For the Innocence of Children

For The Innocence of Children
By-Robert Aaron Goldsborough

      The little glass beads that were its eyes sparkled with the inner intelligence.  He had always preferred this perception of the world, whether it was through the eyes of a new doll arrayed in multicolored frocks and tiny shoes, or an overstuffed bear with a torn ear.  He knew that the hands that would grab, touch, throw, drag, and hug would still be small; still be innocent and reverent, in their way.  These little young ones were the main reason to still hide in the world.  He should have left a long time ago; he was still able to then, but now the curiosity had long been sated and he was stuck.  That was still okay.  He did not mind too much when he was here hiding amongst some small ones toys.  He waited in anticipation for the small boy who owned this bear to arrive.  He liked the wait; it gave him time to think and reflect.  His thoughts went the way they always did these days, back to other days of play with the millions of other children through the ages.  He could still feel every hand, lip, cheek of every child he had ever visited.  They were never forgotten.  They were his sacred secrets he kept and maintained for reassurance.  This is when they were still worthy of his respect, no matter how much abuse they showed for the toy that he was, the small ones were not the older ones.  The children were not corrupted by the things that filled the adults' minds; money, power, and war were still many years away for the tiny hands.  How he had learned to hate these people through all the ages.  If it was not for the children he probably would have destroyed them all a long, long time ago.