The Little Prince

‘The eyes do not see that which is most important,’ the little prince repeated, so that he would remember.

‘It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important.’

‘It is the time I have spent with my rose …’ repeated the little prince, so that he wouldn’t forget

Oh, little prince, slowly I begin to piece together the secrets of your sad life. For so long you have found your happiness looking at beautiful sunsets. It was on the fourth morning that I learnt of this fact, when you said to me:
‘I do love sunsets. Let us go and watch one now.’
‘But we must wait.’
‘Wait? For what?’
‘Wait until it is time for sunset.’
You seemed puzzled at first. Then you laughed and said: ‘I keep forgetting that I’m not at home!’
He had clearly forgotten. It is a known fact that when it is noontime in America, the sun is setting over France. If you could swiftly zip through the air to France, you would be able to watch the sun go down.
Unfortunately, France is too far away. But on your planet, my little prince, all you need to do is revolve your chair a little and watch night fall.
‘I watched forty-four sunsets one day!’
‘You know,’ you added sometime later, ‘when people are sad, they watch sunsets.’

‘Your sheep is inside this box,’ I explained.
I was pleasantly surprised to see his face light up. ‘That is just what I wanted! Do you think this sheep will need plenty of grass?’
‘Why?’
‘Because my world is very small.’
‘Of course there will be enough grass,’ I said. ‘It is a tiny sheep.’
He bent over the drawing and looked closely. ‘Not too tiny … oh look! He has gone to sleep.’
And that is how I first met the little prince.