Speaker 1: The child's story. Once upon a time, a good many
years ago, there was a traveler, and he set out
upon a journey. It was a magic journey, and it
would seem very long when he began it, and very
short when he got half way through. He traveled 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
and play with me. So he played with the child
the whole day long, and they were very merry. The
sky was so blue, the sun was so bright, the
water was so sparkling, the leaves were so green, and
they had heard such singing birds and saw so many
butterflies that everything was beautiful. This was in fine mother.
When it rained, I 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 and 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 genie and fairies and
bluebeards and beans, stalks and riches and caverns and forests
and Valentines and orsons, and all new and all true.
But one day, all of a sudden, the traveler lost
the child. He called 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 came to a handsome boy. So he
said to the boy, what do you do here? And
the boy said, I'm always learning. Come and learn with me.
So he learned with that boy about Jupiter and Juno,
and the Greeks and the romans, and I don't know what,
and learned more than I could tell were he either,
for he soon forgot a great deal of it. But
they were not always learning. They had the merriest of
games that ever were played. They rode upon the river
in the summer, and skated on the ice in the winter.
They were active afoot and active on horseback at cricket
and all games at bawl, at prisoner's base, hare and
hounds follow my leader, and more sports than I can
think of. Nobody could beat them. They had holidays too,
and twelfth cakes and parties where they danced till midnight,
and real theaters where they saw palaces of real gold
and silver rise out of the real earth, and saw
all the wonders of the world at once. As to friends,
they had such dear friends, and so many of them
that I want to reckon them up. They were all
so young, like the handsome boy, and were never to
be strange to one another all their lives through. Still,
one day, in the midst of all these pleasures, the
traveler lost the boy as he had lost the child,
and after calling him in vain, went on upon his journey.
So we went on for a little while without seeing anything,
until at last he came to a young man. So
he said to the young man, what do you do here?
And the young man said, I'm always in love, Come
and love with me. So he went away with that
young man, and presently they came to one of the
prettiest girls that was ever seen, just like Fanny in
the corner over there. And she had eyes like Fanny,
and hair like Fanny, and dimples like Fanny's. And she
laughed and colored just as Fanny does when I'm talking
about her. So the young man fell in love directly,
just as somebody I won't mention the first time he
came here did with Fanny. Well, he was teased sometimes,
just as somebody used to be by Fanny. And they
quarreled sometimes, just as somebody and Fanny used to quarrel.
And they made it up, and sat in the dark
and wrote letters every day, and never were happy asunder,
and were always looking out for one another, pretending not to.
They were engaged at Christmas time and sat close to
one another by the fire, and were going to be
married very soon, all exactly like somebody I won't mention
and Fanny. Hmm. But the traveler lost them one day,
as he had lost the rest of his friends, and
after calling them to come back, which they never did,
went on upon his journey. So he went on for
a little while without seeing anything, until at last he
came to a middle aged gentleman. So he said to
the gentleman, what are you doing here? And his answer was,
I'm always busy, Come and be busy with me. So
he began to be very busy with that gentleman, and
they went on through the wood together. The whole journey
was through a wood, only it had been open and
green at first, like a wooden spring, and now began
to be thick and dark like a wooden summer. Some
of the little trees that had come out earliest were
even turning brown. The gentleman was not alone, but had
a lady of about the same age with him, who
was his wife, and they had children who were with
them too. So they all went on together through the wood,
cutting down the trees and making a path through the
branches in the fallen leaves, and carrying burdens and working hard.
Sometimes they came to a long green avenue that opened
into deeper woods. Then they would hear another very little
distant voice crying, Father, Father, I am another child, Stop
for me. And presently they would see a very little figure,
growing larger as it came along, running to join them.
When it came up, they all crowded round it, kissed
and welcomed it, and then they all went on together.
Sometimes they came to several avenues at once, and then
they all stood still, and one of the children said, Father,
I'm going to see and another said, father, I'm going
to India, and another father, I'm going to seek my
fortune where I can, and another father, I am going
to heaven. So, with many tears and parting, they went
solitary down those avenues, each child upon its way, and
the child who went to heaven rose into the golden
air and vanished. Whenever these partings happened, the traveler looked
at the gentleman and saw him glance up at the
sky above the trees, where the day was beginning to
decline in the sunset come on. He saw too that
his hair was turning gray. But they could never rest long,
for they had their journey to perform, and it was
necessary for them to be always busy. At last, there
had been so many partings that there were no children left,
and only the traveler, the gentleman, and the lady went
upon their way in company. And now the wood was yellow,
not brown, and the leaves, even of the forest trees,
began to fall. So they came to an avenue that
was darker than the rest, and were pressing forward on
their journey without looking down it. When the lady stopped.
My husband said, the lady, I am called. They listened,
and they heard a voice a long way down the
avenue say, mother, Mother. It was the voice of the
first child who had said I'm going to heaven. And
the father said, I pray not yet. The sun set
is very near. I pray not yet. But the voice
cried mother, Mother, without minding him, though his hair was
now quite white and tears were on his face. Then
the mother, who was already drawn into the shade of
the dark avenue, moving away, with her arms still a
round his neck, kissed him and said, and my dearest,
I am summoned, and I go. And she was gone,
and the traveler and he were left alone together. And
they went on and on together until they came very
near the end of the wood, so near that they
could see the sun set shining red before them through
the trees. Yet once more, while he broke his way
among the branches, the traveler lost his friend. He called
and called, but there was no reply. When he passed
out of the wood and saw the peaceful sign going
down upon a white, purple prospect, he came to an
old man sitting on a fallen tree. So he said
to the old man, what do you do? And the
old man said, with a calm smile, I am always remembering.
Come and remember with me. So the traveler sat down
by the side of the old man, face to face
with the serene sunset, and all of his friends came
softly back and stood around him. The beautiful child, the
handsome boy, the young man in love, the father, mother,
and children. Every one of them was there, and he
had lost nothing. So he loved them all and was
kind and forbearing with them all, and was always pleased
to watch them all. And they all honored and loved him.
And I think the traveler must be yourself, dear grandfather,
because this won't you do to us? And what we
do to you? And of the Child's Story by Charles
Dickens