Talent Hapsetshut

All I want

By Hapsetshut | 2008

All I want

Once upon a time there was a little girl who wore a white dress that looked like snow. She was walking along a road that seemed to go on forever with no end in sight, when she came across a flower. Not just any flower mind you, for this flower just happened to be the most beautiful flower she had ever seen, to be precise. It’s thick sweet aroma filled the air as she approached, it sort of reminded her of candy.
To the girl’s surprise the flower bowed and began to speak to her.
“Hello little girl. What is it you desire?”
“Desire?” The girl wondered why the flower would ask such a thing.
“Yes. I am a magic flower you see, who grants wishes to all who travel upon this road. I only ask for two simple things in return. The first be that after I grant your wish you must come back to here and tell me if you are happy with it or not.”
“Why on earth would you want to know that?”
“I take my work very seriously. If someone is not happy with their wish I will grant them a new one and keep granting them wishes until they are
happy.” The girl had been wondering why the flower seemed so concerned with everything but itself, but what the flower had just said seemed to answer that question. This pretty little flower and nothing in the world but it’s work.
“Two,” the girl said suddenly.
“Hmm?” The flower responded with a surprisingly curious look for one that had no face.
“You said you ask for two things in return. What is the other?”
“Ah, yes. The other request. You must answer a question of mine.”
“A question?” This seemed like an odd thing for a flower to ask. What could a flower who has nothing but its work possibly have a question about, she wondered to herself.
“Yes my dear, a question. You see in my years I have become such a curious thing and I would like to know even just a little about the people upon the road.”
“What is the question then?”
“It is a simple question indeed and I do ask it to everyone I meet but I feel compelled to ask it all the same. My question is simple and simply, why are you walking on my road?” The girl stared at the flower for a moment with the word “perplexion” plastered upon her face.
“That is a very strange question for you to ask.”
“Oh is it?”
“Yes, for firstly, I do not believe that this is your road. This road belongs to anyone and everyone who chooses to walk upon it, not for one person or creature to control and own. That is why it seems so odd of you to ask that question. Now secondly, to give a truthful answer to your question, I am walking on this road, because I am looking for something, that I have not yet
found. But I believe, if I keep walking I shall find it.”
“My my, what a smart girl,” the flower said with glee clapping it’s leaves together with excitement. “I have considered your statement and deemed you worthy. I shall grant your wish! Now tell me,” the flower bowed again, “what is the object that you desire?”
“I desire…..nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
“Then you are happy?”
“No.”
“Then you are sad?”
“No.”
“Then you are somewhere in the middle?”
“No, well, I don’t think so.”
“So you‘re not exactly sure how you feel?”
“I suppose so. That seems to fit best.”
“And there’s no object you desire?”
“Yes. There is nothing I can think of that I need or want.”
“Oh my,” the flower rested its blossom on one of its leaves and seemed to be pondering, “What a pickle. What a pickle indeed.”
“Is this really that big of a problem?”
“Yes actually. You see I am required to grant wishes to all who cross my
path, that I see fit of coarse, and who are unhappy, or in your case not happy. And I just hate to see people not happy, because people are always happier when they’re happy, don’t you think?”
“Yes, that would seem to be true.”
“Hmm, I know!” The flower exclaimed as it snapped its leaves, surprisingly well for something that has no fingers. “I shall grant you wishes that people in the past have wished for and if you are not happy with it I shall refund the wish in full.”
“That sounds like a good solution.”
“I thought so too,” it cooed with a sense of self-satisfaction. At this the girl thought that for something that was not terrible concerned with itself it still mange to act a good bit self satisfying. “Now let’s see.” The flower thought for a moment.
“Oh, I know! The one I granted this for was very pleased with it indeed!” The flower clapped its leaves together and touched the ground. The ground then shook and cracked. Giant vines came up though it, tangled around each other in a vortex of chaos! And through all this the girl did not flinch. She showed no sign of fear, or emotion at all for that matter, any normal little girl would probably be terrified out of their mind, but it was fine all the same for she was never in any danger. The vines parted and placed a lovely little decorated box on the ground in front of her. It opened, by itself, to reveal a beautiful fan, made of the finest materials and had the most beautiful kinds of flowers painted upon it. When it was waved the wind would turn many colors and sang to the holder. The flower bowed and said, “I hope this will bring you happiness.” And with this the girl left. The girl had great fun with the fan at first, making the wind sing and turn colors was very amusing, but after a few days she returned to the flower.
“Oh,” the flower sighed with great grievance. “You didn’t like it?”
“Oh no! It’s a beautiful fan it’s just, not what I need.”
“Hmm, alright. As promised, I shall refund your wish in full.” The flower clapped its leaves together once again and touched the ground. The vines came out of the earth once again caring the box. The girl gingerly handed the fan to one of the vines who proceed to place it back within the box, then the vines and the box disappeared back within the earth. “Now, let’s see let’s see.” And to the girl’s surprise the flower began to pace. Well, she assumed it was pacing, for the flower was bobbing up and down in the dirt and going from one side of the road to the other and she couldn’t think of anything else the flower could possible be doing except for pacing. “Hmm, what. What would a child like? Hmm….ah!” The flower clapped its leaves together and squealed with glee. “Oh I’m sure you’ll like this one!” It again clapped its leaves together and placed them to the ground and as before the earth cracked and opened. This time instead of vines a marble fountain, with beautiful engravings and statues with craftsmanship, in which the likes of had never been seen! The statues were of three graceful gleaming dolphins, leaping from the water with the waves cradling their form, and in the middle of the trio there was a beautiful mermaid with hair as fine as air and smooth pearly skin. The bluest and most pure water the girl had ever beheld flowed from the mermaid’s hands and the dolphin’s mouths. To top it all off, the fountain floated and followed her around. The flower bowed and said, “I hope this will bring you happiness.” Again as before the girl at first, had great fun with the fountain, but after a few days she again, returned to the flower.
“You didn’t like that either?”
“Oh no! Again, it was beautiful, but I still…just don’t need it.”
“Hmm,” the flower thought long and hard and finally snapped its fingers and exclaimed, “Ah! How silly of me. Little girls don’t want fans or fountains.”
The flower tapped its leaves together and touched the ground once more. The fountain landed on the very spot it had come from and the ground reopen and swallowed it up, and in its place appeared a stand. And on that stand there was a beautiful porcelain doll. It had a hand painted face with the most rare and beautiful of dye’s used to make it’s colors, and it wore the most regal of dresses made from the finest fabrics and wore upon it’s head a most elegant hat that had a feather of a rare and unknown bird within it. The flower bowed yet again and said, “I hope this will make you happy.” The girl very much liked the doll because it was very close to what she was looking for. She enjoyed the doll's company for two weeks before returning to the place of the flower.
“Oh dear! You didn’t like that either?” I’d thought I’d finally gotten it
right.”
“Oh, no no no! The doll was very very beautiful and I did enjoy it very
much, but it’s not what I need, but it did help me realize what I want to wish
for.”
“You’ve thought of a wish? Lovely! If you wish for it yourself, you are
sure to like it. Now please tell me, what is the object you desire?” The girl smiled, a small smile, the first one the flower had seen on her in fact, and said this.
“I desire no object. My only wish is to stay here, with you, and be your
friend. Because all I have ever wanted is a friend.” The flower was silent for a moment, but then bowed it’s head for the final time and said, “I hope this will make you happy.” And it did indeed make both the girl, and the little flower very happy.