Post by tengwartranslator on Mar 8, 2005 20:14:10 GMT -5
Here's a short little allegory I wrote that I'd like to share with you guys.
In a small city, in a lonely building, there lived three children. One was called John, a boy with a somewhat wealthy family whose parents would buy him anything he asked for, yet he felt he was missing something. Another child was called Mary, whose father was unemployed, and so she and her mother worked tirelessly to support their family. Because she never stopped working, she constantly had a weak appearance, and would be chased and made fun of by other children. The final child, called Peter, was the oldest of all the children in the building, and he only had his mother, who most of the time was very sick. Because of this, Peter alone ran his family, and because of the stress he was under most of the time, he would constantly go into depression, and tried to find a place of solitude.
One Thursday afternoon, the three children had left the building, each one for a different reason. John’s parents were invited to a party, which took place in a mansion far away from where they lived, so they had left in the afternoon. John had a sudden feeling of emptiness while looking at his things bought by his parents, so he left the building for a short walk. While walking, he came to the edge of the town, and he saw a large forest. Feeling curious and hoping to find something, he went into the forest.
Maria, whose father had left for a job application and mother was out working, had received a threatening phone call from a group of kids that had chased her before. Afraid, she ran from her home to the forest at the end of town. Peter’s mother was feeling severely ill, and did not want any company, including her son. Peter left, feeling a little depressed, and came to a forest at the end of town.
As the children walked into the forest, they eventually came to a large clearing, where the three of them met. They continued walking and eventually came to a small tree in the middle of the clearing. The children were somehow drawn to it, and immediately all feelings of sadness that they had left them. They played around the tree for house, and played with each other. Eventually, the sun set, and the three children, realizing that they lived in the same place, returned home together. As they went home, Maria felt a new sense of confidence in her, and felt that she was unable to be intimidated by anyone. John had now found what he was missing in such a large collection of possessions, and Peter now felt better, and talked to his mother the rest of the night, who was also beginning to feel better.
On Friday morning, a loud whistle awakened the children. They eventually realized it was a construction whistle, and quickly got dressed and headed towards the end of town. But, as the came to the edge of the town, they saw no forest. There were lumberjacks with machines that had worked tirelessly throughout the night to cut down a large portion of the forest. The whistle that they had heard was a whistle for the men to finish their work for the day. As they looked across the once magnificent field of trees, a sense of dread came over them. They ran to the center of the forest where the clearing had been, and they stopped, and became filled with sadness. The small tree was now a small stump, looking helpless and almost pathetic in the bright sunlight. The children began to cry intensely, and eventually realized that, although they were crying for the tree, they were crying for something else, too. Maria cried for sheer disbelief in herself, thinking that she was somehow not strong enough to have protected the little tree. John cried for all the things he owned, hoping that some of them had been cut to pieces instead of this tree. Peter looked at the tree and saw his mother; sick, perishing, dying, and he began to feel hopeless and alone.
Without saying anything, the children returned home, only to find that this would not be a good Friday. Maria discovered her father had not gotten the job he applied for, and instead of being greeted by a happy father; she was greeted by a letter of refusal to pay bills by the caretaker of the building. John saw his parents panicking, and asked what was wrong. They told him that the stocks they had invested their money in had dropped considerably in the market today, and unless certain arrangements were made, the companies would have to file bankruptcy, and John’s family would most likely have to move to a poorer part of town. Peter returned home to find no one except a note, signed on a paper with a symbol that looked like two snakes on it. His mother had gone into cardiac arrest, and was rushed to the hospital by a neighbor. Peter ran to the hospital and stayed there all night, but doctors eventually told Peter that there was nothing they could do for her mother; even though she was conscious, she had no energy, and probably would not ever get out of the hospital bed. They gave their regrets, and instructed Peter to return home.
Early Sunday morning, as Peter was returning to his house, he passed by the end of town, and saw Maria and John there. The three children exchanged hugs and did not say anything for a long time. Maria eventually looked towards where the forest had been, and suddenly stopped. She was not sure of what she had seen, but when she looked again she knew what it was. She quickly ran over to the empty forest, and Peter and John followed her. John reached the spot where Maria was standing first, near the stump of the small tree that they had loved. When Peter arrived, he looked down, and became overwhelmed with joy. There, inside a small crack of the stump, was a tiny branch with a leaf on it. The children were overwhelmed with happiness as they witnessed the return of their beloved tree.
The small branch would continue to grow, and the children would continue to live in their building on the other side of town. By the time the branch had become several branches, John’s family was able to stay in their house due to the fact that, with some quick financial managing, the businesses that they had invested in were flourishing once again. By the time the branches had become a small bush, Maria’s father had received a call from a business that attempted to change its mind about hiring him. By the time the small bush had become a small tree once again, Peter’s mother, experiencing an amazing recovery, was finally able to come home, both of them feeling better than they had ever felt before.
