The Little Brook and the World

Many years ago, I used to spend two weeks of every summer break at my Grandparents’ and
that was always the highlight of my summer. Granny told many stories from the past, but
Grandad only had one story. He told me that story once every year: it was about a little brook
in the nearby forest. The little brook started at a well and headed in its narrow path towards
the local river, but just before she reached it, she stopped, curiously dived into the ground,
and wasn’t seen anywhere above the ground after. Grandad said that if I sat down at the end
of the little Brook and listen carefully, I could hear what she says: she wants to flow into the
river and run down to the sea with it. Once they’ll reach the sea, they’ll continue their way to
the Ocean and travel around the World. ‘I want to see the World!’ the Little Brook burbles.
‘Birds are telling me that there are mountains, icecaps out there, dolphins and sharks are
swimming in the Sea. Ah, how I wish to see them!’
I heard her words. She told me all her dreams about the World.
Years went by, I grew up. I didn’t forget about the Little Brook, but I put her story aside in
my mind along with other childhood memories to make room for other things that filled my
life.
One day I went back to my Grandparents’ old house just to reminisce about the past.
I went to the Little Brook, but it had changed! Throughout the years her path widened, and
she flowed into the river. I sat down and listened. I could still hear her voice, but she told me
a different story.
‘I’m the part of the river now. We’re heading to the sea and where it joins the ocean, we flow
with it. I run in the World, among the mountains, the icecaps.’
‘You must be happy, Little Brook’, I said, and she whispered, ‘It’s not what I thought it would
be. Ships and boats are hurting my body, bottles and card boxes are floating on me, oil and
chemicals are running into me! I thought all I wanted is to see mountains, but I can’t see them
from the oil floating on me. I wanted to see sharks and dolphins, but there’s hardly any left in
the oceans. The World is not what I thought it would be.” Her voice wasn’t burbling
anymore, it sounded like little drops of tear beads clinking.
I sat there, thinking how I could help her; then suddenly I knew what to do. I took a huge pile
of soil and blocked her way to the river. I dug a different path for her and lead her away from
the river. At one point I stopped digging and she happily disappeared into the ground,
continuing her way under the ground.
‘Thank you’, I heard the Little Brook burbling as I turned around and walked back to the
house.
Every year I bring my children there and tell them the story of the Little Brook who saw the
World but been saved from it and she lives happily in her forest. She’s still telling stories
about the World to the forest and all visitors who care to listen.
‘’One day’, I always tell my children, ‘when people don’t hurt waters anymore, we’ll turn the
Little Brook’s path towards the river again, but not until then.’
We’re still waiting for the day to make the Little Brook’s dream come true as she wished for
it.
The end