He was famous in this city. Back when it was called the City of Light. Its brightness rivaled that of the sun and put the moon to shame. The only caveat was that everyone had to wear sunglasses at all times. But it was amazing, the sheer magnitude of its brightness filled the lyrics of many a song. My favorite one was “Bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, bright, just so darn bright.” And it was here that he made his name. He stole everything. One time he actually stole his own keys and couldn’t go home. His rule was, always after I steal it, I can throw it away. The value isn’t in what I stole, it’s in the journey and challenge of stealing it. The police of this town called Shepherds were unable to catch him.
He would also move into the light and throw these little pebbles to break the glasses of the police. Then they couldn’t see him anymore. He was fast and he was good. Some rumors say that whatever he stole, he would give to those who needed it more. The family of mice living in his home might agree with that. But like any great thief, he had his ultimate goal. His dream job so to say. He wanted to steal the light of the city. He planned it all out, he was going to buy a magic lamp. This lamp was able to absorb and contain all the light it came into contact with. The only problem was, no one could ever find it because it was super dark around the lamp. You would always hit your toe on something as you try to reach for it. It really hurt, and that discouraged a lot of people. But the thief was relentless in his ambition. He bought eggplant-covered shoes to dampen the pain of the toe hitting.
He stumbled in the dark for days, weeks, some say even years.
But eventually, he found it. He made his way back into the light with the lamp safely secured in his bag. It was time for him to become the greatest of all time. The thief that stole the light. Usually, the thief moves in the shadows, shrouded by silence and mystery. But this day he wanted to make a spectacle of it. He called all the people of the city to the center square and promised them a show they would never forget. He stood in front of thousands as he pulled out the lamp from his bag and said the magic words, “Suck it up”. The lamp immediately activated and started absorbing the light. It sucked and sucked until the very last glimmer was gone. He held the lamp above his head in the triumph of his amazing deed. He looked at the lamp and smiled.
The lamp saw the twinkle in his eyes and said, ‘WHAT!?” and promptly took away the light from the thief’s eyes. The people of the city were stunned but enraged at the loss of the one thing that made their city special. They went out and bought an astonishing number of industrial flashlights to light the city up. In the hopes that it would bring back its former glory, but it never returned. Our hero arrived a few days later to find the blind thief sitting in a well-lit corner mumbling to himself “Where did I go wrong?” Our hero had heard the story and sat down next to the thief. “Everyone knew who you were, where you lived, and what you did. They let you steal what you wanted because you helped those in need.
You didn’t steal out of greed, but out of a necessity, you saw that needed to be fulfilled. When you decided to steal the light, it wasn’t for anyone else, it was for you, and only you. You never considered what other people thought or wanted. It isn’t wrong to be selfish, but never let your actions harm those around you.” The thief sat and wept as his thieving days were over. Our hero comforted him for a week after which he decided that the thief would have to find his own way back to the world. He will find his guiding light again someday.