The Tree
In a small city, in a lonely building, there lived three children. One was called John, a boy with a somewhat wealthy family whose parents would buy him anything he asked for, yet he felt he was missing something. Another child was called Mary, whose father was unemployed, and so she and her mother worked tirelessly to support their family. Because she never stopped working, she constantly had a weak appearance, and would be chased and made fun of by other children. The final child, called Peter, was the oldest of all the children in the building, and he only had his mother, who most of the time was very sick. Because of this, Peter alone ran his family, and because of the stress he was under most of the time, he would constantly go into depression, and tried to find a place of solitude.
One Thursday afternoon, the three children had left the building, each one for a different reason. John’s parents were invited to a party, which took place in a mansion far away from where they lived, so they had left in the afternoon. John had a sudden feeling of emptiness while looking at his things bought by his parents, so he left the building for a short walk. While walking, he came to the edge of the town, and he saw a large forest. Feeling curious and hoping to find something, he went into the forest.
Maria, whose father had left for a job application and mother was out working, had received a threatening phone call from a group of kids that had chased her before. Afraid, she ran from her home to the forest at the end of town. Peter’s mother was feeling severely ill, and did not want any company, including her son. Peter left, feeling a little depressed, and came to a forest at the end of town.
As the children walked into the forest, they eventually came to a large clearing, where the three of them met. They continued walking and eventually came to a small tree in the middle of the clearing. The children were somehow drawn to it, and immediately all feelings of sadness that they had left them. They played around the tree for house, and played with each other. Eventually, the sun set, and the three children, realizing that they lived in the same place, returned home together. As they went home, Maria felt a new sense of confidence in her, and felt that she was unable to be intimidated by anyone. John had now found what he was missing in such a large collection of possessions, and Peter now felt better, and talked to his mother the rest of the night, who was also beginning to feel better.
On Friday morning, a loud whistle awakened the children. They eventually realized it was a construction whistle, and quickly got dressed and headed towards the end of town. But, as the came to the edge of the town, they saw no forest. There were lumberjacks with machines that had worked tirelessly throughout the night to cut down a large portion of the forest. The whistle that they had heard was a whistle for the men to finish their work for the day. As they looked across the once magnificent field of trees, a sense of dread came over them. They ran to the center of the forest where the clearing had been, and they stopped, and became filled with sadness. The small tree was now a small stump, looking helpless and almost pathetic in the bright sunlight. The children began to cry intensely, and eventually realized that, although they were crying for the tree, they were crying for something else, too. Maria cried for sheer disbelief in herself, thinking that she was somehow not strong enough to have protected the little tree. John cried for all the things he owned, hoping that some of them had been cut to pieces instead of this tree. Peter looked at the tree and saw his mother; sick, perishing, dying, and he began to feel hopeless and alone.
Without saying anything, the children returned home, only to find that this would not be a good Friday. Maria discovered her father had not gotten the job he applied for, and instead of being greeted by a happy father; she was greeted by a letter of refusal to pay bills by the caretaker of the building. John saw his parents panicking, and asked what was wrong. They told him that the stocks they had invested their money in had dropped considerably in the market today, and unless certain arrangements were made, the companies would have to file bankruptcy, and John’s family would most likely have to move to a poorer part of town. Peter returned home to find no one except a note, signed on a paper with a symbol that looked like two snakes on it. His mother had gone into cardiac arrest, and was rushed to the hospital by a neighbor. Peter ran to the hospital and stayed there all night, but doctors eventually told Peter that there was nothing they could do for her mother; even though she was conscious, she had no energy, and probably would not ever get out of the hospital bed. They gave their regrets, and instructed Peter to return home.
Early Sunday morning, as Peter was returning to his house, he passed by the end of town, and saw Maria and John there. The three children exchanged hugs and did not say anything for a long time. Maria eventually looked towards where the forest had been, and suddenly stopped. She was not sure of what she had seen, but when she looked again she knew what it was. She quickly ran over to the empty forest, and Peter and John followed her. John reached the spot where Maria was standing first, near the stump of the small tree that they had loved. When Peter arrived, he looked down, and became overwhelmed with joy. There, inside a small crack of the stump, was a tiny branch with a leaf on it. The children were overwhelmed with happiness as they witnessed the return of their beloved tree.
The small branch would continue to grow, and the children would continue to live in their building on the other side of town. By the time the branch had become several branches, John’s family was able to stay in their house due to the fact that, with some quick financial managing, the businesses that they had invested in were flourishing once again. By the time the branches had become a small bush, Maria’s father had received a call from a business that attempted to change its mind about hiring him. By the time the small bush had become a small tree once again, Peter’s mother, experiencing an amazing recovery, was finally able to come home, both of them feeling better than they had ever felt before.