The jar sat atop a high shelf, glass reflecting the sunlight which filled the kitchen.
2 children stand below it, the round eyes focusing intently on the glass, like a cat studying its mouse.
"What's inside it?" One child whispers to the other, eyes never leaving the jar.
"I don't know.. But i can see lots of co-lours from it.. Sure looks p-p-p-pwetty." His neighbor replies, his own mouth not too concerned with finishing the word.
The jar sat silently still, facing the 2 little children. No one spoke. As if on instant, they were pushing a chair towards the bottom of the shelf. "Come on, let's see if we can reach it" one of them shouts, and both children clambers to top of the chair.
Even with their hands reaching as high as they could, the jar still remains stubbornly out of their grasp. "It's no use," one of them gasps, "it's too tall."
"Look!" the other one says, turning to a television screen which sat in the living room. "Look at the girl in the pineapple ring!". On the screen stood a ballerina doing her stretches. She alternated between en pointe and the first position, and every time her height seemed to increased magically for a short moment, before she shrunk again. "Let's try that," he whispers excitedly, careful not to wake the sleeping mother before the television.
The 2 children resumed the position on the chair, but this time standing on their toes. But still, the jar remained high above their heads. At least it appeared closer from where they were previously. "It's no use, we're still too low".
"Ooh, I know!" one of the children clambers down the chair runs out of the kitchen. He returns slightly later, panting and dragging a heavy phone book behind him. " Mummy always stands on something when she can't reach for something on a high shelf," he concludes, and the 2 children lift up the phone book to the seat of the chair. "Now we can try."
They clambered up the chair, stepping rather awkardly on the phone book as well. "Are you sure it's alright?"
"Ya. Daddy had a lot of funny looking flags sticking out of a few pages, so I pulled out all the flags and stuck them back on his desk. Is it better now?"
"I think so. We're almost there." He remembers the ballerina on the television screen and tiptoes himself, eyes widening as he grabs on to the elusive jar as last.
"Woahhh.." he screams, falling backwards and the jar flying out of his hands "I'm going to fall!" He closes his eyes and squeezes them as tightly as they can. This is how it feels like to die, he thinks, I still have so many things to do.. Huh?
He feels soft fabric of his father's shirt, relieved that he didn't die and bursts immediately into the tears. "What happened to the jar?" He asks, sniffing between sobs.
"Mummy has it" His mother walks towards father and son, the colorful jar lying on her outstretched palm. "Here you go", handing the jar to the 2 boys.
The boys unscrew the jar as quickly as they can, hoping to find something inside.
But alas, it was empty...
2 children stand below it, the round eyes focusing intently on the glass, like a cat studying its mouse.
"What's inside it?" One child whispers to the other, eyes never leaving the jar.
"I don't know.. But i can see lots of co-lours from it.. Sure looks p-p-p-pwetty." His neighbor replies, his own mouth not too concerned with finishing the word.
The jar sat silently still, facing the 2 little children. No one spoke. As if on instant, they were pushing a chair towards the bottom of the shelf. "Come on, let's see if we can reach it" one of them shouts, and both children clambers to top of the chair.
Even with their hands reaching as high as they could, the jar still remains stubbornly out of their grasp. "It's no use," one of them gasps, "it's too tall."
"Look!" the other one says, turning to a television screen which sat in the living room. "Look at the girl in the pineapple ring!". On the screen stood a ballerina doing her stretches. She alternated between en pointe and the first position, and every time her height seemed to increased magically for a short moment, before she shrunk again. "Let's try that," he whispers excitedly, careful not to wake the sleeping mother before the television.
The 2 children resumed the position on the chair, but this time standing on their toes. But still, the jar remained high above their heads. At least it appeared closer from where they were previously. "It's no use, we're still too low".
"Ooh, I know!" one of the children clambers down the chair runs out of the kitchen. He returns slightly later, panting and dragging a heavy phone book behind him. " Mummy always stands on something when she can't reach for something on a high shelf," he concludes, and the 2 children lift up the phone book to the seat of the chair. "Now we can try."
They clambered up the chair, stepping rather awkardly on the phone book as well. "Are you sure it's alright?"
"Ya. Daddy had a lot of funny looking flags sticking out of a few pages, so I pulled out all the flags and stuck them back on his desk. Is it better now?"
"I think so. We're almost there." He remembers the ballerina on the television screen and tiptoes himself, eyes widening as he grabs on to the elusive jar as last.
"Woahhh.." he screams, falling backwards and the jar flying out of his hands "I'm going to fall!" He closes his eyes and squeezes them as tightly as they can. This is how it feels like to die, he thinks, I still have so many things to do.. Huh?
He feels soft fabric of his father's shirt, relieved that he didn't die and bursts immediately into the tears. "What happened to the jar?" He asks, sniffing between sobs.
"Mummy has it" His mother walks towards father and son, the colorful jar lying on her outstretched palm. "Here you go", handing the jar to the 2 boys.
The boys unscrew the jar as quickly as they can, hoping to find something inside.
But alas, it was empty...
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