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Description
Gray. That’s all he saw when he opened his eyes. A vast blanket of gray sky so clear and unchanging it seemed like a wall to the small boy lying beneath it. He blinked, his eyes finally adjusting to the weary feeling of being awake.

Where am I? This thought murmured in the back of his mind as he propped himself up onto his elbows and looked around. More gray shades painted a landscape of rolling hills with uneven, ragged silhouettes all around him. It looked rough but the ground against his bare elbows felt cool and soft, even spongy. He grabbed some in his hand and rolled it between his fingers. It was almost clay like. He let it slowly spill from his palm back to where it came from then his hand dropped to his side again. He glanced up briefly at the gray dome of sky before starting to push off the ground.

The blurred figure of something on his knee stopped him in his tracks. He tumbled back, landing jarringly on his elbows once more and scraping his palms against the bleak earth. After he recovered from the initial shock, the gasp that had caught in his throat was released in one short huff of breath. His eyes narrowed on the object that had given him such surprise.

It was a small tin man sitting calmly atop the cushion of the boy’s pant leg. It looked like a toy soldier, the boy mused to himself. Some faded paint remained on the metal but the majority had been chipped away. The only solid color asides from shining silver were two black oval eyes that stared back at him. He blinked. The toy did not blink. Instead it tilted its head to the left and continued staring. The child couldn’t help gasping again when the tiny trooper promptly hopped off his knee and started walking away.

The soldier only took a few steps however, before stopping and looking back. It stood there silently until the target of it’s stare hesitantly got up. After several of these short interactions the boy finally decided to follow along with the bizarre little figurine, trying his best to not overtake the toy’s small, awkward strides. The toy seemed satisfied with this arrangement.

While they trekked through the dreary scenery, the human held a conversation with his improbable companion.

“So, do you live here?” he asked. He was undeterred by the lack of response. “It’s...nice. It reminds me of…” The boy’s brow furrowed and, apparently being unable to find the right words, he dropped immediately into a different line of interest.

“Do you have a family? Are there other um...people here? People like you?” A hopeful pause. “Well ah that’s okay. You can tell me later.”

He tried his best to stay quiet for some time but the silence was too much to be paired with their endless walking and he found himself asking another question. “What’s your name? Do you you have one? Mine’s Miguel.”

The tin man abruptly stopped in his tracks and Miguel nearly tripped over himself trying to follow suit. The small soldier whirled around to face him. It was holding something in its hands.

Miguel crouched down to take a closer look. “What’s that?” The tin man held out his hands to reveal a fluffy piece of bread. “Ohh.”

The tin man looked down at the bread then back at Miguel before pushing it towards him. The tin man shook the bread a bit, gesturing furiously with it. Eventually the exchange even earned a couple of insistent hops from the figurine. Miguel raised his eyebrows.

“Is that for me?” the lad pointed at himself. A curious rumble sounded and he put his hand over his stomach. “I guess I am hungry.”

When he had finished eating the bread his statuette friend began plodding down their invisible path again. With a small sigh Miguel stood and up and loyally trailed behind it.

It wasn’t too long before they stopped once more. The tin man was already scurrying to another destination but Miguel stood and waited for an explanation. Soon enough his guide’s polished hand popped up from behind a pile of rubble. It waved to him earnestly. He couldn’t help chuckling a bit as he made his way over.

He was surprised to be greeted by a blanket draped over the soil, complete with a patchwork pillow placed neatly on top. Next to it, there was a matching set of miniatures. The soldier lied down on the smaller sheet and closed its eyes. A couple seconds passed before it opened them again to see Miguel still simply staring. It patted the “bed” beside him. The boy didn’t move. The toy sat up, leaned over, and tapped the other blanket with more emphasis. It stayed still a few moments then slowly sank back until his head touched the cushion. It opened one eye to observe Miguel who was looking around. The sky was still the same gray as when he’d first gotten there but he assumed this meant it was nighttime.

“I guess I am tired,” he murmured and finally laid down. The tin man clapped his hands rapidly before returning to his stiff sleeping position.

Miguel struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. He didn’t remember falling asleep but now he was so tired. He could feel insistent jabs to his right shoulder. He drowsily chased away the shadows of slumber and rolled his head to the side to see his metallic assailant.

“Good morning.”

The two quickly collected themselves and walked peacefully along like they had before. Miguel let his legs do the thinking while his mind focused on pinpointing an obscure tune it wanted to hum.

