de. Jeg prøver at kigge op, men kan ikke få øje på nogen smuk farve. Herfra hvor jeg står, og når jeg kigger op, så ligner det en fesen, flad halvdød orange farve. Det kan da umuligt være den folk mener? Den skinner da overhovedet ikke? Det er de tanker jeg længe gik med. Jeg troede virkelig det var sådan.
Og så var det chokket ramte mig idag. Jeg er gået helt i stå. Forskrækket over mig selv. Hvad har jeg dog gjort ved mig selv? Nu skal jeg nok forklare. Idag kom et menneske forbi mig. Et af de der mennesker som falder helt i svime over mig, og som sædvanlig sukkede jeg og tænkte at de igen taler volapyk om den der skønhed jeg har, for det passer jo ikke. Men det her menneske var anderledes. Det gik helt tæt på mig. Satte sig på hug og kiggede mig lige i øjnene. “Sikke smuk du er”, sagde den. “Hvordan har du dog vokset dig så stor og flot en hat, og så i den vidunderlige orange farve?”. Jeg kiggede på den. Mennesket altså. Vidste overhovedet ikke hvad jeg skulle svare. Den sagde “Hvorfor ser du så overrasket ud? Sig mig, ved du slet ikke hvordan du selv ser ud?”.
… Hvor skulle jeg egentlig vide det fra? Jeg kan da ikke se mig selv og der findes jo ikke nogen spejle her i skoven. Jo nede ved søen, men hvordan skulle jeg dog komme derned…Så rejste mennesket sig, tog en tingest frem og pegede på mig. Satte sig bagefter igen ned til mig, vendte tingesten hen imod mig og jeg fik et chok. Der på tingesten kunne jeg se den smukkeste orange svamp jeg nogensinde havde set. Hvor kom den fra?? Mine ord kom ikke ud af munden på mig, men mennesket sagde: “Det er dig. Du har stået her hele tiden og lyst op i skoven med din sunde, smukke, farverige hat. Nu er det slut med de dårlige tanker om dig selv, ik? Du står der i skyggen af dig selv, men du skulle bare vide hvor smuk du er. Nu ved du det. Husk det!”
Mennesket lagde en lille nød til mig og sagde tak. Jeg ved ikke for hvad… men jeg hviskede også tak…”
THE SHADOW HAT
"I am in chok. It has just dawned on me that it is me who is standing in my way. Now I've been growing for so long, actually my whole life, and have turned into a big, healthy mushroom. Have I heard. It's the kind of thing you hear when people pass by: “Naiii, look at that beautiful mushroom! However, it has the most beautiful color and stands solidly in the forest, showing everything it has come with. It shines!”
Yes, they say so. I try to look up but can't spot any pretty color. From where I stand, and when I look up, it looks like a flat, half-dead orange color. It can't possibly be who people think it is? It does not shine at all? These are the thoughts I have been thinking for a long time. I really thought it was so.
And then the shock hit me today. I'm completely at a standstill. Scared of myself. What have I done to myself? Now I have to explain. Today a person passed me. One of those people who swoon over me, and as usual I sighed and thought that they are talking gibberish again about my beauty, because it doesn't fit. But this person was different. It went very close to me. Crouched down and looked me straight in the eyes. “How beautiful you are”, it said. "How did you grow such a big and beautiful hat, and in that wonderful orange color?". I looked at it. The human being. Didn't know what to answer at all. It said “Why do you look so surprised? Tell me, don't you even know what you look like?”.
… How was I supposed to know that? I can't see myself and there are no mirrors here in the forest. Down by the lake, of course, but how was I supposed to get there...
Then the person stood up, took out a thing and pointed at me. Afterwards sat down next to me again, turned the thing towards me and I got a shock.
There on the thing I could see the most beautiful orange mushroom I had ever seen. Where did it come from?? My words did not come out of my mouth, but the person said, “It is you. You've been standing here the whole time, brightening up the forest with your healthy, beautiful, colorful hat. Now the bad thoughts about yourself are over, right? You stand there in the shadow of yourself, but you just have to know how beautiful you are. Now you know. Remember it!"
The human put a small nut at my feet and said thank you. I don't know for what.
… But I also whispered thank you…”
Copyright © 2022 Christine Louw
