There once was a young boy who performed in a circus.
From village to village, he dazzled and amazed audiences with his thunderous hammer.
In this world, hammers were rare tools in which few people knew about and even much less people possessed the skill to wield them.
During each act, the boy would perform exhilarating tricks and feats that no one has ever seen. He named his routines such things as… the Devil’s Ice, the Blindman’s Vision, the Gods Mortality, the Dead Baby’s Heartbeat, and so forth. After each performance, and almost without fail, the crowds would raise to their feet, cheer feverishly, and shout, “Bravo, Bravo!”
One day, the circus arrived at an unusual village. At first glance it seemed like something from a different world. The village had infrastructure, paved roads, bridges, and advanced means of transportation. But, thinking very little of it and focusing on the task at hand, the boy went to work. As usual, he did his routines…the Wet Woman’s Dry Tongue, the Strongman’s Weakness, and so on. He then concluded his act and waited for glory. To his astonishment, the entire crowd remained silent. No one rose to their feet and not one person clapped. In fact, at one point the boy definitely thought he heard… a yawn.
In pure disbelief but conducting himself like a true professional, the boy expressed his gratitude, bowed, gathered his belongings, and walked back to his station. On the way, he replayed the show in his mind and tried to determine what he did wrong. “Could I have done this…should I have done that?” he pondered. As he was contriving this…self-audit, an older young girl approached him. “You are the boy with the hammer, correct?” she asked. “That is I. Did you witness my performance?” “Yes.” the girl replied. “Ahh, so you are here for an autograph?” “Umm…no. I am here because I would like for you to follow me to my village. There is something I want to show you before you leave.” With great bewilderment, suspicion, and a bit of curiosity, the boy agreed to go.
As they walked through the girl’s village, the boy could not help but to be amazed and impressed by what he saw once again. He had never seen such well-built things. Even the children’s toys were small masterpieces. Everything had seemed to be so perfectly constructed. The framework and fabric of the community was so inconceivable to the boy, that he convinced himself that the village and its people were just... different, lucky, special.
The pair journeyed until they came to what looked like a store. “Please wait here.” the girl requested. And after a few moments, she returned. “Hey!” the boy yelled. “That’s my hammer, you’ve stolen it, and I demand that you give it back immediately!” “Please calm down.” the girl pleaded. “First of all, I’ve been with you from the time we left your station up until now, have you seen me carry anything, even once? Secondly, I did not steal from you, why would I do such a thing? I have acquired this tool from inside of the store. This is what I wanted to show you. The store before you makes this tool you call a… “hammer”, and I am 100% sure yours originated from this shop. Legend says that the blueprint of the tool was created and sent down from God himself. While it can be used for profit and destruction, it was initially designed for building. I brought you here because I wanted to show you the possibilities of your tool. All of the surprising and beautiful things you have seen here was built with a “hammer.” Take note of what can happen when you use it for purpose rather than for fame and glory. The people of my village withheld their claps and cheers for you not because they didn’t like your act, but because you wield the greatest potential in the world, and yet, you choose to build… nothing.”
To say the very least, the boy was flabbergasted.
It is unknown what happened to the boy after the young girl’s revelation. Some say he left the circus and went on to build great things with his hammer, others say he continued on as he was. It is also said that the boy fell in love with the girl, started a family, and he never picked up the hammer again.
At the end of the day, it doesn’t really matter what the boy did or did not do with his hammer. The only question that’s important right now is…what will you do with yours?
WALT FACTUAL
