He was placed in a strange world. It had walls, but you couldn't see them. They were just glass, but the boy didn't know that. The walls teased the little boy, showing him life-like images of his mother, smiling at him. But when he tried to go to her, the walls pushed him back like an invisible force-field. They forbade him from reaching her, from returning to her familiar arms where he had oft found solace. After a couple of tries, he came to see that the wall was relentless. He stared longingly at his mother, whose image just continued to smile at him as he tried reach her. It was no use, he realized.
He turned around, suppressing his despair, remembering the last instructions his mother had given him.
"I will have to leave you here for a little while. You must not cry."
He examined the strange world again. It was like nothing he had ever seen. Although he had never experienced anything like those walls before, they weren't the most absurd thing in that world. No, it was the ground. The ground was not flat like the ones on which he normally walked. Rather, it was composed of large equally-sized spheres, each larger than his hands, which formed the undulating ground, like sand dunes in a desert. As he stood, his legs were sunken deep within these spheres. He could not see his toes, but it comforted him to know that he could pull his legs out if he wanted. The spheres were of various colors. He strained his mind, trying to remember all the different colors that had been to taught to him, but it was hard to think under these unfamiliar circumstances. After some tremendous mental effort, he remembered their names: red, blue, green, yellow and white. But the effort took a toll on his energy, and, feeling exhausted, he let his knees buckle and fell on the strange floor.
The experience was like nothing he had ever felt. As he fell, the spheres seemed to be clearing the way so that he could sit comfortably. They tickled his legs as they squirmed and popped above the ground, while he fell down. He landed comfortably, pleasantly surprised at their politeness. These spheres were friendly creatures after all. Making himself comfortable, he decided to pick up one of his new comrades, and found they were light and pliant. He threw one a little distance from him, and within a second he forgot where it was, as it camouflaged with the rest of the ground. He picked up another and threw it further. Invigorated by this new experience he stood up again and threw another sphere. All thoughts of his mother had, for the moment, left his head, as he played with his round, colorful friends. He did not even realize how much he was smiling.
Just as he was going to throw what would have been his thirtieth sphere, he heard some movement on the other end of the world. A familiar female voice rung through the world, calling the boy by name. The world was not done giving the boy surprises. In one part of the world, the hand that belonged to the voice reached through a new gap in the wall, an exit, beckoning the boy. The boy had mixed feelings. He was relieved that the wall's power could be surmounted, but simultaneously extremely sad to be leaving this new place. It was a long time since he had been as happy as he was here. With great sorrow, he waded through the floor, clinging tightly to one blue friend in his hands. As he reached the world's exit, however, he was told to put the "ball" back. It was not his. He had to be told three times, before he put it back with stifled tears. Again, something he loved was being forced away from him. He bade farewell to his friends as he left.
"Come on. Time to go back to the orphanage," said the orphanage matron, as she held the little boy's hand.
He turned around, suppressing his despair, remembering the last instructions his mother had given him.
"I will have to leave you here for a little while. You must not cry."
He examined the strange world again. It was like nothing he had ever seen. Although he had never experienced anything like those walls before, they weren't the most absurd thing in that world. No, it was the ground. The ground was not flat like the ones on which he normally walked. Rather, it was composed of large equally-sized spheres, each larger than his hands, which formed the undulating ground, like sand dunes in a desert. As he stood, his legs were sunken deep within these spheres. He could not see his toes, but it comforted him to know that he could pull his legs out if he wanted. The spheres were of various colors. He strained his mind, trying to remember all the different colors that had been to taught to him, but it was hard to think under these unfamiliar circumstances. After some tremendous mental effort, he remembered their names: red, blue, green, yellow and white. But the effort took a toll on his energy, and, feeling exhausted, he let his knees buckle and fell on the strange floor.
The experience was like nothing he had ever felt. As he fell, the spheres seemed to be clearing the way so that he could sit comfortably. They tickled his legs as they squirmed and popped above the ground, while he fell down. He landed comfortably, pleasantly surprised at their politeness. These spheres were friendly creatures after all. Making himself comfortable, he decided to pick up one of his new comrades, and found they were light and pliant. He threw one a little distance from him, and within a second he forgot where it was, as it camouflaged with the rest of the ground. He picked up another and threw it further. Invigorated by this new experience he stood up again and threw another sphere. All thoughts of his mother had, for the moment, left his head, as he played with his round, colorful friends. He did not even realize how much he was smiling.
Just as he was going to throw what would have been his thirtieth sphere, he heard some movement on the other end of the world. A familiar female voice rung through the world, calling the boy by name. The world was not done giving the boy surprises. In one part of the world, the hand that belonged to the voice reached through a new gap in the wall, an exit, beckoning the boy. The boy had mixed feelings. He was relieved that the wall's power could be surmounted, but simultaneously extremely sad to be leaving this new place. It was a long time since he had been as happy as he was here. With great sorrow, he waded through the floor, clinging tightly to one blue friend in his hands. As he reached the world's exit, however, he was told to put the "ball" back. It was not his. He had to be told three times, before he put it back with stifled tears. Again, something he loved was being forced away from him. He bade farewell to his friends as he left.
"Come on. Time to go back to the orphanage," said the orphanage matron, as she held the little boy's hand.
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