The Bad

The Bad was looking for a friend but no one loved him. Everyone feared him . It never met anyone who would be happy about his visit. The Bad heard angry voices, crying and curses in all the languages of the world. It didn't know gratitude and hospitality. He only wished everyone the best. It new many usuful and important advices and wanted to share the knowledge with everyone. But no one understood him...

For a long time the Bad was roaming around the world in hope to be heard and understood. Once, It knocked on the door of a small house on the edje of a big village.

"Come in, the door is open" - answered a quite voice. Behind the table, sat a small old lady with a knitting on her lap. She lifted her head and sparkled at the Bad with her surprisingly young eyes.

The Bad squeezed into the room and stopped.

"Sit down, my dear. Be my guest" - she smiled softly.

"Did you even understand who visited you, grandma? This is ME your Bad!"

"Yes, Sweety, I have seen a lot of Bad during my life. And you know what I've leared? There can't be anything Bad . "

"But... what.. what about me..? I came to visit you..."

"You came, that's great, so sit down. You will be my guest. I'm old and I have seen alot of things in this wide world ... And surely, I can see right throught you too. You are struggling, my dear. You want the better for everyone but it's not working out? You think people don't listen to you, right?"

"They don't..." The Bad sighed heavily
"They just curse at me..."

"Then let them curse. You are trying for their best, you are teaching them something important. You can't visit those who learned anymore though. You simply can't see eachother, so you are not meeting those wise people."

"So... It is not pointles? Me walking around the world? There are people who understand what I bring them!?... Hold on, then how did I get to meet you, grandma? It looks like you don't need my knowledge. You are the one teaching me something new!"

The old lady smiled again and her beautiful young eyes glistened playfully, lighting the room.

"You didn't get who's guest are you yet? I am the grandma Wisdom. Many different guests visit me. The Good comes quite often. But Love is my most frequent guest. She, my sweatheart, really needs a talk sometimes."

"Anyways, darling... Let's have some tea. Talks can't feed you."

The Bad moved closer to the table and picked up a warm cup of tea, which smelled to something minty and very cozy. It smiled for the first time in his life and thought: "aah... how good..."

Marina Bogdanova-Vul.

(Translation of Ellora Bogdanova)