Sunday, June 07, 2009

The boy who painted his body in every color, and as a result nearly died

The Atlas of Curiosities: Part 10

We heard that in the village there was something to see, so we came down from the hills.  Entering the village, we saw that a small crowd had gathered outside of the one room hospital.  Inside, we saw an odd thing: Two nurses, scrubbing a boy that from head to toe was colored in every color in the world.

“What happened?” we inquired. “What has become of this boy?”

“The situation is serious,” we were told.  “His mother is an artist, and upon finding her paints, the boy mistook his own body for a canvas.  Mother Mary! Mother Mary help him, it will kill him.”

Indeed, the race was on to remove the paints, which were blocking the ability of the boy’s body to breathe. In all of Greece, there was not a doctor that could save him, only soap suds and a prayer could be offered.

“God save him! God save him!” cried the crowd.

“God will save him,” someone said.  “If God loves nothing else, God loves the inventors of new colors.”

Indeed, as these words were spoken, the paint running off the boy’s body twisted into a color that had never before been seen, and perhaps will never be seen again. Standing outside the window, the crowd was silent, and many crossed themselves at what was heralded as a miracle.