a short children's story
There was a small child; he kept on asking, “Mommy did I do well?” to which his mom responded with: “Yes you did! I love you so much!” The eyes of the small and innocent child lit up from excitement and he thought:
“If mommy’s happy, I’m also happy – and that’s all that matters.”
“I should keep doing good for the rest of my life!” and so the child did.
When the boy goes to school, students form a line at his desk. They start asking questions that the boy hears daily.
“Hey, did you do my assignment?” the student who asked him this is one of the top students.
“Did you write my essay?” he reasoned with the boy that he’s a busy athlete.
“Were you able to fill in for my part time job?” It was only a one time thing.
“Did you attend that meeting I told you to attend for me?” It was an important meeting and the boy had to pay full attention.
These questions filled the classroom, and the boy answered with a happy smile and replied, “Of course I did!” His classmates thanked him, praised him, and adored him.
“Boy can you be the one to represent our class?” his teacher asked. “I would love to, but –,” he tried to muster a reply. He was already so busy with all of the help he gives to other students but he doesn't want to disappoint his teacher.
“You can’t do it?” his teacher cuts him off. “No teacher, of course I can!” he said with a smile. The boy studied all night for the competition. He was so focused that he forgot to do his classmates' assignments, attend his classmate’s meeting, and fill in for his classmate’s part time job.
The competition culminated with him gaining victory over the winning title. He was so happy for everyone praised him when out of nowhere, a classmate suddenly interjected. “I’m so happy you won, but you did do my assignment right?” The boy starts to feel his heart race.
“That reminds me, you didn’t go to my part time job!” his classmate shouts; another one bellows “And my meeting – you weren’t there for god’s sake!” The boy flinched with each voice that raised at him.
The boy covered his ears as everyone started shouting, screaming, and crying to him about how he didn’t do their tasks. He felt horrible, tears welling up in his eyes. He was confused he won the competition for the class and yet they’re still angry with him?
“I’m sorry, I was busy with –,” He tried to reason with his classmates but he was quickly cut off.
“Busy? You promised me you’d do it!”, his classmates responded. The boy ran far away, as far as he could until he reached home.
The boy rushes to his desk and begins on his classmates assignments, projects, and tasks. He attended the meeting and filled in the part time job. When he came to school the next day, the line wasn’t there. The boy asks, “Why are you not getting your assignments?” The boy expected praise and gratitude but was met with a snobbish reply.
“Forget it, I can do it myself,” they respond nonchalantly, completely disregarding the boy. The boy felt sad – guilty, even. He broke his promise. From then on, his classmates left him, ignored him, and tossed him aside.
The boy felt so sad that he cried on his way home. When he came home, his mother and father were on the dining table. “Child can you sit down?” his mother asked. He sat down. The mother started praising the boy, saying how he has been such a kind and dutiful son. The boy smiled and felt happy hearing this when suddenly, his mother asked a question. “Child, can you give Father your kidney? He needs it, and you’re the only one who can do it.” The boy's smile fell, and he paused to think about it. He weighed that if he gave his kidney to his already sickly father, he in turn would be weak and cautious with the way he lives. But if he didn’t give his father his kidney his father would die and his mother would be disappointed. What if his mother leaves him too?
“You won’t do it? Without your kidney, your father could die!” his mother roars. “I’ll do it mother! I will.” His mother leapt with glee as he hugged not her son but her husband.
The boy lived peacefully from then on with one kidney, when suddenly it was announced that his mother was pregnant. He felt happy – he was getting a sibling he could take care of. When his sister was born, she was born weak. His sister had to grow up in a hospital and he felt sad for her, so he visited his sister often. “Big brother, could you wheel me to the garden? Mother’s there to meet us for a picnic.”
There sat his mother, on the picnic table. He wheeled his sister to the table and sat down across from his mother. His mother opens her mouth to ask, “Son, can I ask you for one last thing? It will be the only thing I ask of you.” The boy was excited to help and make his mother smile again.
“Mother, you can always ask me anything, I’ll always say yes, what is it?” the boy questions back. His mother’s face contorted to a wide grin. The boy felt happy when he saw his mother’s smile, but felt uneasy with a reason he can’t pinpoint.
“Always say yes? If so, my kind, loving, and dutiful child. Can you give your heart to your sister? You were the only match.” There it is, the reason for his uneasiness, his mother was asking him to give his life!
The boy stared at his mother blankly, and it registered, “The last thing? My life?”
The boy stands up to shout. “Mother, you want me to give my life for my sister? Do you want me dead? Am I nothing to you?” For the first time the boy stood up for himself and started to talk back to his mother.
“No son, as a dutiful son, this is your responsibility as a big brother!” A dutiful son? My responsibility as the older sibling? Was that my part in the family? The boy asked himself these questions and can’t seem to think straight.
“No Mother, I cannot give my heart to her, I can’t!”
The boy was scared for his life so he ran, he ran as fast as he could, with his mother chasing him and her sister wheeling herself to chase him. He felt his speed slowing down and his energy running out.
“Brother, don’t you love me?” his sister asks while wheeling. He doesn't respond and chooses to run. Even if his energy was running out he needed to run away, when he gets away he’ll finally be free.
“Hey, you haven’t done my homework yet, get back here!” a classmate runs and chases him too.
He ran with all his might, until he felt a hand grip his ankle making him fall. He looks back and it’s his father. He felt a chill run down his spine, surely his father wouldn't do him badly right? He gave his kidney to his father!
“Son, if you gave me your kidney, give your sister your heart!” The boy's tears began to fall even harder. That was the reason? I shouldn't have given my father my kidney after all!
The boy thought.
“Father let go of me!” He struggles against his father but to no avail, he can’t set himself free.
Soon his mother reaches him. “Son, just sign this paper, sign it now!” He refuses and so his mother finds a nearby stick and smacks his head.
The boy is awoken in a room – he looks to his side to see his mother, father, and sister all grinning at him. “Brother, thank you for signing the paper, I love you and I’ll miss you.” He looks at the paper with his thumb stamped on it, “Mother no, please Mother I don’t want to die! I want to live!”
To that his mother responds: “You’ve lived enough son, give your sister a chance.” The boy is silenced, and his father says, “Son I am so proud of you, you are the best son I could’ve ever asked for.” He looks at his father and says, “Really father? Am I the best?” His father nodding his head, his mother then adds, “Son, you were the light of my life, but you got to eat out, have friends, and see the sun. All of which your sister can’t do.”
“Son, this is for your sister. I love you both equally, maybe I love you more.” Finally, his sister says, “Brother, I love you so much that I want your heart to be mine. Thank you for giving me the chance to experience the world.”
With all the praises that he heard, the boy smiled for one last time and asked, “Mom, I did well, right?” to which his mother responds with a big grin. He knew this smile was sinister but he couldn’t help but feel warm with his mother’s grin.
“Yes, yes you did my son. You are truly the gift that can’t stop giving. I love you.”
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