Moral Kids Short Story – Life goes on
Photo credit: Jusben from morguefile.com
A little boy once, found himself walking across a line of stores. His small legs took their time crossing each one of them. All of a sudden his eyes got stuck on something. It was something in one of the stores; a box full of wrapped chocolates. He walked into the store with his bright eyes firmly stuck on the box, his face; a round one, with as big as smile as it could possibly hold. He kept staring at the box as he removed the sum equivalent to it from his little red purse.
He took out a few coins and placed it on the shopkeeper’s desk pointing towards the box. The shopkeeper didn’t move an inch. The boy went back to his purse and placed a few more coins on the desk. The shopkeeper still remained unmoved. The boy wasn’t going to leave without the box and stood firm. He was then informed by the shopkeeper than the sum is not the issue; the box has already been sold. The boy realised the shopkeeper was lying but he could do little about it.
He wanted the chocolate box and was ready to do anything for it. Going back into his purse he removed a ridiculously high amount and placed it on the desk expecting the shopkeeper to reason with him. This was not to happen as the shopkeeper refused to sell the chocolate box. The shopkeeper’s eyes were cold and calculating; the facial muscles firm and expression blank. It embodied what would be an unreasonable object.
The young boy’s heart could bear no more. His bright eyes turned misty as they went back and forth from the shopkeepers insensitive eyes to the chocolate box. He stamped his feet on the ground and threw every tantrum known to him. His despair turned to anger and back to anguish and his misty eyes had now started watering. The shopkeeper slowly moved towards the box; took 1 chocolate out and placed in on the desk in front of the boy. The boy’s tears vanished and he quickly grabbed it. His face changed colours again as he felt the shopkeeper had finally accepted to sell the box of chocolates. He smiled and looked on expecting the shopkeeper to make the next move.
The shopkeeper without moving kept his cold stare on the boy. Soon, the kid realised that a single chocolate was all that he was offered. The box was still not going to be his in spite of the number of coins offered and the emotions shown. He found this unfair and hard to digest. He couldn’t reason with the shopkeeper nor know the true reason as to why it was not being given to him.
Between the lie, the shopkeeper and the single chocolate offered, the boy was confused. He stood there quietly. He then took the chocolate offered, and unwrapped it. As he was about to put it in his mouth something struck his mind. He re wrapped the chocolate and placed it back on the desk. He had had learned one of the many lessons a man learns in his lifetime. He knew, what he had offered was more than a fair amount for the chocolates. He knew he deserved to get the whole box and not just a single chocolate in it.
He realised that in a moment of weakness he had actually made the mistake of unwrapping the chocolate, thus accepting the unfair offer. He knew he wanted more and that by having the single chocolate his want for the whole box wouldn’t have suppressed. Also, had he eaten it, the shopkeeper would then be in a position to claim fairness saying a deal was met, even though it was an unfair one. The boy took a step back, wiped his tears and looked straight back at the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper still maintaining the same ice cold look. The boy was a changed man now.
Though small he had enough pride so as to not take the coins back. He punished himself by not taking the coins back and instead took the blame for it. He realised it was his offer for the chocolates and not the shopkeeper’s demand which made him pay the sum. He walked out of the store and stared at the box through the glass entrance of the shop. The shopkeeper kept still. The boy deep in his heart, harboured expectations that the shopkeeper would feel sorry for him and give the box to him. But that was not to happen.
A few moments later; the boy turned his face away from the box. It was the hardest thing he had done in his young life. He was a changed man again, but now was the hard part; to move on ahead which seemed almost an impossible task for his tiny legs to do. His virtual self pushed and pulled him but to no avail, he couldn’t move away from the chocolate box he so badly wanted. His eyes tearing again and face turning red with grief, he knew a decision needed to be made, and made soon.
He looked at the shopkeeper again who in spite of all the boy was going through, remained ever so calm & cold in his behaviour. The shopkeeper took the single chocolate that was offered to the kid and put it back in the box as if nothing had happened. This proved to be the final nail in the coffin of the boy’s expectations. He couldn’t believe his eyes for a second. The tears stopped; he had changed again. This time he realized the shopkeeper’s behaviour was something that he would have to live with and the chocolate box, something without. He realized he had done his bit there. His tiny feet took a few steps forward.
It was hard for the kid to go through with it, but he had to. He had done something which many find very difficult to do; accept the reality. He looked at the chocolate box for a last time which was now almost out of his sight. This time he did it not out of sorrow or grief but with intent. He knew it was something that he would never have. He made his final realization then; that he came out of the store the same as he had gone in. A few coins lost and a few priceless lessons learnt. It seemed a fair deal to him now. He had no complains and no issues anymore.
He realization was that the store is this world, the shopkeeper; our life, the box of chocolates; our desires, the offered chocolates; a test which he had passed and the moving on process; his enlightenment. He learned that he didn’t need the chocolate box anymore. All he wanted was to full fill his want. He did not settle for less as his ambitions were set high. He didn’t disrespect the single chocolate offered as it represented a part of his desires but kept it back thus taking a stand. He didn’t walk away thinking that he would get a better box of chocolates but with the thought that he wanted what he deserved and paid for, and to settle for less would compromise what he desired.
He realized he has a long life which lies ahead of him, which may offer him many more boxes. He doesn’t need to pick a better one necessarily, but to pick something which he wants, desires, deserves and can pay for. He walks on looking at the other stores, having realized above everything else, that we can’t have everything that we want, that life is unfair, but its fair in its very own way which everyone needs to see, to accept it, and then live with it, for life indeed goes on…
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