The newspaper doll

The Newspaper Doll by Fernando Alonso

It was a spring morning and a girl was playing in her room. She played with a train, with a ball and with a puzzle. But soon she got bored with everything.

Then she began to play with a newspaper. First she made a paper hat and put it on her head.

Afterwards she made a boat and put it in the fishbowl. The girl got tired of playing with the hat and boat too.

Then she made a little man out of newspaper.

And she spent all morning playing with him.

In the afternoon the girl went down to the park to play with her friends. The little paper man went with her.

And the children were very content with this friend they now had who was so odd. The little paper man liked the children's games a lot.

At last everyone sat down to rest. The little man made of newspaper was very happy and he wanted the children to be happy.

So he began to tell them the stories he knew. But his stories were stories of wars,

and catastrophes, and poverty...

And the children, upon hearing those stories, were very sad. Some of them burst into tears. Then the little newspaper man thought: “What I know is not good, because it makes children cry.”

And he went walking alone through the streets. He was very sad, because he didn't know how to make the children laugh.

Suddenly he saw a laundromat. The paper doll jumped for joy, and with a determined step, went in.

“ Here they can erase all the things that I have written on me. Everything that makes children cry.”

When he left, no one would have recognized him! White as snow. Ironed and starched.

Jumping gleefully, he went toward the park.

The children surrounded him happily and played ringaround-a -rosy around him. The little paper man smiled contentedly.

He felt empty inside and out. But when he tried to speak... not a word came out of his mouth!

And, very sad, he went away again. He walked through all the streets of the city... and left for the country. And then, suddenly, he felt happy.

And his paper heart pounded in his chest. And the little man smiled, thinking that he had a bird in his pocket.

And he began to soak up all the colors that he saw in the fields. Red, yellow and pink from the flowers; cool green from the grass; blue from the water and the sky and the air...

Then he was filling up with new and beautiful words.

And when he was full of color and new and beautiful words, he went back to the children.

And when they were resting from their games and laughter, he spoke to them.

He spoke to them of all the people who were working for others; to make our life better, more just, more free

and more beautiful. And these words fell on the park and on the eyes of the children like a refreshing rain.

The little paper man's voice became very soft when he spoke of the flowers...

And of the birds in the air... And of the fish in the river and the sea... The faces of the children and of the little paper man filled with smiles. And they sang and danced hand in hand.

And everyday, from that afternoon on, the little paper man made a whole world of color and joy rain over the city.

The newspaper doll

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