four

I learned another important fact: the planet where the little prince lived was almost as small as a house!

But that didn't surprise me much. I knew that besides big planets like Earth, Jupiter, Mars, and Venus, which have names, there are many others. Some are so small you can barely see them with a telescope. When an astronomer finds one, he doesn't name it, but gives it a number. For example, he might call it "Asteroid three hundred twenty-five."

I have good reason to think that the little prince's planet is Asteroid B-six hundred twelve.

This asteroid was seen only once through a telescope. A Turkish astronomer saw it in nineteen hundred nine.

After finding it, he showed it to the International Astronomical Congress. But he wore Turkish clothes, so no one believed him.

Grown-ups are like that...

Luckily, for Asteroid B-six hundred twelve's reputation, a Turkish dictator made a law that people must wear European clothes or face death. So in nineteen hundred twenty, the astronomer showed it again, dressed in fancy European clothes. This time, everyone believed him.

I tell you these details about the asteroid and its number because of grown-ups. When you say you have a new friend, they don't ask important things like "What does his voice sound like?" or "What games does he like?" or "Does he collect butterflies?" Instead, they ask "How old is he? How many brothers? How much does he weigh? How much money does his father make?" They think numbers tell them everything.

If you tell grown-ups "I saw a pretty house with pink bricks, flowers in the windows, and birds on the roof," they won't understand. You must say "I saw a house that cost twenty thousand dollars." Then they say "Oh, what a nice house!"

Similarly, if you say "The little prince was real because he was charming, laughed, and wanted a sheep. Wanting a sheep proves he existed," it won't help. They'd shrug and think you're a child. But if you say "He came from Asteroid B-six hundred twelve," they'd believe you and stop asking questions.

They are like that. Don't blame them. Children should be patient with grown-ups.

But for those who understand life, numbers don't matter. I wish I could start this story like a fairy tale: "Once upon a time, a little prince lived on a planet almost as small as him, and he needed a sheep..."

To people who understand life, that would make my story seem truer.

I don't want anyone to read my book without care. Writing these memories has been very sad. Six years ago, my friend left with his sheep. I describe him so I won't forget. Forgetting a friend is sad. Not everyone has a friend. If I forget him, I might become like grown-ups who only care about numbers.

For that reason, I bought paints and pencils. It's hard to start drawing again at my age. Since I was six, I only drew a boa constrictor from outside and inside. I'll try to draw him as real as possible. But I'm not sure I'll succeed. Some drawings are okay, others don't look like him. I make mistakes with his height: sometimes too tall, sometimes too short. I'm unsure about his clothes' color. So I do my best, sometimes good, sometimes bad, and hope it's average.

I'll make mistakes in important details too. But it's not my fault. My friend never explained things. He thought I was like him. But I don't know how to see sheep through box walls. Maybe I'm a bit like grown-ups. I've grown old.