Year: 2013

 

One fine morning, Thomas Brown was getting ready to go to school. As he looked around the living room, his older brother and sister, William and Lucy, were rushing to pack up their belongings. His mom and dad were frantically running around, to see if they forgot something. He thought to himself, "What's the rush? We still have plenty of time." When he reached school and worked, everyone was rushing to get their work done. Again, Thomas thought to himself, "What's the rush? We still have plenty of time."

 

During his PE period, after running for a while, Thomas laid himself on some soft grass. As he lay there, he observed the clouds and their unique formations.

"The clouds are beautiful!", murmured Thomas.

He turned his attention to the grass and the beautiful patterns on each leaf.

"The grass is beautiful!", said Thomas.

He craned his neck to look at his classmates, and he saw that they were dashing this way and that way. Then Thomas had a realization, "The whole world is beautiful, from every tiny blade of grass to massive clouds drifting in the sky. But no one notices because they're all too busy." He then examined the veins on the palms of his hands.

"Even parts of my own body are beautiful,'' Thomas realized.

 

After that, every day when he was walking home, he stopped and looked at every blade of grass, every leaf, and every flower. Every morning the same thing happened.

Thomas was getting ready for school in a steady manner. Everyone else was rushing. It kept happening until one day, Thomas decided to speak up. "What's the rush? We still have plenty of time." Everyone stopped. He pointed at the clock. "School starts at 8:25 am. It's currently 6:30. We have plenty of time. What's the rush?" His mom exclaimed, "Why, you're right! We have plenty of time." William said, "How much time have we wasted going to school too early!" The whole family started clamoring amongst themselves, while young Thomas stood there, looking proud. His dad turned to him and said, "Tell you what, we're all ready to go. So why don't we watch a movie? Thomas gets to pick." Thomas thought long and hard about which movie they should watch. Suddenly, a movie popped into his mind. "Wings of Life."

 

"And what channel is it on?"

"Disney plus."

"Let's watch."

 

As the whole family gathered on the couch, the movie began. After the movie, everyone went to school/work.

After everyone came back from school/work, Thomas called up a family meeting. He asked his dad to drive everyone to the school. At the school, he led everyone to a soft patch of grass in the shade of a tall oak. He instructed everyone to lie down on the grass. He told them to observe every little detail within their sight. Pretty soon, the whole family started whispering to each other about how beautiful the world was. Thomas felt proud.

Then his dad said, "Why don't we make it a family tradition? Every month, the Brown family goes to a field and reflects on how beautiful the world is." Thomas quickly nodded his agreement. The others nodded too.

 

Year: 2152

 

It is now the year 2152. Elliott, descended from Lucy Brown, stands in the family court. The other branches of the family are gathered. Elliott notices that only the descendants of Lucy stand on his side, while the descendants of William and Thomas Brown stay away from him. The judge, who is the eldest Brown, and the grandson of Thomas Brown, bangs his gavel on the table. "Elliott Granger Brown, you have betrayed the family honor and violated the law that my great-grandfather, the father of Thomas Brown himself, made. Elliott, give us a good reason why we shouldn't banish you from the family. "Honestly, sitting long hours in a boring field is a waste of time." said Elliott. A united gasp rose from the people descended from William and Thomas. The judge winced, and then proclaimed, "I hereby banish Elliott Granger Brown. Elliott, from this moment on, you lose the surname ‘Brown'. Your name is now Elliott Granger. Leave, at once!"

 

Elliott, after festering revenge, tried many times to destroy the Brown family. Eventually, the family found out what was happening, and called the police to arrest him. After that, the Brown family lived happily, and still can be found in fields to this day (at least once a month!).