CHAPTER 3

It took me a long time to grasp where he originated from. The little prince, who asked me so many questions, never seemed to respond to the ones I posed to him.
It was the random comments he made that, bit by bit, clarified everything.
For instance, when he first saw my airplane (I won't draw my airplane; that would be much too complex for me) he asked:
"What's that object over there?"
"That's not an object. It's a mode of transportation. It flies. It's my airplane."
And I was proud to share with him that I could pilot my aircraft. Then he exclaimed:
"What! You fell from the sky?"
"Yes," I said modestly.
"Oh! That's amusing..." And the little prince broke into a lovely peal of laughter, which irritated me significantly. I prefer my misfortunes to be taken seriously. Then he added, "So you fell from the sky, too. Which planet are you from?"
That's when I had the first hint at the mystery behind his presence, and I questioned him sharply.
"Do you come from another planet?"
But he made no response. He shook his head a little, still fixated on my airplane.
"That couldn't have brought you from very far..."
And he fell into a contemplation that lasted a long time. Then, taking my sheep out of his pocket, he plunged into thought about his treasure.
You can imagine how curious I was by this hint about "other planets." I tried to learn more: "Where do you come from, little fellow? Where is this 'where I live' of yours? Where will you be taking my sheep?"
After a thoughtful silence, he replied, "The good thing about the crate you've given me is that he can use it as a shelter after dark."
"Of course. And if you're good, I'll give you a rope to tie him up during the day. And a stake to tie him to."
This proposal seemed to shock the little prince. "Tie him up? What a humorous idea!"
"But if you don't tie him up, he'll wander off somewhere and get lost."
My friend burst out laughing again.
"Where could he go?"
"Anywhere. Straight ahead..."
Then the little prince remarked quite seriously, "Even if he did, everything's so small where I live!" And he added, perhaps a little sadly, "Straight ahead, you can't go very far."