Storytelling: Happiness

Once upon a time, there was a man who lived by himself. One day, he was walking along the sidewalk when he heard the little girl next door exclaim, "I'm so happy!" The man had never known happiness. He grew up in the orphanage all his life where all the children teased him. He was a smart boy, and he grew up to be an esteemed mathematician. This brought him public recognition and wealth, but these things did not bring him happiness as he had expected. His life goal was to find happiness, but he did not even know where to start.

                                                         Happy Little Girl, online source

He called to the little girl, "Little girl?"

"Yes?" She responded sweetly.

"What does that feel like?" He asked.

"What does what feel like?" She responded, confused.

"Happiness," he replied.

"Oh! Well, it's when you feel... happy!" She stated proudly before bouncing back into her home.

It was at this moment that the man realized he would not put off his quest anymore. He would find happiness. He had heard people finding great beauty in watching the sunset on the beach. So, he headed to the beach. He found a secluded area where he could enjoy the sunset by himself. He watched the beautiful colors as they spread across the sky. There was no denying that the sunset was magnificent, but when night finally fell and darkness filled the sky, the man still felt empty inside. No happiness.

As he sat on the beach disappointed, he heard a loud engine behind him. Parking next to his car was an old man in a fancy sports car, a Lamborghini. "Excuse me?" The man said to the older man as he approached the beach.

"Yes?" He replied.

"Are you happy?"

The old man looked confused, but he replied. "Well, yes. I am. Did you see that car I stepped out of? How could I not be happy?"

"Oh yes, of course," the man said, pondering what he had just heard. Well, maybe I should get a Lamborghini. It made him happy. The man thought to himself. So, the next day, he visited a car dealership. He bought a Lamborghini with excitement. Maybe he would finally find happiness. As he drove off, he came to a sad realization. This fancy car had not brought him happiness.

He drove to the park where he spent many afternoons longing for this happiness. As he was sitting on the bench, a little boy ran up to him. He looked frightened. "I lost my mommy!" He cried. The man put his hand on the little boy's shoulder and assured him that they would find her.

"What is your mommy wearing?" The man asked the little boy.

"I don't know!" He cried again, this time with a little more panic behind his voice.


"It's okay, it's okay!" The man assured him again. While he was comforting the little boy, he heard a woman yelling.

"Jackson! Jackson!" She was yelling as she frantically searched.

"Mommy!" The little boy exclaimed as the two reunited. The two embraced before the woman addressed the man.

"Thank you so much!" The woman said to the man, relieved and with true appreciation.

                                             Little Boy Hugging His Mom, online source

The man watched the two reuniting and was touched. A smile spread across his face as he watched the two together. Then it hit him. Happiness. I am happy. This makes me happy.

Bibliography: Fourty-four Turkish Fairy Tales, link to online source

Author's Note: The original story is a boy's search for fear. The typical things that would scare people do not scare him, but he ends up being scared when a bird flies out of pot that he thought was filled with soup. His fear was found unexpectedly as the man's happiness was in my story. I liked the idea of a search for an emotion because when I thought about describing emotions, I realized that it was nearly impossible. One must experience the emotion to truly understand it. I chose happiness because I think this is something for which all people search.