Eventually he heard the scuffing footsteps of his guide stop and glanced up, wondering what it would be that time. His heart must’ve skipped a beat when he was confronted by the first actual building he’d seen since arriving in the monochrome wonderland. It was only a small shed but in that moment it looked as magnificent as a mansion. The tin soldier that had led him there still waited in the gateway of a small fence that surrounded the shed. Miguel laughed and ran over to join it.

He landed a final enthusiastic hop a couple paces into the small yard. He looked over his shoulder at the tin man. “Is this your house?” he asked. The tin man pointed past him. Miguel followed its directions until his eyes fell upon a silhouette atop a hill of scraps and dirt. He squinted, trying to make out what it was. The tin man wasted no time on this ineffective tactic and jumped up and down, waving his arms vigorously at the mysterious outline. The shadow turned haltingly and revealed itself to be a metallic teddy bear.

The bear started, apparently surprised by the company. It leaped to its feet and took no time in running straight to the safety of the shed. Miguel opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when the bear came racing back out of the shed as quickly as it had gone in. It was eagerly holding out a jumble of junk metal and wires as it sped towards them, nearly tripping over itself on the way. However, when it got closer to the pair it stopped. Its entire body seemed to droop and the miscellaneous arrangement hung quite glumly, a shiny stopwatch threatening to fall out of the bronze wrapping.

The teddy peeked at the tin man and then back at the boy shyly several times before lowering its gaze to the bouquet. Slowly, it trudged over to the two of them. It paused directly in front of Miguel, its hollow cog ears barely came up to his chest. It stared up at him and held out the bouquet. Miguel hesitantly reached to accept the offer but he couldn’t help noticing a small tear forming in the corner of the bear’s eye and felt a frown forming on his own face. Once the odds and ends bouquet was safely pressed against the child’s chest, the bear walked away and started trundling up its little hill. The tin man, who had been watching patiently, now rapidly switched its attention from one to the other. It seemed confused.

The worn down toy stamped its foot and shook its head before it dashed to the shed door just as its bear friend had before. Miguel trailed a couple steps behind, crossing his arms tighter over his gift. The inside of shed was dim and felt unnervingly spacious. The tin man was was hurriedly climbing a silver table shoved against the right hand wall. When Miguel caught up, it was sitting on a sparse array of papers. He leaned closer and saw rough illustrations drawn on them.

The tin man placed its hand on one of the pictures. It seemed to depict a family dinner. The metal hand then tapped another. Miguel squinted and, with some difficulty, picked out the rudimentary shapes of a bedroom and the scribbled figure of someone sleeping. He tried to study it further but was interrupted by the loud slam of the tin soldier’s hand coming down onto the table. It rested on a final drawing. Through the many rips in the paper Miguel could make out a smiling face and stickman arms hugging a scruffy animal. The tin man’s hand hovered over it for a while before slowly withdrawing. Miguel blinked. Were there others who came here before me? he wondered. He looked at the tin man. Has he done this before?

The tin man sat back, its shoulders drooped. It took a last look at the pictures then swung its legs over the edge of the table. It landed with a soft thump on the ground and walked towards the exit. It waved for the boy to follow. Together they plodded along until they reached the fence.

Miguel studied the vast expanse of land they’d crossed to arrive at that spot, that small corner of nowhere. It felt like a momentous occasion to be there but his excitement had been swept away. Instead he noticed for the first time the distinct stillness that plagued the place. He had felt no wind upon his cheeks, sometimes he was even unsure he felt the breaths leaving his lips, and of course the sky had no clouds to tumble haphazardly through it. Was there somewhere else to go in a place like this?

The tin man touched his leg lightly as if trying to comfort him then walked out the gate. Miguel sighed and made to do the same, yet he couldn’t bring himself to put his foot over the boundary. He peered over his shoulder at the lonely sight of the great mound the bear was still sitting on. He took a deep breath and resolutely spun around on his heel. He left the tin man standing, quite puzzled, at the gate as he stalked up the hill.

At the top, the bear was peacefully putting together a new bouquet. It paused when it saw Miguel. They watched each other carefully until Miguel decided to sit down and help. The bear remained frozen for a few seconds then hesitantly continued his work and henceforth they labored on together quietly. Once the bouquet was finished the bear tried to offer it to his assistant. Miguel shook his head profusely so the bear put it to the side and looked away, twiddling its round paws. It jumped in shock when the young boy spontaneously wrapped his arms around it. It sat stiffly in the embrace, unsure what to make of its predicament. It was startled yet again when Miquel planted a kiss on the top of its head. It stared up at this audacious creature its friend had brought to it and gently hugged him back.

