Human Soup

Once upon a time, there was a girl. She was a human, but she had freakishly big ears, a very tiny mouth. It didn’t look quite as weird as it sounds. She was so quiet that most of the time, people didn’t even know she was there, which she didn’t mind. But she watched, and she listened. Creepy, right? And she paid attention to everything. 

She was the daughter of an eagle with a ginormous brain and a lion with a huge heart. But the lion’s heart was so big that he loved many people, and the eagle had too many things to do and think about and see in the world. So they went their separate ways, but they stayed friends because the lion’s big heart had plenty of room for love and because the eagle’s big brain understood that it was complex, and there was no reason not to be. The lion married a woman with long nails and a beautiful voice and lived happily ever after. 

All three of them had strange jobs, and the girl could never quite explain what they did to her friends, but she knew they worked hard, really hard, and she was proud of them. 

Her grandmothers couldn’t have been more different. One was a giraffe with giant eyes that looked to the heavens, and the other a whale with a deep laugh. Her grandfathers were no longer on the earth, but no one was quite sure where they were. Except for the giraffe. She was pretty sure she knew where they were. 

They all lived in harmony, even though they were very different. It wasn’t always easy, but they knew it was important to try to understand each other. And they all loved this little human girl even though she looked pretty funny with her tiny mouth and big eyes. They built a world around her that was safe and protected her from, well, everything.

What do you think so far? Do we like the girl, or does she seem a little dark and moody? Sheltered? Maybe too early to tell. I’ll keep going. 

One day, she grew up, and suddenly life seemed very small. She knew there was more out there, but she didn’t know what. She had always tried to see things from many angles, which meant making decisions was very hard. There were so many possibilities, and she didn’t want to disappoint any of the people that loved her.

In times like these, when she couldn’t figure out what to do, she would go deep inside…sometimes for a long, long time…sometimes very far away. Eventually, she just knew what to do, packed her bag, and left. She breathed in the smell of fresh rolling green mountains, gazed at deserts that stretched as far as she could see, and felt the sand under her human feet. 

I feel like we’re far enough into the story now that we need a villain. Otherwise, how will the little girl prove she is strong, open-minded, and worthy of this story? Ok – I’ve got it. 

Not long after she ventured into the world, she met an angry boa constrictor who told her tales of all the things to be scared of. They said there was danger and uncertainty around every corner. No one was to be trusted, and it was better to be closed off and afraid. It was better to stay inside, be angry, hoard food, and prepare for the worst. It was safer to avoid connection with anyone else. “Stay here inside with me,” they said in a raspy boa constrictor voice, while boa constricting, “I’ll keep you safe.”

Was that scary enough? I could make it sound scarier; should she be confronted by an angry hedgehog? No – there really is nothing more terrifying than a prepper boa constrictor.

Anyway, again, that feeling inside said… “Nope. This isn’t right”, and she was off again. She looked deep into the night sky and started thinking that there were a few things she felt were just plain wrong, and fewer people that were totally bad. Beyond hurting living things, there were few absolute right answers, and most were doing the best they could with the information they had. 

Nothing was simple, she thought. But her family had taught her the importance of a big heart to love, a big brain to understand, a deep laugh to connect, big ears to listen, and a voice to be heard. And those were all the tools she needed for the next chapter. 

How was that? Certainly, this little girl is nothing special; all she did was pay attention. But the story isn’t finished yet, and maybe all the little pieces she collected from the people she met will come together for a great story.