The Child's Story

“The Child's Story” is one of the outstanding stories of the first biannual International Short Story Contest 2018 written by Thaneeshwar Subramanian, Sekolah Jenis Kebangsaan Tamil, Kedah, Malaysia.

The Child's Story

Once upon a time, a good many years ago, there was a traveller and he sat upon a journey. It was a magic journey and was to seem very long when he began it, and very short when he got half way through.

He travelled along a rather dark path for some little time, without meeting anything, until at last he came to a beautiful child. So he said to the child, “What do you do here?” And the child said, “I am always at play. Come play with me!”

So, he played with that child, the whole day long, and they were very merry. The sky was blue, the sun was so bright, the water was so sparkling, the leaves were so green, the flowers were so lovely, and they heard such singing birds and saw many butterflies, everything was so beautiful. This was in fine weather. When it rained, they loved to watch the falling drops and to smell the fresh scents. When it blew, it was delightful to listen to the wind, and fancy what it said, as it came rushing from its home where was that, they wondered! Whistling and howling, driving the clouds before it, bending the trees, rumbling in the chimneys, shaking the house, and making the sea roar in fury.

But, when it snowed, that was the best of all; for they liked nothing so well as to look up at the white flakes falling fast and thick like down from the breasts of millions of white birds; and to see how smooth and deep the drift was; and to listen to the hush upon the paths and roads.

They had plenty of the finest toys in the world, and the most astonishing picture-books: all about scimitars and slippers and turbans and dwarfs and giants and genii and fairies, and blue-beards and bean-stalks and riches and caverns and forests and Valentines and Orsons: and all new and all true.

But, one day, of a sudden, the traveller lost the child. He called to him over and over again, but got no answer. So, he went upon his road and went on for a little while without meeting anything. Until at last, he became so worried and sad.

A few hours later, the child came from a large bush. The traveller asked the child many questions. But the child could be able to answer all the questions by the traveller. At last, they became friends.