If only we could hear
All the things trying to say
I love you

Description
Gray. That’s all he saw when he opened his eyes. A vast blanket of gray sky so clear and unchanging it seemed like a wall to the small boy lying beneath it. He blinked, his eyes finally adjusting to the weary feeling of being awake.

Where am I? This thought murmured in the back of his mind as he propped himself up onto his elbows and looked around. More gray shades painted a landscape of rolling hills with uneven, ragged silhouettes all around him. It looked rough but the ground against his bare elbows felt cool and soft, even spongy. He grabbed some in his hand and rolled it between his fingers. It was almost clay like. He let it slowly spill from his palm back to where it came from then his hand dropped to his side again. He glanced up briefly at the gray dome of sky before starting to push off the ground.

The blurred figure of something on his knee stopped him in his tracks. He tumbled back, landing jarringly on his elbows once more and scraping his palms against the bleak earth. After he recovered from the initial shock, the gasp that had caught in his throat was released in one short huff of breath. His eyes narrowed on the object that had given him such surprise.

It was a small tin man sitting calmly atop the cushion of the boy’s pant leg. It looked like a toy soldier, the boy mused to himself. Some faded paint remained on the metal but the majority had been chipped away. The only solid color asides from shining silver were two black oval eyes that stared back at him. He blinked. The toy did not blink. Instead it tilted its head to the left and continued staring. The child couldn’t help gasping again when the tiny trooper promptly hopped off his knee and started walking away.

The soldier only took a few steps however, before stopping and looking back. It stood there silently until the target of it’s stare hesitantly got up. After several of these short interactions the boy finally decided to follow along with the bizarre little figurine, trying his best to not overtake the toy’s small, awkward strides. The toy seemed satisfied with this arrangement.

While they trekked through the dreary scenery, the human held a conversation with his improbable companion.

“So, do you live here?” he asked. He was undeterred by the lack of response. “It’s...nice. It reminds me of…” The boy’s brow furrowed and, apparently being unable to find the right words, he dropped immediately into a different line of interest.

“Do you have a family? Are there other um...people here? People like you?” A hopeful pause. “Well ah that’s okay. You can tell me later.”

He tried his best to stay quiet for some time but the silence was too much to be paired with their endless walking and he found himself asking another question. “What’s your name? Do you you have one? Mine’s Miguel.”

The tin man abruptly stopped in his tracks and Miguel nearly tripped over himself trying to follow suit. The small soldier whirled around to face him. It was holding something in its hands.

Miguel crouched down to take a closer look. “What’s that?” The tin man held out his hands to reveal a fluffy piece of bread. “Ohh.”

The tin man looked down at the bread then back at Miguel before pushing it towards him. The tin man shook the bread a bit, gesturing furiously with it. Eventually the exchange even earned a couple of insistent hops from the figurine. Miguel raised his eyebrows.

“Is that for me?” the lad pointed at himself. A curious rumble sounded and he put his hand over his stomach. “I guess I am hungry.”

When he had finished eating the bread his statuette friend began plodding down their invisible path again. With a small sigh Miguel stood and up and loyally trailed behind it.

It wasn’t too long before they stopped once more. The tin man was already scurrying to another destination but Miguel stood and waited for an explanation. Soon enough his guide’s polished hand popped up from behind a pile of rubble. It waved to him earnestly. He couldn’t help chuckling a bit as he made his way over.

He was surprised to be greeted by a blanket draped over the soil, complete with a patchwork pillow placed neatly on top. Next to it, there was a matching set of miniatures. The soldier lied down on the smaller sheet and closed its eyes. A couple seconds passed before it opened them again to see Miguel still simply staring. It patted the “bed” beside him. The boy didn’t move. The toy sat up, leaned over, and tapped the other blanket with more emphasis. It stayed still a few moments then slowly sank back until his head touched the cushion. It opened one eye to observe Miguel who was looking around. The sky was still the same gray as when he’d first gotten there but he assumed this meant it was nighttime.

“I guess I am tired,” he murmured and finally laid down. The tin man clapped his hands rapidly before returning to his stiff sleeping position.

Miguel struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. He didn’t remember falling asleep but now he was so tired. He could feel insistent jabs to his right shoulder. He drowsily chased away the shadows of slumber and rolled his head to the side to see his metallic assailant.

“Good morning.”

The two quickly collected themselves and walked peacefully along like they had before. Miguel let his legs do the thinking while his mind focused on pinpointing an obscure tune it wanted to hum.

