Poisoned Food

It was a little country. Small houses were placed among beautiful trees. Citizens were kind and happy. They liked to live in their small houses which had small windows and small doors. Every morning they opened the small windows of their houses to the smiles of the sun. Birds were singing for them. They were like black notes on the score of a great composer. Rain liked to be the guest of the country too. The trees were so heavy with green leaves that the countryside was like a small green boat with people and small houses on it. Henry lived in a happy family. He was a very young boy. Nevertheless Henry was like his parents in many ways. He needed things that his parents liked too. He liked to open the windows of the house and listen to the music of the rain. He liked to read different stories in the books that were kept on big shelves in their house. The books were opening up new worlds to him. Henry lived in a small country but he felt that different worlds created by many writers existed in his country too. All the people of the country enjoyed good health. It was strange but old persons had wonderful health too. The children had never been ill. Therefore the panic struck the country when Henry said that he might be ill. He could not understand why it was so but Henry was really in poor health condition. The sun smiled to him as always. The rain played its music of drops as often too. The green leaves of the trees were the same. But he had the feeling he was sick. Every day people asked him about his poor health. Everyday Henry answered them that he was ill but he could not explain it. His parents began to think that the food that he was eating could be bad. The parents had seen strange reports about ecology on TV a few days before. Every day Henry was sitting in his own room and watching TV because his parents did not allow him to go out for a walk. They worried about his health. They bought many new books by modern authors for Henry so that he could stay at home. So Henry read many new books in a short period of time. He was an omnivorous reader. His parents did not read those new books because they had not enough time for books. They were a bit surprised with dark evil illustrations that were drawn on the covers of those books but they had not time to analyze them closely. The parents had to care about the big garden around their small house. Henry used to open the windows of the room every morning. Fresh wind played with his light hair. The wind put a tender kiss on his cheek every day. Henry felt that every morning presented him with new belief again. Birds looked at him from the green trees. They were important support to him too. He opened a new book. It was a black world of crazy people. Wars, hatred and evil occupied his mind with the book again. He did not see the warm smile of the sun through the window. He was in the world of hatred. Henry switched on TV set. Movies were the worlds of hatred. Henry lay on his bed. He wanted to sleep but dreams were bringing a dark world of emotions to him. His joyful parents came in. They were talking about the wonderful apples of the young apple-tree, "This apple-tree is very young but its apples are wonderful." But Henry's parents had sad emotions when they saw that there was no improvement in Henry's poor health. "Maybe his illness is connected with bad ecology," the father told his wife. "I told you that I had seen a report on TV about bad ecology in many countries. We should be more careful about the food which we buy for our boy." "You are right, my dear," the woman answered, "It is probably poisoned food… The illness is the result of it." Many children came to Henry every day. He was a friendly kind boy. They had joyful talks together. Henry gave them new books that his thoughtful parents bought him. He told his friends about new movies that he had seen while he was ill. Usually the children of that country preferred to walk instead of watching movies. Therefore they did not know them. They listened to Henry with interest. Henry's parents were careful about the food which they bought for Henry but his health did not become any better. At that time Henry was not the only child that had become ill. Other children became ill as well. Adults understood nothing, "It is not possible. Adults and children have always had wonderful health." So one day, Henry's father decided to go and see a very old man who lived far from the country. The old man liked to be alone. He was a very strange person but people remembered that his wise advices had helped several persons of the country. The old house of the old man stood near a beautiful lake. The only cat lived with the old man in that house. Henry's father had seen the cat sitting near a little bird on an old brown bench. The cat had no any interest to little bird. The bird had no interest in the cat either. They reminded him of two philosophers sitting on the bench without any interest in each other. Henry's father knocked at the door. The small old man opened the door of the house. "Please, come in," he said to Henry's father, "I was expecting a visitor today. The morning clouds showed it to me this morning." Henry's father entered the room with emotion. "Please, tell me about your trouble," the old man asked him with a kind smile. As Henry's father spoke of the strange illness of his son the old man became suddenly very serious. "Please, tell me all the details about the illness of the other children of your country too," the old man asked. He became sad after hearing the words of Henry's father. "What do you think about your son's illness?" the old man asked him. "I think the problem is connected with poisoned food which we bought for us. It could be an ecology problem of our earth. I think adults have more strength to struggle with it. Therefore they don't get the illness as our children do," the poor father told the old man. The old man kept silent. The cat entered the room and sat near the old man. He took the cat on his hands. Henry's father began to worry and think that the old man had not solution for his problem but he kept silent too. A several minutes later the old man said in a low voice, "You are right. It is poisoned food. Your son and other children are really ill because of it. But it is not the usual food which you buy for your son. Usual food is decent enough. The problem is connected with the spiritual food which you have bought for your son. The books that you brought for him to read are poisoned food. I am sure the movies are poisoned food too. Children are omnivorous persons. The spiritual food of the books, which you offered Henry, looks good. The paper and probably the advertising of many of those books which you have bought look good…Nevertheless the spiritual food made him sick. It is poisoned food of hatred and evil. At present your son is walking in darkness because of those books and stupid movies on TV. He is walking by the rules which are written in those books. Perhaps you know the phrase "You can go as long as you have the light in soul." They are simple clever words. You switched off the light for your child with those books. You have showed a spiritual food cup to your son that many people use. This food cup brings much money for many bad writers because the children's omnivorous curiosity is an opened door to their light souls. Henry is in poisoned words of evil. It took the sap of his youth. It is the same reason of bad health for the other children too." The old man stopped. He looked very tired. Henry's father could not say any word. He was surprised. The cat had listened with attention to all the words that the old man had said to Henry's father. Then the cat jumped onto the windowsill. The old man smiled to his home philosopher-cat and continued his words, "I tell you more, my dear visitor… Often books and movies are created as sweet things for children. It is difficult to understand that they are poisoned sweets. You must avoid them. Your son can stay alive in spite of his reading such books and watching stupid movies. But you and your wife will not recognize him in the future. Dark ideas of bad books and movies can change every person. So your son will have a walk along the road of evil if he does not stop reading such books. As for me… It's a long time since I had good spiritual repast by new books. But I'm stocked up with good spiritual food for all my life. You can see many books of the old writers in my house. I have a several books by modern authors too. These books are true spiritual food. Unfortunately such writers are rare persons in our modern crazy world. Will the food stretch out for me? I hope it will be so. If I will need more information then I will always remember that we are happy people. We live in a wonderful country of small houses, trees, and birds. Believe me, they provide true spiritual nutriment for people minds and souls." The old man closed his eyes and silence took hold of his old house. Henry's father understood that the old man would not speak to him any more. He said 'Thank you' to the old man and quietly left the house. The old man did not think about Henry's father. He showed the way to rescue the country but he was not sure that people would listen to his words. The old man had much bitter experiences of useless though important words. Deep in his own thoughts he had a sad smile.