Foerdepuppen - my Resin Family: Februar 2015

Once upon a time...

there was a small boy. He was a sad little guy. Poor he was and he had to work hard. As so many other children of his age he was with a chimney sweeper and climbed through chimneys all day long. His meals were meager, his master was cruel. So you see, he had just an ordinary live. But he himself was not ordinary at all.

First, he liked his work. If he had been treated better he would have been totally content. He was a good climber and he liked being in the dark, narrow chimneys. It felt as if he was climbing through dreams. Oh, he was a little dreamer himself. Every now and then he stopped and listened to the small noises that are to be heard in a chimney. Or he listened to the music the wind made when howling round the roofs. But the best thing about being in a chimney was the peace he found in there. His master couldn't get at him, he was a strongbuild figure, with broad shoulders and a fat neck.

The little boy enjoyed being alone. But he dared not to stay too long in the chimney as he knew perfectly well, that he would be beaten worse than usual otherwise.

After some time he knew all the chimneys by heart. The chimneys of the minor town houses, the chimneys of houses whose owners were striving for advancement in society, the chimneys of famous families.

There was one chimney he liked best. It belonged to a big house, a beautiful house, with luxury he never had seen elsewhere. Thick carpets covered the floors, delicate porcelain figurines stood on small tables and many paintings representing the family's anchestors hung on the walls. Candles could be lit in many-armed candelabers, mirrors reflected the lights. Flowers stood everywhere and their scents were wonderful. When he climbed in this chimney he could hear children laugh merrily in the rooms on the second floor. He could hear them playing hide-and-seek, singing songs or listening to stories read to them by their teacher or governess.

One day his master stepped into the room where the small boy slept and called angrily at him. As early as it was it seemed he was already drunk. And when drunk his temper was at it worst. The little boy shivered from cold and hunger and fear. But he got neither clothes nor a meal, only a proper licking. Every bone in his meager body hurt, his stomach roared, but he had to follow his master to work nonetheless. His eyes lit up as he saw where they went. What would he hear on the second floor? A song? A fairytale? Or at least a laughter?

He climbed into the chimney without complaining about the bruises that hurt like fire, he had simply forgotten them. When he reached the fireplace in the children's room, he stopped. Nothing was to be heard. The children had gone to the park, maybe. But then he realised that there was someone in the room. He heard a soft voice crying. The sound made his heart ache as if it would break. Carefully he climbed further and had a cautious look into the room. Beside a rocking horse, a wonderful one, that looked so real with it's long, soft mane and bright bridle, a little girl sat, the arms around her knees and her head bent down. She was sobbing and shaking.

Suddenly the door opened and a governess stepped into sight. Quickly the little chimney sweeper crawled to the back of the fireplace, but the woman took no notice of him. With a hard voice he never had heard before, she talked to the girl. Trembling she came to her feet, the head still dropped. The woman grabbed the girl's arm so hard that she gave a wince of pain. That kindled the woman's rage and she hit the girl once, twice, thrice. Tears ran over the girl's cheeks and that sight infuriated the little chimney boy. He rushed out from the fireplace with the poker in his hand and flung himself onto the woman. He cried in dismay and rage and hit the woman with the poker. She screamed for help and ran out of the room.

The little boy threw the poker away and looked at the girl. Under her tears she stared at him as if he was a ghost. He took gently her hand. „She's gone. I'll protect you, I promise. She will never harm you again. Believe me, please.“ She smiled.

Steps were to be heard outside. „Hide“, she whispered, taking up the poker and putting it back to its place. „Hide, I'll tell nobody about you. She believes in ghosts and I'll make her believe that you were a ghost.“ And then something wonderful happened. Something so unexpected that he almost was stunned.

She kissed him. She gave him a sweet kiss on his cheek. Through the covers of ashes on his face he felt her warm lips on his cheek. She shove him to the fireplace. „Hide“, she whispered again, now very urgently. He climbed into the chimney and halted as soon as he knew that he was out of sight. He would not move. He would never leave the chimney again. He had made a promise and he was adamant to keep it. He would protect that girl. For the first time he felt a warm feeling in his heart. He couldn't give it a name, but guessed it was that what other people called love.

His heart was light, hunger, hurt, fear and every form of misery was gone. The darkness itself had gone. All was light and warm and wonderful just because of that one kiss.

Above him he could hear his master call for him but he didn't obey. It didn't matter. Let him call. He had a new duty. After a while he heard his master leave the roof and climbed up to have a look. Down on the street he saw him reeling over the pavement, stumbling, falling and getting up again. He saw him fumbling a bottle out of his pockets, drinking even more. His master has forgotten about his little chimney boy. That climbed back down satisfied. He would live in the chimey from now on. He knew this chimney so well, he even knew where it would stay cool enough when fires were burning in all the fireplaces.

He now had a duty. He had a promise to fulfill. And that he did. No one ever harmed his little girl again, neither that cruel governess, nor her husband to whom she got married eventually. He watched over her and her children as he had promised.

In his chimney he lived and lived not for he became a ghost over his task. His christian name was forgotten, if he ever had knewn it. To all he was only known as Sootie. But be sure, whenever a child in that house called Sootie for help, he came.

This morning I wnet to our local customs office to pick up a long-expected parcel. I was proving my luck as i had no official notice that the parcel actually was there. But it was. I am really fond of our custom office employees, there are always so awfully nice. Really.

Anyway, I had to open the box there to check if everything was in order. It was and after paying my fee I left. You know Uncle Scrooge when he sets his grabby hands on money? This dollar signs in his eyes? That's me, only I had hearts in my eyes. That what was in the box is so precious!
So I took the box home to my resin family and let them open it.