Humpty Dumpty

Inspired by AJR “Humpty Dumpty”

Once upon a time there was an egg named Humpty Dumpty. Every morning all the eggs of all the houses would sit atop the great big wall with wide smiles and watch the sun. Every day that Humpty Dumpty climbed the great big wall to join them. The eggs would sit and smile until the sun reached its peak and until it took its rest.

Humpty Dumpty liked the wall. Everyone was there and everyone was happy. Though sometimes he felt a bit dizzy and scared with the height of it, he tried not to think about it.

One day, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. He tumbled down and down the great wall. He landed hard with a crack on his head. A scream built up in his throat, but looking up he saw all the other eggs staring down at him. Slowly and carefully, he pushed down the pain and pushed himself back up with a smile on his face.

“I’m ok,” Humpty Dumpty said.

Humpty Dumpty climbed back up the great big wall. He joined the others as they sat and smiled. He looked straight forward at the sun, not looking to the left or the right or up or down.

When he climbed down at the end of the day, he waited until everyone had left. He climbed down slower than he ever had before. He had to pause a few times to wipe his tears and stop his hands from shaking in fear, but it was ok, no one was around to see.

The next day Humpty Dumpty woke early. He covered the crack on his head with white paint and practiced his smile. Humpty Dumpty climbed the great big wall with all the other perfect eggs. His mind was consumed with anxiety every minute he sat on the wall. The wide, wide wall felt like a sharp thin wire but all the other eggs sat so surely so Humpty Dumpty pretended to too.

As Humpty Dumpty sat, he began to shudder and shake. The shuddering and shaking started small, but slowly got bigger and bigger. It didn’t take long for him to tumble down and down the wall again. He landed with a loud smack. He felt the crack on his head widen and a new one split open on his side. He opened his mouth to let out a scream, but remembered the faces up above. Humpty Dumpty morphed his mouth into a smile and rolled back to his feet.

“I’m ok,” Humpty Dumpty said.

Humpty Dumpty took his white paint out of his pocket. He covered his cracks. Even after he looked perfect again, he stayed standing at the bottom of the wall. The eggs above continued to sit. As he was trying to work up his courage to go back up, he saw a fractured egg lying on the ground. The egg wore no smile.

“I need help,” the egg groaned out.

Humpty Dumpty scrambled up the great big wall. With his perfectly painted skin and wide smile, he joined the others as they sat. That night, after he had finally gotten down the wall he cried himself to sleep.

The next day, Humpty Dumpty put on his paint and big wide smile and climbed up the great big wall. He sat next to the others, but couldn’t help glancing down at the ground far below in fear. As he looked, he saw eggs with wide ugly cracks walking below. He tried to stare ahead like all the other happy eggs, but his eyes kept being drawn down and down. The height made him dizzy. As his vision swam, he tilted sideways and rolled off the wall.

He landed with a thump. His cracks widened and a small piece of him broke off.

A hand stretched down towards him. It was one of the eggs he had seen from above.

The egg had dark disfigured lines all over its body, places it had cracked. The egg didn’t even try to hide them. There was no smile on its face, but a rather serious look. It was not very pretty. Past the outstretched hand, he could see the crowd of faces watching from above.

“I’m ok,” Humpty Dumpty said.

Humpty Dumpty rolled back on his feet by himself. Picking up his broken piece he put it back and plastered on his white paint. He plastered on a smile and began to climb. He got half way up, but as he reached up with his hand he heard a snap. His arm broke off and tumbled down and down to the ground. The rest of him soon followed.

He landed with a shatter. Humpty Dumpty splintered into a hundred pieces.

The same ugly cracked egg from before walked over to Humpty Dumpty’s scattered pieces.

“Do you need help?” the egg asked.

“Ok,” said Humpty Dumpty.

The egg smiled the most beautiful smile Humpty Dumpty had ever seen.