Don't know why I'm on an innocence kick right now. It's annoying, I need to get my mischief back so I can write Devil's Night! But, Yom Kippur definitely kicks the mischief out of you, so I've got this. When you read, be sure to imagine it reads like a children's book. It is, of course, inspired by "Love You Forever," which I do not own.
Enjoy!
Once there was a country. He wasn't a big country, but he was very strong and very brave to make up for it. Every day he wished that he could see new places and meet new people and learn new things. Sometimes he did, and he was happy. Mostly he didn't, so he would sit in his big house and pretend that he wasn't lonely.
One day, someone told him about a strange land all the way across the sea, so he and his neighbor got in their big boats, put on their big hats and sailed all the way across the sea to the New World. And even though he and his neighbor hated each other very much, they were very excited to see new places and meet new people and learn new things across the sea.
When they got to the New World, they stretched out their backs and looked around. It was a beautiful place, filled with grass and trees and strange plants that turned out to be very tasty. They saw animals that they had never seen before and they met people who spoke a silly sounding language they had never heard. The small country smiled and he was happy.
The small country and his neighbor went for a walk, even though they hated each other very much. They walked through endless grass and big forests. They walked past lazy bears and friendly deer. They walked until the sun was very low in the sky and they came to a big river where they decided to rest for the night.
When it was very dark out, the small country was woken up by his neighbor. He rubbed his eyes and sat up. "What is it?" he said.
"I think there's something out there," the neighbor said, frightened.
The small country stood up and stretched. "I'm sure there is," he said, "but I don't think it wants to hurt you."
The neighbor trembled. "How do you know?"
The small country turned to the big, open plains and he shouted under the moonlight: "Is there anybody out there?"
There was a rustle in the grass and the neighbor threw his blanket over his head so the thing in the plains wouldn't see him. But the small country was very brave and he talked to the thing in the plains:
"Why don't you come out so we can talk to you? My neighbor and I have come from all the way across the sea to see new places and meet new people and learn new things. We promise we won't hurt you."
The small country watched as the grass rustled and out popped a little boy's face. His neighbor yelled out because he was very frightened, and the little boy suddenly ran away, scared. The small country called after him to come back, but he was long gone. There was nothing he and his neighbor could do but sleep.
In the morning, the small country and his neighbor woke up. The neighbor was very well rested, but the small country didn't get any sleep because he was thinking about the strange wild boy in the plains. As far as the small country knew, the little boy was the only person for miles and miles and miles. The small country felt sorry for the little boy in the plains because he knew what it was like to be alone.
The small country and his neighbor walked. They walked and they walked and they walked. The walked past funny furry animals and funny painted people. They walked part gurgling brooks and tall forests. They walked until their feet were very sore and they sat down to have lunch.
And then the small country heard the grass rustle and he smiled. His neighbor shook in fear, but the small country talked to the little boy in the grass:
"Are you hungry? My neighbor and I would be happy to make you some lunch if you come out and talk to us. We come from all the way across the sea to see new places and meet new people and learn new things. We promise we won't hurt you."
The grass rustled and out popped a little boy's head. The neighbor yelled out in fear, but the little boy was braver now and he stepped out of the grass.
The small country looked at the tiny boy and smiled. "Hello," he said. "Do you live here?"
The tiny boy shuffled his feet bashfully. "Yes," he said.
"Who do you live with?" the small country asked.
The tiny boy frowned sadly. "I live alone," he said. "I lost my brother a long time ago, and now I am all by myself."
"It's very dangerous to be so small and so alone," the small country said. "Aren't you scared?"
"I'm not scared," the little boy laughed. "I'm very brave. I'm just very lonely out here."
The small country felt his heart skip a beat. He had always been very lonely all by himself in the middle of the ocean and had always wished that he had a brother to play with and make him less lonely.
"Since you don't have anyone to look out for you," the small country said, "would you mind being my little brother? I am also very alone in my big house, and sometimes I wish that I had a little brother to play with so I wouldn't be so lonely."
The little boy smiled, but the small country's neighbor yelled out.
"No!" the neighbor said. "Don't be this small country's little brother! Be my little brother! I am very wealthy and I would be better at taking care of you than he would. When you come to visit my home across the sea, I will take you to look at the finest art. I will feed you the finest foods. I will play with you all day and make you happy."
As a gift, the neighbor unwrapped a special cheese that he was saving for dessert and held it out to the little boy. The little boy's belly grumbled and he took it and ate it all in one bite.
"Yummy!" the little boy said. "I've never had anything so tasty!"
The neighbor smirked at the small country and the small country was very sad. He would have loved to have such a brave and sweet little boy for a little brother, but his food was bland and tasteless and he had nothing yummy to give the hungry little boy from the plains.
The small country started to walk away, sad. But he felt something tug on his arm and he looked down.
The little boy from the plains looked up at the small country with eyes as big as saucers. "Where are you going?" the little boy asked. "I thought you said you were going to be my big brother and play with me so I won't be lonely."
The small country looked at him in surprise. "I thought you wanted my neighbor to be your big brother."
The little boy shook his head. "Your neighbor knows about a lot of things. He knows about art and he knows about cooking. He knows about big houses and shiny yellow necklaces. He knows about horses and books and clothes and music. But he doesn't know what it's like to be all alone and he doesn't know what it's like to have to be brave."
The small country smiled at the little boy and picked him up. "You are a very strange little boy, to pick me over my neighbor."
The little boy closed his eyes and fell asleep, safe for the very first time.
The small country walked. He walked and he walked and he walked. He walked past bushes filled with singing birds and villages filled with singing people. He walked past roaring rivers and whistling grass. He walked until his feet were very sore and he kept walking. And as he walked, he sang:
"I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living,
My brother you'll be."