The Happy Prince

Once upon a time, in a town square, there stood a beautiful bronze statue known as the "Happy Prince."

One day, a traveling swallow stopped on the Prince's shoulder to take a rest, and the Prince spoke to him.

"Hey there, little swallow, what does this town look like to you?"

"Hmm, to put it broadly, it looks unhappy. I see a poor, pitiful child over there."

"Oh! I want to help them... But, if I only help that one child... I think I'll pass this time."

"Oh, and over there, there's a poor woman whose illness just won't get better..."

"Oh! Then, should I give her my jewels... No, choosing one person means not choosing someone else..."

"That's true. Oh! Over there, there's an elderly person struggling to find work!"

"Wow! I want to help... But, would helping only that person really be for their own good? The world should be equal, and I'm starting to feel like this wouldn't lead to a fundamental solution..."

The Prince remained intact, worrying about everything only within his heart.

"You're so kind, but you sure have it tough."

That night, while the Prince was sleeping, the swallow wiped him clean with a leafy tree branch. The next morning, illuminated by the sun, the Prince looked remarkably shiny.

A city official on patrol happened to notice the Prince.

"Huh? Was this statue always this sparkly? If we sell this, couldn't we use the money to help everyone in town?"

The sale of the Prince was approved by the city council as quickly as possible, and the removal work began immediately. The swallow, feeling guilty, apologized to the Prince, saying, "I'm so sorry, it's kind of my fault," but the Prince just smiled.

"The money from selling me will be distributed equally to everyone from babies to the elderly, right? I'm perfectly satisfied."

A year later, when the swallow returned to the town, someone spoke to him.

"Hey, little swallow, it's me."

"Oh! Is that you, Prince? Did you have a makeover?"

Where the Prince had stood, there was now a lead pole with a red lamp on top. A box like a mailbox was attached to the pole.

"The officials melted down the lead part that couldn't be sold and made a suggestion box. The lamp on top is a warning light. From now on, if someone in town is in trouble, I'll flash it to let people know."

The swallow landed on the box, looked up at the lamp, and chuckled.

"Huh. Well, it seems like it suits you, so that's good."

"Little swallow, what does this town look like now?"

"Well, let's see."

The swallow flew high to take a look around, then returned and said,

"To put it broadly, it doesn't look bad, at least for now."



(The End)