Outside the Walls

Willy always wondered what could be on the other side of the wall. He lived in the city, in fact, it was the only place he had ever known in his short life. He walked on every cobblestone-covered street, he touched every corner of every house, he met every single person who lived in the city, but Willy was still bored.

Don’t be mistaken, he loved his town, his home, his family, but he wanted to know more. His parents found this feeling in Willy abnormal, telling him that the world had already been here, in this piece of land, that there was nothing to discover. When they had told him this, Will looked at the walls, taller than the tallest tower in the city, and asked, what about outside the walls?

His parents responded that they didn’t exactly know, but probably something dangerous, not fitting for a young boy. This didn’t satisfy Willy’s curiosity. He started visiting the old librarian, said to be the wisest of all, the person who knew everything that could be known. Willy asked him questions and read the books guarded by the librarian, but didn’t find anything of use. He only found out that in the past 100 years recorded by the books, no one even tried to get up to the top of the walls, because it was “forbidden by the laws of nature”.

Willy thought that this was nonsense. How could people just accept their lives without knowing what their world really looked like? At that moment, Willy decided to make a change in this world. He would climb those giant walls and see everything, even if it took the work of a whole life. He began the construction, building a staircase leading up to the sky.

Everyone thought he was mad. Every morning when he went to work on continuing the stairs, a crowd formed around him, consisting of children laughing at him, and head-shaking adults and elders. Even his family abandoned him, leaving him alone in his small shack. But he continued on building the stairs, every day just one step, carved into the wall.

Years went by like this, but Willy went on, building relentlessly. He became an old man, with a bad back, suffering the effects of his struggles. Eventually, he reached the last section of his journey, the topmost part of the wall. He climbed up, using his old, trusty ladder. On the last step, he took a deep breath, preparing for the coming sight that he had sacrificed his life for, and pulled himself up.

He didn’t know what he was expecting. Willy had lots of time to think about what was waiting for him at the top of the walls. Maybe something beautiful? Or something horrific? The only thing he had been certain about was that he had to make it. But now, standing on top of the world, he was amazed. He saw the grayish sky, already known inside the walls, but somehow, it was even more blue. But the best part wasn’t the sky: it was the land. Willy’s sight, unregulated by the walls, could go on for miles and miles in every direction. He saw the forests, the grassy plains, the shiny lakes.

All these details brought tears into the eyes of Willy. It was so beautiful and miraculous. He gazed upon the landscape, the thing that gave meaning to his life. After reaching something thought impossible by everyone else, he couldn’t keep his discoveries for hif. He rushed to the town square and gave a speech to everyone about his discoveries.

Many shook their heads in disbelief, others laughed at him. After all, he was just an old madman, living in the confines of the city. The people left the square, with no one believing his words. Willy sat down on a stone and looked down at his life, not appreciated by anyone.

Then, a young boy came to him, looking eager to talk. Ha started asking questions, and soon, Willy found himself explaining everything to him. He even took the boy up his staircase and show

ed him the world around their smaller world. Willy saw the shining in his eyes and knew that he was amazed. After that, the old man lived out the rest of his life peacefully, knowing that the knowledge acquired by him wouldn’t be lost forever.

Rácz Mózes IX. R