FURTHER MINI ADVENTURES OF THE COMMISSIONER AND HIS DOG We begin with **“The Shadow of the Old Theater”** as Chapter 32: ---

 

# **CHAPTER 32

The Shadow of the Old Theater**

The city slept in apparent peace, but Commissioner Jakub knew that silence often heralds a storm. The phone rang at midnight.

“Commissioner, we have something strange at the old theater on Wiktorii Street,” said the voice on the other end. “Someone left symbols on the walls, and inside they found… well, fragments of documents and unusual markings.”

Jakub glanced at Argo, whose muscles had already tensed instinctively. The dog always sensed when something was wrong.

“We’re going,” he said calmly, but a sharp glint in his eyes.

The theater had been abandoned for years. The large, ornate entrance doors stood ajar, creaking in the rhythm of the night wind. The air smelled of dust, mustiness, and something else—the scent of fear.

Argo sniffed the threshold and growled softly. Jakub knew the dog had sensed something human eyes couldn't see.

Inside, the main hall was vast, filled with old armchairs covered in dust and cobwebs. Traces of its former glory remained on the stage: scattered props, worn curtains, echoing memories of performances.

They noticed the first symbols on the floor—strange characters painted with black paint. They looked like runes, though they weren't part of any known alphabet.

"This doesn't look like a joke," Jakub whispered. "Someone's been working here consciously."

The dog walked ahead, nose to the ground. He stopped suddenly at one of the side corridors.

"There's something here," Jakub said, following him.

The corridor led down to an underground cellar. The stairs creaked under their weight. The air smelled musty, but also the metallic, subtle scent of blood—barely perceptible.

More symbols appeared on the walls, this time more complex, surrounding an old, rusty chest.

Jakub knelt beside it, slowly lifting the lid. Inside, he found documents and old manuscripts. Some were torn, others cut into strips. But one caught his eye—it looked like the journal of an actor who had once worked in the theater.

"Look at this, Argo," he said, reading the fragments. "It looks like someone was trying to hide something very important."

At that moment, something jolted in the hallway. Echoes echoed in the empty theater walls. Argo's growls grew louder, bodies tense, ready to attack.

"Who's there?" Jakub roared.

The shadow of a man moved in the darkness. There was no sound of footsteps, only heavy breathing and the rustle of old curtains. The dog lunged forward, knocking the intruder to the ground. Jakub ran over and saw it was a young man, dressed in a black jacket, his face masked. Fear gleamed in his eyes… but also something else—a dangerous determination.

“Who are you?” Jakub asked, holding him under fire.

“No… I don’t want to hurt anyone!” the boy whispered, trembling. “I… I was just trying to find what disappeared… it’s all here, in the theater…”

Jakub scanned the room. The basement was vast, with several passages leading into deeper, darker tunnels. The symbols on the walls grew more numerous, each leading to another clue.

“Okay, boy,” Jakub said. “You’re helping us. But you have to do exactly as I say.”

The dog picked up a new scent. The scent led to an old, bricked-up passageway that had once been used as a prop store. Jakub and the boy moved aside the bricks, revealing narrow, damp corridors. Every step echoed. The tunnel seemed to have a life of its own—the rustle of air, the droplets of water falling from the ceiling, the creaking of wood beneath their feet.

“Something lurks in the darkness here,” Jacob said, crouching beside Argo.

“It’s not just a symbol,” the boy added, “it’s a map. It leads to something… that no one should ever find.”

Argo suddenly stopped and growled toward a dark corner. A silhouette emerged from the corridor, tall, moving almost silently. The commissioner raised his gun, the dog growling menacingly.

“Who cares about this theater?” Jacob whispered.

The shadow didn’t answer. But the promise of danger gleamed in his eyes.

“Whatever is in this theater,” Jacob said, “we must discover it. And we cannot turn back.”

In that moment, the maze of corridors became a trap. Each step could be the last. And the theater, once a place of art and laughter, now lived in its own shadow.

Jacob looked at Argo. The dog stood still, ready for battle.

"Let's go, boy," the commissioner said. "It's time to uncover the secrets of this place... and bring the truth to light."

Darkness filled the corridors, and the echo of their footsteps was the only witness to what was to come.

--

If you want, I can now write a **continuation of this adventure in the theater**, expanding on the labyrinth of corridors, further traps, dark secrets, and the dramatic confrontation with the shadow.

Would you like me to do it now?