Chapter 2 🔊✎
So I lived on my own, without anyone I could really talk to, until six years ago when I made a forced landing in the Sahara desert. 🔊✎ Something had got broken in my motor. 🔊✎ And since I had no mechanic and no passengers with me, I had to try and do the difficult repairs myself. 🔊✎ It was a question of life and death. I had just about enough water for eight days. 🔊✎
On the first night, I went to sleep on the sand a thousand miles from any human habitation. 🔊✎ I was more alone than a shipwrecked sailor on a raft in the middle of the ocean. 🔊✎ So you can imagine my surprise when I was woken up at daybreak by a strange little voice. 🔊✎ It said:
“Huh?”
I jumped to my feet as if I’d been struck by lightning. 🔊✎ I rubbed my eyes. I looked around. 🔊✎ And I saw an extraordinary little person who was watching me very seriously. 🔊✎ Here is the best drawing I was able to make of him later: 🔊✎
But my drawing, I can tell you, is far less charming than the original. 🔊✎ It’s not my fault. 🔊✎ The grown-ups discouraged me from continuing my career as a painter when I was six, and I never learned to draw anything except boa constrictors from the outside and from the inside. 🔊✎
I stared at this apparition, my eyes round with amazement. 🔊✎ Don’t forget that I was a thousand miles from any human habitation. 🔊✎ But this little guy didn’t seem to be helpless or terrified or dying of hunger and thirst. 🔊✎ He in no way looked like a child lost in the desert, a thousand miles from any human habitation. 🔊✎ When I was finally able to speak, I asked him:
“What… what are you doing here?” 🔊✎
But he just repeated again, quietly and very calmly:
When you’re faced with something this strange and wonderful, you can’t disobey. 🔊✎ As ridiculous as it may seem, a thousand miles from any human habitation and with my life hanging by a thread, I took out some paper and a pencil from my pocket. 🔊✎ But then I remembered that all I had ever learned was geography, history, maths and English, and I said to the little guy (I think I might have been a bit cross) that I didn’t know how to draw. 🔊✎ He answered:
“It doesn’t matter. Draw me a sheep.” 🔊✎
Since I had never drawn a sheep, I thought I would draw one of the two things I did know how to draw, the boa constrictor from the outside. 🔊✎ And I was astonished to hear the little guy say: “No! No! I don’t want an elephant in a boa constrictor! 🔊✎ A boa constrictor is way too dangerous and an elephant is way too big. 🔊✎ Where I live, everything is very small. I need a sheep. Draw me a sheep.”
He looked at it carefully, then he said:
“No! This one is pretty sick. Try again.” 🔊✎
My friend said patiently, with a gentle smile:
“But you can see that’s not a sheep, it’s a ram. He’s got horns…” 🔊✎
I made yet another drawing. But it was also turned down like the others: 🔊✎
“This one’s too old. I want a sheep who will live a long time.”
By now I was feeling pretty impatient, since I really wanted to start taking apart my motor. So I scribbled down this drawing: 🔊✎
“Here’s his box. 🔊✎ Your sheep is inside.” 🔊✎
I was astonished to see my young judge’s face light up with a huge smile: 🔊✎
“That’s exactly what I wanted! Do you think this sheep will need a lot of grass?” 🔊✎
“Why?”
“Because where I live everything is very small…”
“It’ll be fine. I’ve given you a very small sheep.” 🔊✎
He bent his head over the drawing:
“Not so small… Look! He’s fallen asleep…” 🔊✎