I AM BIG - Aytül AKAL

I AM BIG

Once upon a time there was a very very small child. He had very very little hands, very very little feet, a very very little nose. His elder brother's hands, feet, nose were quite big.

The small brother was worried. "When am I going to grow up and be like my brother?" he used to ask. They used to put their hands one on the top of the other, with his elder brother. Every time his brother's was bigger. They used to put their feet one on the top of the other, and again his brother used to win this competition. The little brother used to get angry with his brother, then. "I am bigger than you! I am bigger than you!" he used to shout. His brother used to laugh at him only.

Indeed, he was just like the other children who are three years old too. Of course he was not a baby, but he was not a "big boy" as well.

When his mother took him on her lap, and caressed his hair saying "my dear baby", he used to get angry with his mother also. He used to say "I am not a baby! I am quite big. I am bigg! His mother used to laugh at him only.

This small brother had small toys just like himself. Small animals, small soldiers, small men… Automobiles in many colors. All were smaller than the small boy. The small brother liked his small bear and Ozgecan baby the most. They were also smaller than the small brother. The small brother was quite big compared with all his toys but nobody was aware of this at home. Everybody used to say " You are small!" to him.

One night, while he was watching the stars lying on his bed, he heard a clinking. "Clink clink!" It was a little bird. He was knocking on the window with his beak. Immediately he rushed out of his bed and came near the bird.

"Come small brother" said the bird.

"I am not small" said the small brother angrily.

The bird laughed. And said: "I am a wish bird. I realize the wishes of small children. Do you want anything, small brother?"

"But I am not small!" said the small brother to the bird.

"I am bigg!"

The bird laughed again. And said: "You are not big yet, but you can be if you want. Is this your wish? To grow up?"

"Yes," said the small brother, "I want to be like my elder brother!"

"Okay. Now you go to bed and sleep. I have got a surprise for you in the morning. You'll like it." said the bird.

The bird said so. And the small brother went to sleep. When he woke up in the morning, he had already forgotten the bird. But when he looked around his room, he was frozen due to amazement. He could not believe his eyes!

His room was the same room, but it had a wardrobe just like his brother's. And a bookcase full of books. There were posters of football players on the door.

He sat up in the bed, and what's that?! A pair of big slippers in front of his bed! Whose are these? Where are the little slippers of the small brother? He straightened his feet, put on the slippers. Oh my God! The slippers exactly fit him. His feet became quite big, like his brother's.

At that moment he remembered. What had the bird said? It had said: "I have got a surprise for you" hadn't it? The bird had kept its promise. The little brother became elder brother.

His huge bag in his hand, a lot of course books in it, the small elder brother was going to school. And as soon as he came back, he began to study his lessons.

Sometimes he remembered his toys. There were neither his small soldiers, nor small animals. Who knew where his small bear was. What about Özgecan baby? Where was it?

He was going out to play ball with his friends, playing chess, riding bike. However, he missed his toys and the games he played with them the most.

But what made him sad indeed, was his brother's being bigger than him again. His hands were again smaller than his brother's hands, his feet were again smaller than his brother's feet. When would the small elder brother grow up.
"Clink clink!" What's this clinking? A bird at the window! It was the small wish bird.

"Aren't you happy that you are a brother?" asked the bird.
"No, I am not happy. My brother is again bigger than me. Furthermore, everyday I have lesson and lesson and lesson! I have no time to play. I want to be father, it is nicer to be father" said the small elder brother.

"Okay. Now you go to bed and sleep. I have got a surprise for you in the morning. You'll like it." said the bird.
The small elder brother went to sleep.

The following day he woke up in a great noise. Two boys, by the bed, were pushing and showing each other. And were also shouting loudly. "Look here, you two, what are you doing here?" he shouted at the children.

The children said: "We are not fighting daddy, we are playing"

Amazing! The children called him daddy. He looked around. He realized that his room had changed completely. It had a quite big bed, a quite big wardrobe. He sat up in the bed. What's that?! A pair of big slippers in front of the bed… Thinking "Whose are these slippers?" he straightened his feet and put on the slippers. Oh my God! How did this happen? Those huge slippers exactly fit him. Apparently, his feet became quite big. He looked at his hands, they were also quite big. Immediately he rushed out of the bed and went to the mirror. Beard… He had beard! Just like a father, now that he had to have a shave every day. Fantastic!

He was very glad for this. "Now I am grown up. I am a quite big father. I am a father with coarse voice, with quite big feet. I have beard and moustache also! I am no longer small" he said silently.

His bag in his hand, he was going to work early in the morning, and coming home tired, late in the evening.

He even did not have one piece of toy. All the beautiful toys belonged to the children at home. The children, from the morning till the evening, were playing with their toys at home happily. Just like himself when he was small, his small children also had small animals, small men, small soldiers. He missed playing with them a lot. Besides, being a father was not so enjoyable!

He heard a noise suddenly: "Clink clink". A small bird at the window. It was the wish bird. He ran and opened the window at once. He said: "I don't want to be a father! I want to be a child. To be a child and to play with my toys," to the bird.

The bird said: "Think very well" to him, "this is my last visit. I won't come any more. You should choose the best. What do you want to be?"

"I want to be myself. First I am going to be a child, and then I am going to grow up gradually, just like everybody. Somehow or other, when I grow up I am going to be a big brother, and a father as well. Why should I hurry? If I become a father, I cannot became a child again!" he said.

"O.K. go to your bed and sleep." Said the bird, "When you get up in the morning you'll be yourself again."

The next morning, the younger brother woke up happily. Wore the little sleepers. Then he directly went to his drawers and took out his all toys. They were all in their places, waiting for him. His little soldiers, little animals, men, cars… his teddy bear and his doll Ozgecan… they all smiled at the younger brother and the younger brother smiled at them. And then he played with his toys. One day he would grow up any way.

Aytül AKAL