speeds never before known to snails. A whole new dimension opened up.
Boy
Snail knew that not all humans were busying themselves fighting each other. Take the boy from the orphanage next to the yard. Snail saw how Boy took care of and gave milk to the cat in the yard. Once, Boy even picked Snail up, whispered kind words to it, and then gently returned Snail back to the leaf it was on. He was different from most of the other boys, who sometimes squished some of Snail's friends just for the fun of it.
Snail came to learn that Boy, like many other orphans, had lost his family in the war. No one ever visited Boy, who spent most of his free time wandering and dreaming in the large back yard behind the orphanage.
Boy was skinny, and his clothes were often dirty and had holes in them. Boy's words were soft spoken and gentle like a soothing breeze.
There were times of despair, when the orphans would fight over a sweet candy or when some other orphans made fun of Boy. Snail could see Boy crying to himself. But no matter what the situation was, you couldn't miss that Boy was a shining star in the baffling, crazy world of humans. Boy shone brightly, like he had the sun in his heart. It was as if Boy held a secret to life, which others somehow missed. This was so powerful that, when looking at Boy, you'd forget the clamor that was going around you. To Snail, it was the best show in town, and Snail wouldn’t miss it for the world.
Snail was set out to find what had turned this boy into a shining star.
No Hope
When Boy first came to the orphanage at the age of 13, he was lost, sad, and filled with rage at those who had killed his family. Boy’s grief and pain were so great that there were times he wished he were a bird. Yes, he would have rather been a free-flying bird than continue to feel pain and anger at this hideous world.
Boy was a maverick and didn't fit in with the gang at the orphanage. Disobeying rules imposed on him by the caregivers at the orphanage, he was often punished and sent to the solitary room instead of being allowed to play outside. He would scream and flail his fists at the boys who teased his solitary ways.
Boy couldn't comprehend the world. His circumstances were overwhelming. He hadn't chosen this life. He longed for his mother’s caress. The memories of his brother, sister, and father were starting to fade. Boy was lost and lonely. Nothing was left in him except warm tears caressing his face as he sometimes whimpered in bed at night, wishing he wouldn't live to see the morning.
Know Hope
Boy was sitting on a log in the orphanage yard when he heard rustling steps in the leaves. Startled, he looked up to see a stray dog staring at him, wagging its tail jovially. With a smile on its face, the dog slowly approached Boy and promptly lay down near Boy’s feet, as if he’d known him for years.
Boy noticed the dog’s sparkling eyes looking curiously at its surroundings, its panting tongue dangling this way and that as if it had a life of its own. Boy could smell the dog’s warm fur. Every so often, the dog would sneak a loving look into Boy’s eyes, who immediately felt a warm rush of joy mixed with wonderment at the dog’s open display of affection and free spirit.
Boy never knew why the dog happened to wander into the yard that day, but he had an immediate connection with the dog. Boy felt he had found someone like him, who was stray and alone. Boy was also drawn by the dog’s free nature and its ability to go wherever it pleased.
The dog, like Boy, was skinny and looked hungry. Boy felt an incontrollable urge to feed the dog. "Wait here while I go find something for you to eat," said Boy.
Boy sneaked into the kitchen at the orphanage and came back with a prized sausage and a few pieces of bread.
"Here you go, Sunny. I brought you a sausage and some bread. I hope you don’t mind me calling you Sunny?"
Sunny the dog was ecstatic to receive the sausage, wolfing it down and then devouring the pieces of bread. When finished, Sunny licked Boy’s hand with its warm sloppy tongue. Boy was overwhelmed by Sunny’s joy and gratitude. Uncontrollable tears gushed down his cheeks. But this time they were tears of joy.
It was a life-altering moment of truth. In Sunny’s calm, serene, openhearted ways, Boy found refuge. Boy felt his mind becoming clear and his heart filling with light. He felt connected and discovered an all-powerful life force within him. Through the act of giving, Boy had rediscovered his once lost joy. He had joy in him!
Boy felt a vision awakened by the experience. He understood something in himself and had been given a new opportunity to live by it - to base his life on giving and helping others.
Boy had discovered he could renew himself. The sadness and anger were still there. They were part of him, but so were joy and a sense of purpose.
Boy now understood that anger wouldn't bring his family back. Peace had to prevail so his tragedy wouldn't happen to others. Setting his resentment aside, Boy had transformed. You see, Boy knew then what we tend to forget:
We are all one big family.
Freedom
One day Boy rescued Snail and some of its snail friends from the other boys, who had started squishing snails. He shouted at them to leave the snails alone, which led to a fistfight. Boy was eventually shoved to the ground and got a bruised knee.
Snail could see Boy's crying eyes as the other boys left him there and ran away. For a moment, Snail and Boy looked at each other. Snail could see a joy start to rise in Boy's crying eyes. Snail saw the whole world with its entire splendor in Boy's eyes. It was riveting.
Snail was saved that day and was relieved to get its freedom back. Snail could feel how Boy, amidst his pain, began to feel free too. And Snail could see how Boy felt so light and free. At that moment, Snail couldn't believe its good fortune. Snail had found one of Boy's secrets:
If you want freedom,
give freedom to someone else.
Happiness
Snail often liked to look out of its shell at the night sky and wonder at the marvelous stars. It made it feel humble and full of awe at the endless size of the cosmos. Snail liked its cozy shell house. It's always comforting to know that you're right at home wherever you go.
Snail often wondered what Boy thought as he looked at the night sky. Snail wished it could talk to Boy. Snail could often tell what Boy was feeling just by looking at him. It was as if Snail was connected to Boy by some kind of sensory feeling. Just like Snail could sense when the rain was coming or when it would be a hot day.
Food rations at the orphanage were sometimes not enough. Boy often felt hungry and dreamed of chocolate cakes and ice cream. Despite this, Boy would always take half a slice of bread to the backyard and crumble it to small pieces on the branch of the big old tree. And as if on cue, all of Boy's bird friends would gather round chirping and flapping their wings in a frenzy of joy.
Boy seemed at his happiest in these gatherings. It was on one particular sunny day that it suddenly became clear - Snail had discovered another of Boy's secrets:
If you want to be happy,
give happiness to someone else.