The Lost Boy

This is about a boy who thought he did not exist. After he was born, and was around five years old, he came to his mother and said, "I don't exist". She replied, "Of course, you exist, you're standing right here". He answered back, "No, no I don't exist because you are my mother and I cannot exist or share time with you." She sent him on his way saying, "Don't ever think like that, you exist, go make something of your life." Though he insisted he didn't exist because he could not conceive separating time from his mother who was his timekeeper, he agreed and left her and went on his way, although despondent about the truth of his existence. He met others who insisted that he existed and that he shouldn't fault his mother for sending him on his way. People hearkened around him and all insisted that he existed and this was a fact of life. He didn't feel quite right all the same but he went about his daily life, without giving it much reflection though it distressed him that people behaved so badly with him. Thus every second, every minute, every hour felt like a million years and each moment, he was saddened by his every increasing grief. His friends and the people he knew constantly made fun of him and joked about how he acted so oddly or out of place and out of time. His only reason for living was his mother's assurance and his only salvation was his denial that he truly existed. Thus, his life never seemed adequate and he felt sad and did not know how to adequately pass his time. He went on and married and had children of his own and always felt embarrassed because of his strong sense of separation and denial of his existence so why should his children exist. He became the butt of jokes at the office and almost everywhere he went because of his odd behaviour and his family also teased him about his preoccupation with not existing. Thus, his life went by in state of disbelief and he grew old and gray. When he finally went back to see his mother who was now aged and dying, he was truly remorseful. Though as she lay dying, he still posed the question, "if he existed". To relieve his distress, she finally admitted to him that she had lied all this time and that he did not exist so that he might after all, be at ease. And with those last words, she passed on, no longer existing and left him behind only to think why all this had taken place. He heard children laughing outside the bedroom window. He did not know why he did not exist.