Delicious

This world would be so much better if everyone lived equally and had the best of everything... right?

Delicious

Once upon a time there were two little girls. One of the girls was blonde with long curly hair, and had been born into a rich family. Since birth she was fed the same savory cut of meat, rich herbs and vegetables, and the same creamy dessert for every meal. 

In another part of the land, lived the second little girl. She had straggly brown hair and had been born into a poor family. Every day since this girl’s birth, her family had barely been able to feed her at all. The usual meal, if she was so lucky, consisted of tasteless and fatty scraps.

The rich girl did not know that the poor girl existed, but the poor girl knew all about the rich one. The poor girl had grown up hearing every day about how well the rich girl and her family lived. She heard about the rich girl’s soft clothes and hair, her many toys, and most importantly, her food.

The poor girl, who sometimes couldn’t even eat at all, was very jealous of the rich girl. In her heart she cursed the rich girl and her family, not knowing why she had to born into these terrible circumstances while the rich girl was so lucky. She felt that it was an injustice and that something should be done. It didn’t seem right for some to struggle so much in this world while others didn’t have a care.

Finally, one day while the two girls were both traveling in the same town, they happened to meet each other for the first time. The rich girl was very excited to meet the poor girl, because by staying inside her home most of the time she had never met anyone her own age. 

The poor girl, didn’t like the rich girl and her fancy dress. She felt awkward and embarrassed around her. However, when the rich girl invited the poor girl to come play at her mansion, the poor girl agreed, wanting to see first hand how the rich lived. 

At the rich girl’s house, upon arrival, it was time for supper. The parents of the rich girl didn’t mind that the poor girl had come to play. In fact, they even ordered that the same meal they gave their own daughter every day be served to the poor girl. They wanted nothing more than for their family and guests to have the best of everything all of the time.

Two identical plates were set in front of both girls, and both began to eat. After taking her first bite, the poor girl felt like she was in paradise. This food was the most amazing thing she had ever tasted. She gulped and chewed and swallowed it down in seconds.

The poor girl said to the rich girl, “I can’t believe this is what you get to eat every day. It’s so delicious.”

That’s when the rich girl put down her fork and looked up at the poor girl quietly, asking, “Delicious?”

The rich girl had never heard that word before. She did not know what it meant.

The poor girl said, “This food is much better than anything I’ve ever eaten, so it’s more delicious.”

The rich girl said, “I still do not understand what you mean.”

Because she had been fed the same thing everyday, to her, she didn’t understand what it meant. No matter how hard she tried to think about it, what had been placed in front of her was only ‘food’. 

The rich girl’s parents allowed the poor girl to have another plate of the same food. Again, she swallowed it down happily, thinking about how ‘delicious’ it was. 

The rich girl began to think, “This girl is enjoying my food much more than I do. I envy her. I envy her for knowing what it means to be delicious.”

And so every day the poor girl started coming to the rich girl’s house and eating the same delicious cut of meat, rich herbs and vegetables, and the same creamy dessert. She no longer ate with her own parents. She had no need for the meager feast they would present her. She would only eat at the rich girl’s home. 

One day during a meal, the rich girl asked, “So, is it delicious today?”

The poor girl said, “What? What does that mean?”

Author's Note

#34 of the No One Special Fairy Tales, Copyright No One Special 2011. A simple, vague tale meant to make you think.

Reviews

[fargone]

a beautiful story with a moral. very interesting. and of course, u are delicious. hmmm, most intrigueing :) x

[piggy]

interesting read.
a fairy story for kids right.
they will probably get something quite useful from the story.
appreciation for their dinner maybe.
good on you

[Steve the Unwashed]

That's very true, though I think your story could be improved by editing parts of it for wordflow.

"But after a while, one day during a meal" sounds kind of hiccuppy. Normally there would be a comma between but and after a while. I would cut the entire 'But after a while" off and start with "One day during a meal" instead.

If it were me, I would apply this strategy to a lot of the story. It's beautiful in that it's a concise bit of philosophy. Why clutter the brevity with unnecessary transitions? Brevity is, afterall, the soul of wit.

Otherwise, I love it. 4 stars.