By: Emily Wang

A herd of elk was grazing among the rolling hills as a young boy copied their movements onto a sheet of paper, one by one, stroke by stroke. He had just finished the antlers on a majestic buck staring at the setting sun, the first piece in his quest to make the most beautiful thing in the world. A gentle breeze stirred the boy, and his paper tumbled out of his hands. He got up, startled, and started chasing his piece of paper, which now was rolling down a steep hill. The boy stopped and watched the paper tumble across a bridge, into a creek, then float on the surface of the glittering water.

After catching his breath, he continued to chase his piece of paper, which by now seemed soggy and wet. But still, the boy could not keep up with the piece of paper even though his legs were moving as fast as they could go. The paper just kept going down the creek, leisurely floating through the water. When the sheet finally washed up onto the bank, it landed on an anthill. The mound was surprisingly tall, and as the boy looked at it, he began to see an image form in his mind. A massive, looming palace with doors the size of elephants decorated with rubies and ivory appeared in his mind. He saw a buck’s antlers on the peak of the structure lined with gold and diamonds.

The boy continued looking at the anthill for some time, failing to notice that his piece of paper was again rolling away. Once he had finally stopped pondering, he noticed that the page was almost out of sight, and he quickly ran to catch up with it. They traveled across a meadow and through a valley. He saw the quick and lively birds serenading the other animals. He saw deer darting through the trees and picking leaves from the trees. And when the page finally stopped, the boy out of breath, they arrived at a clearing and gazed upon a breathtaking sight. As he gazed around, he saw lush trees and rich, green grass. The air of the place was soft and calming.

Finally, the boys’ eyes landed on a small burrow. At the entrance, he saw his sheet of paper. He smiled triumphantly and walked over. As the boy bent down, a small, furry mound pounced onto his hand. Alarmed, the boy stepped back. And standing in front of him, with two brilliant silver eyes, was a fox kit. She had sleek, golden-red fur and velvety black paws. The fox kit looked at the boy, and he looked back. He felt as if time was slowing down, yet all he could do was watch the fox kit. She looked so small and innocent, but her eyes were bright and intelligent.

At last, the kit stopped staring and nosed the boys’ piece of paper forward. The boy picked it up tenderly with his hands, and when he looked at the fox kit again, she looked at him one last time and trotted away, disappearing back into her small haven.

At home, the boy stared at his now battered piece of paper, thinking about everything he had seen. He could not grasp what had happened to him. Nothing made sense, especially his meeting with the tiny fox kit. He wondered if he would ever see her again. As his consciousness finally returned to the real world, he looked at his piece of paper, now blank from its journey. All that was left was a blotchy smear covering the middle of the page. Once again, a picture began to form in his mind of something familiar. Yes, he could see it all now. The palace, the birds, and the small haven belonging to the fox kit would all be there. The boy picked up his pencil and began to draw, line by line, stroke by stroke.