The Unwanted Gift - 2

It is a rainy night outside, the cold spreads over the thick cover that provides warmth for Tom who’s cringing underneath it. The boy is overwhelmed with warmth and after a few moments he sees himself lost away from home, standing on a narrow road edged with short grass while the weather is sunny and hot.

 Tom notices a piece of paper on the ground right at his feet, he picks it up and gazes at it, he sees an unclear map so he rubs his eye with his fingers and opens them again, but it is still unclear, especially with the sun rays reflecting on it. There, Tom raises his head up to the sky looking for the Sun to block its rays with his hand, but he opens his mouth in wonder seeing the Sun smiling and wearing glasses. The Sun notices Tom’s amazement, and says: ‘What’s wrong with you Tom? Don’t you like the weather today?’, Tom remains amazed for a moment then he stutters: ‘You know my name!? The Sun is wearing glasses and talking to me!?’ 

‘Yes, I do! All of us here know your name! ’ The Sun replies, and continues: ‘I’m the pretty Sun, wearing sunglasses and talking to you, but you who have not answered my question yet!’ 

The boy blocks the strong rays of the Sun covering his eyes with his palm, and says: ‘Your rays are so strong and almost blinding my eyes that I can hardly see.’ 

‘Yes, I know that and this is why people wear sunglasses in summer or on sunny days so they can resist my bright rays, while you need glasses to read that map which will guide you home’, replies the burning Sun with a wide smile. 

Tom gets confused and says: ‘But I don\t have glasses!’ 

The Sun moves a little, settles in the middle of the sky, and says: ‘All right, I think that the only suitable solution for you is to hurry towards the school and look for any of those glasses you got rid of in its garden and explained that they were lost to your father and your teacher. Then apologize to the glasses to see if they will accept you to wear them again or not’ 

‘Burning Sun, you know all about me and that I do not like glasses, but when I arrive at the school I will be able to go home from there without needing a map’, says Tom to the burning Sun, but it smiles and says: ‘O poor little boy, believe me you won’t find the way home even if you have arrived at school, you have no choice but reading the map in your hands. 

Tom thanks the burning Sun for its advice and decides to make every effort to reach his glasses and find the way home, while he is on the way he passes by a tree with hefty leaves. He hears a strange sound coming out of it, so he turns towards the sound source and sees an owl following his movements. Tom approaches the owl and says in wonder: ‘An owl wearing glasses! How ironic!’ 

The owl shakes out her feathers, puffs out her chest, and says: ‘Who are you mocking, Tom?’ 

Tom is now ashamed, and he remembers his friends' mockery about him, so he apologizes: ‘Sorry Owl, I didn’t mean to make fun of you, I am just surprised that you’re wearing glasses, even though I know that your eyesight is sharp!’ 

The Owl raises her wings and says: ‘Owls have sharp eyesight indeed, but that only during the night. In the morning our eyesight becomes weaker, that’s why I need glasses to help me distinguish things.’ 

‘Brilliant idea!’ Tom says, and adds in admiration: ‘O smart owl, would you guide me to school so I can find my glasses, please?’ 

The owl is impressed by Tom’s praise and says: ‘Continue on your way until you find the wise turtle at the crossroads, there ask her to guide you to the right way.’ 

Tom thanks the smart owl and sets out on his way until he reaches the crossroads and there he finds a giant tree separating the roads into two paths one to the right and the other to the left, Tom notices something that is moving slowly. Oh, it is a turtle wearing glasses too! He wonders: ‘O slow Turtle with glasses, would you guide me to the right way to school?’ 

The turtle does not respond to his question, and it continues to move slowly, but Tom gets in its way and repeats the question again after he modifies it. 

‘Please wise turtle guide me to the right way to school.’ Here the turtle stops moving and says: ‘Yes I’m slow, and this is how God created me.. This is my nature! It isn’t a defect. Unlike you who have a real issue that needs a solution.’ Tom agrees: ‘Yes I need a solution to determine which is the right way to school.’ 

Follow...........

written by 

Sarah Nabil