Tom Rosenthal - The Boy

The boy sits in a field tall grass above his head, and he's thinking of the path that his ancestors did tread and as he's dreaming of the future a mist does descend, and he wonders if this is the beginning or this is the end

And out of the mist a tall creature does appear, his eyes wide and friendly, his face full of years , he says "we're going on a journey in my hot air balloon, and the time is now so we must get going soon".

They flew over the houses and the streets they use to know, over trains going fast and people going slow, there were snow on the mountains and boats on the sea, and there were lovers in the forest carving their names into a tree

The boys says "where are we going, where are we going to, I'm scared of the future and I'm mildly scared of you, the creature looked down and said "don't be scared of the unknown", we're going to a place in which I have grown

With a sudden gush of wind the balloon fell from the sky, and the boy shut his eyes and hoped he wouldn't die, the creature was calm, he had done this before so he landed the hot air balloon and he opened the door

The boy walked out and he couldn't believe his eyes, there was a flock of sheep floating through the skies followed by a magic carpet on which their shepherd did fly and the boy wondered what was going on.

So he walked through this land with the creature by his side, to his left was a painter, painting the tides, and to his right a pack of wolves did cry to the rise and fall of the moon.

They entered the forest and the trees they hung low, everything was dark and nothing there did grow apart from a single yellow rose that the boy put in his hair

Out of the forest, the snow it did fall, the creature held an umbrella high above the boy then out the of snow appeared an empty platform, and they waited patiently for a train

From far in the distance a train did arrive with a thousand polar bears passengers inside, the creature said to the boy "are you ready for the ride" and the boy said" yes I think I am"

So they sped through the hills and over mountains they did go, over old wooden bridges withered from the cold, and the boy stared out of the window and smiled at all he could see

They travelled through the desert to the setting sun, over streams and rivers to where it all begun, and through the wind and the rain until the days were done, they rode through the land

All of a sudden, the train it did stop, the creature said to the boy "this is where we both get off", and all the polar bear climbed to the top of the train to wave their goodbyes

The pair, now alone, walked through a featureless land, no blade of grass, no grain of sand, and on the horizon a great sea did stand and creature said " this is where I must go"

At the waters edge, nothing more was said, the boy looked at the creature, not a single tear was shed, and the creature laid his hand upon the boys head, and gave him a wink of his eye

The creature turned around and walked slowly to the sea, to go to a place where forever he would be, and with one great leap he leapt into sea and in the blink of an eye he was gone.

The boy stood still, alone now on the shore, he stared into the distance and hoped there would be more, and the yellow rose it fell to the floor and drifted away on the wind.