Felicity – A Philosophical Fable [Chapter 8]
Mimi had learned a few things in the days, or was it months, since she had come to be here. She learned to eat continuously. She learned to retreat to her room when she became overheated. And she learned to open the door to her room wherever she happened to be.
Although she was neither sleepy nor overheated, she wanted to read her book right away, so she slid the door to her room open.
She gathered the folds of her kimono around her and curled up on her bed. The multicolored fairy lights were aglow. Her food bowl and cup of tea sat on her little table. And the cool air was fresh and sweet. The soft illumination of the room was not fit for reading, but that caused her no trouble. The light was much brighter on her book.
She gazed at the cover. Sunny was right. It was a charming illustration. And the title, though not a poem, sounded as nice as a poem. The Little Prince. She opened the book at the beginning and started to read. The story seemed vaguely familiar, though she had never read it before. She had never read anything before.
Page after page she turned and as she did the story grew. It sprouted and ripened as she read. She did not know how long it took her to read it. But she read all the way through. And when it finally came to an end she relished it.
Mimi was drowsy, but she wanted to savor her story a little longer so she sat up and thought about all that she had just read. As she thought, the light became dimmer. She was almost asleep. Then she heard music. “Ripple.” She didn’t know if she actually heard it or just imagined she heard it. Not that it mattered. She slipped down to her pillow and wrapped her arms around it. The music played. And Mimi went to sleep.