If you get the man right, the world takes care of itself.

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