By Faith Story
He is young, but there is magic in his heart. A discarded cardboard box, to him, is a tool with which to explore. He ties a sheet to the top then stands in the box on top of the sofa, and with a little shove, the box becomes a hot air balloon. He removes the sheet and closes the flaps, sealing up his submarine. Peeling the flaps back, he makes wings to fly out of the water and up into the stars.
But twenty years later, as he takes his seat in his tiny cubicle, a box is just a box.
This story captures how the stifling conformity of adulthood crushes childhood’s vivid creativity. Well done.
Lovely! ??
Wow… A heartfelt message
Such a poignant story and a lesson to us all, reminds me of Billy Collins’ poem “On turning ten” – maybe as authors we can all touch the magic again.
These “disenchanting” stories always get me, and this one is no exception. Well done. Reminds me of the lyrics to Pearl Jam’s “I’m Open”:
When he was six he believed that the moon overhead followed him
By nine he had deciphered the illusion, trading magic for facts
No tradebacks…
So this is what it’s like to be an adult
If he only knew now what he knew then…
Like your story. I agree that for many “adulthood” is a rude awakening.
My grandson is still at the ‘magic’ phase. I loved this story.
Beautiful story