Eventually he heard the scuffing footsteps of his guide stop and glanced up, wondering what it would be that time. His heart must’ve skipped a beat when he was confronted by the first actual building he’d seen since arriving in the monochrome wonderland. It was only a small shed but in that moment it looked as magnificent as a mansion. The tin soldier that had led him there still waited in the gateway of a small fence that surrounded the shed. Miguel laughed and ran over to join it.

He landed a final enthusiastic hop a couple paces into the small yard. He looked over his shoulder at the tin man. “Is this your house?” he asked. The tin man pointed past him. Miguel followed its directions until his eyes fell upon a silhouette atop a hill of scraps and dirt. He squinted, trying to make out what it was. The tin man wasted no time on this ineffective tactic and jumped up and down, waving his arms vigorously at the mysterious outline. The shadow turned haltingly and revealed itself to be a metallic teddy bear.

The bear started, apparently surprised by the company. It leaped to its feet and took no time in running straight to the safety of the shed. Miguel opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted when the bear came racing back out of the shed as quickly as it had gone in. It was eagerly holding out a jumble of junk metal and wires as it sped towards them, nearly tripping over itself on the way. However, when it got closer to the pair it stopped. Its entire body seemed to droop and the miscellaneous arrangement hung quite glumly, a shiny stopwatch threatening to fall out of the bronze wrapping.

The teddy peeked at the tin man and then back at the boy shyly several times before lowering its gaze to the bouquet. Slowly, it trudged over to the two of them. It paused directly in front of Miguel, its hollow cog ears barely came up to his chest. It stared up at him and held out the bouquet. Miguel hesitantly reached to accept the offer but he couldn’t help noticing a small tear forming in the corner of the bear’s eye and felt a frown forming on his own face. Once the odds and ends bouquet was safely pressed against the child’s chest, the bear walked away and started trundling up its little hill. The tin man, who had been watching patiently, now rapidly switched its attention from one to the other. It seemed confused.

The worn down toy stamped its foot and shook its head before it dashed to the shed door just as its bear friend had before. Miguel trailed a couple steps behind, crossing his arms tighter over his gift. The inside of shed was dim and felt unnervingly spacious. The tin man was was hurriedly climbing a silver table shoved against the right hand wall. When Miguel caught up, it was sitting on a sparse array of papers. He leaned closer and saw rough illustrations drawn on them.

The tin man placed its hand on one of the pictures. It seemed to depict a family dinner. The metal hand then tapped another. Miguel squinted and, with some difficulty, picked out the rudimentary shapes of a bedroom and the scribbled figure of someone sleeping. He tried to study it further but was interrupted by the loud slam of the tin soldier’s hand coming down onto the table. It rested on a final drawing. Through the many rips in the paper Miguel could make out a smiling face and stickman arms hugging a scruffy animal. The tin man’s hand hovered over it for a while before slowly withdrawing. Miguel blinked. Were there others who came here before me? he wondered. He looked at the tin man. Has he done this before?

The tin man sat back, its shoulders drooped. It took a last look at the pictures then swung its legs over the edge of the table. It landed with a soft thump on the ground and walked towards the exit. It waved for the boy to follow. Together they plodded along until they reached the fence.

Miguel studied the vast expanse of land they’d crossed to arrive at that spot, that small corner of nowhere. It felt like a momentous occasion to be there but his excitement had been swept away. Instead he noticed for the first time the distinct stillness that plagued the place. He had felt no wind upon his cheeks, sometimes he was even unsure he felt the breaths leaving his lips, and of course the sky had no clouds to tumble haphazardly through it. Was there somewhere else to go in a place like this?

The tin man touched his leg lightly as if trying to comfort him then walked out the gate. Miguel sighed and made to do the same, yet he couldn’t bring himself to put his foot over the boundary. He peered over his shoulder at the lonely sight of the great mound the bear was still sitting on. He took a deep breath and resolutely spun around on his heel. He left the tin man standing, quite puzzled, at the gate as he stalked up the hill.

At the top, the bear was peacefully putting together a new bouquet. It paused when it saw Miguel. They watched each other carefully until Miguel decided to sit down and help. The bear remained frozen for a few seconds then hesitantly continued his work and henceforth they labored on together quietly. Once the bouquet was finished the bear tried to offer it to his assistant. Miguel shook his head profusely so the bear put it to the side and looked away, twiddling its round paws. It jumped in shock when the young boy spontaneously wrapped his arms around it. It sat stiffly in the embrace, unsure what to make of its predicament. It was startled yet again when Miquel planted a kiss on the top of its head. It stared up at this audacious creature its friend had brought to it and gently hugged him back.

If only we could hear
All the things trying to say
I love you