The Map and the Man
It was a particularly rainy Saturday afternoon. Two children, John and
Rebecca, were becoming increasingly bored, and their father was under strict
orders to keep them entertained while their mother went shopping.
He wanted to watch the sport on television and to read his newspaper,
but the children had demanded his attention. He’d tried them with paper and
colored pencils, but this barely entertained them for five minutes. He’d tried
the television, but they’d seen all the cartoons a dozen times. For some reason
they didn’t even want to play on the computer. And there were still a couple of
hours before their mother returned.
Suddenly, he had an idea. He picked up a magazine; he flicked through
and found a map of the world. “Look at this, kids,” he said. “I am going to cut
this map into pieces, a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. If you can put it together
again, I’ll take you to McDonalds for tea! Is it a deal? [“I would prefer a different
place,” I can hear you say with an accompanying groan.]
The children agreed to give it a try. Their father cut up the map, gave
them a pot of glue, and set them to work on the kitchen table. He meanwhile,
put on the kettle, made himself a cup of coffee, and sat down with his
newspaper in the living room. He was feeling very pleased with himself. “It’ll
take them at least an hour, he thought with a smile.
But barely ten minutes
later he heard, “Finished, Dad!” He couldn’t believe it. He went through into
the kitchen, and there, sure enough, sitting on the table was the completed
map.
“How on earth did you finish it so quickly?” He asked.
“It was easy,” said John. “The map of the world was complicated, but on
the other side was a picture of a man. We just put the man together.”
“Yes,” said Rebecca. “If you get
the man right, the world takes care of itself!”
A story at the end of WARRIOR LOVE by Roger King
