After we visited Na'il's class to spend some time with his class-mates, we went downstairs to the teacher's room.
The small area was already crowded with additional staff member and a few of the older children.
Noah, the head mistress of Ilanot school, began by reading an excerpt from the book “The Little Prince”, written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. 
"I, too, am going back home today..."
Then, sadly--
"It is much farther... it is much more difficult..."
I realized clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him...
His look was very serious, like some one lost far away.
"I have your sheep. And I have the sheep's box. And I have the muzzle..."
And he gave me a sad smile.
I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.
"Dear little man," I said to him, "you are afraid..."
He was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly.
"I shall be much more afraid this evening..."
Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.
"Little man," I said, "I want to hear you laugh again."
But he said to me:
"Tonight, it will be a year... my star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago..."
"Little man," I said, "tell me that it is only a bad dream-- this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star..."
But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead: "The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen..."
"Yes, I know..."
"It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers..."
"Yes, I know..."
"It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember-- how good it was."
"Yes, I know..."
"And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens... they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present..."
He laughed again.
"Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!"
"That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water..."
"What are you trying to say?"
"All men have the stars," he answered, "but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You-- you alone-- will have the stars as no one else has them--"
"What are you trying to say?"
"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... you-- only you-- will have stars that can laugh!"
And he laughed again.
"And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... and your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, 'Yes, the stars always make me laugh!' And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you..."
And he laughed again.
"It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh..."
And he laughed again. Then he quickly became serious:
"Tonight-- you know... do not come," said the little prince….
Noah often had to pause, because she was too choked up to continue. She ended her speech with:
“You too, Na’il in your own way, was a little prince. You taught us so many things during the short time you were with us. You taught us to love you very much, you taught us so much about the will to want something, and …. And great joy. You taught us happiness, and to find … in the small things, something that we, grown-ups not always succeed to remember and to do. You found ways to tell us what and how exactly you wanted something, and you pressed on until we understood what you wanted. And then there wasn’t something more wonderful than to see your triumphant smile!
You taught us, Na’il, that inside that little body of yours, was a little prince with a great soul, and lots of joy and love for life!
In the 1 ½ year you were with us we saw you grow and develop, learned and did many new things. Got to know others, and learned to love them, and also to listen to the staff who worked with you with great love. You had a special relationship with Ronit, Sylvia and especially with Lena who loved you so much! And you continued to be the curious and naughty Na’il, who wanted to explore and investigate everything around him. You added life and color to the school.
Anew we got to know better Wim and Petra, their great heart and love gave you many good and happy years and love without end. And to give you’re the best possible life.
And now, we all have to miss that…
It’s already a month now, Na’il that nobody races through the school corridors in your little yellow chair. Already a month that nobody lies in your green bean-bag. Already a month that we didn’t see your glorious smile. A month that we miss your curiosity, your naughtiness, your joy for life.
And sometimes, Na’il, at night, when I think about you and look at the stars, then I smile, because I know that up there, you sit on your own little star, that you already had time to explore and get to know. I’m certain it’s already full of wrecked umbrellas, and rubber that you chewed up, and many swings that await you. Or a giant Luna-park, and the whole day you can do just what you love and want. And it’s good for you there, you are happy and laughing all the time. And please, send us your glorious smile, so we won’t feel so terribly sad…
For then Na’il, I won’t be so very sad, as the little prince said,
“And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... And you
will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... and your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, 'Yes, the stars always make me laugh!”
I loved you, Na’il, and I miss you, my little prince!
Noah. "
Not many eyes were dry after this moving expression of love for our little boy!
"I, too, am going back home today..."
Then, sadly--
"It is much farther... it is much more difficult..."
I realized clearly that something extraordinary was happening. I was holding him close in my arms as if he were a little child; and yet it seemed to me that he was rushing headlong toward an abyss from which I could do nothing to restrain him...
His look was very serious, like some one lost far away.
"I have your sheep. And I have the sheep's box. And I have the muzzle..."
And he gave me a sad smile.
I waited a long time. I could see that he was reviving little by little.
"Dear little man," I said to him, "you are afraid..."
He was afraid, there was no doubt about that. But he laughed lightly.
"I shall be much more afraid this evening..."
Once again I felt myself frozen by the sense of something irreparable. And I knew that I could not bear the thought of never hearing that laughter any more. For me, it was like a spring of fresh water in the desert.
"Little man," I said, "I want to hear you laugh again."
But he said to me:
"Tonight, it will be a year... my star, then, can be found right above the place where I came to the Earth, a year ago..."
"Little man," I said, "tell me that it is only a bad dream-- this affair of the snake, and the meeting-place, and the star..."
But he did not answer my plea. He said to me, instead: "The thing that is important is the thing that is not seen..."
"Yes, I know..."
"It is just as it is with the flower. If you love a flower that lives on a star, it is sweet to look at the sky at night. All the stars are a-bloom with flowers..."
"Yes, I know..."
"It is just as it is with the water. Because of the pulley, and the rope, what you gave me to drink was like music. You remember-- how good it was."
"Yes, I know..."
"And at night you will look up at the stars. Where I live everything is so small that I cannot show you where my star is to be found. It is better, like that. My star will just be one of the stars, for you. And so you will love to watch all the stars in the heavens... they will all be your friends. And, besides, I am going to make you a present..."
He laughed again.
"Ah, little prince, dear little prince! I love to hear that laughter!"
"That is my present. Just that. It will be as it was when we drank the water..."
"What are you trying to say?"
"All men have the stars," he answered, "but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems. For my businessman they were wealth. But all these stars are silent. You-- you alone-- will have the stars as no one else has them--"
"What are you trying to say?"
"In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... you-- only you-- will have stars that can laugh!"
And he laughed again.
"And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me. You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me. And you will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... and your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, 'Yes, the stars always make me laugh!' And they will think you are crazy. It will be a very shabby trick that I shall have played on you..."
And he laughed again.
"It will be as if, in place of the stars, I had given you a great number of little bells that knew how to laugh..."
And he laughed again. Then he quickly became serious:
"Tonight-- you know... do not come," said the little prince….
Noah often had to pause, because she was too choked up to continue. She ended her speech with:
“You too, Na’il in your own way, was a little prince. You taught us so many things during the short time you were with us. You taught us to love you very much, you taught us so much about the will to want something, and …. And great joy. You taught us happiness, and to find … in the small things, something that we, grown-ups not always succeed to remember and to do. You found ways to tell us what and how exactly you wanted something, and you pressed on until we understood what you wanted. And then there wasn’t something more wonderful than to see your triumphant smile!
You taught us, Na’il, that inside that little body of yours, was a little prince with a great soul, and lots of joy and love for life!
In the 1 ½ year you were with us we saw you grow and develop, learned and did many new things. Got to know others, and learned to love them, and also to listen to the staff who worked with you with great love. You had a special relationship with Ronit, Sylvia and especially with Lena who loved you so much! And you continued to be the curious and naughty Na’il, who wanted to explore and investigate everything around him. You added life and color to the school.
Anew we got to know better Wim and Petra, their great heart and love gave you many good and happy years and love without end. And to give you’re the best possible life.
And now, we all have to miss that…
It’s already a month now, Na’il that nobody races through the school corridors in your little yellow chair. Already a month that nobody lies in your green bean-bag. Already a month that we didn’t see your glorious smile. A month that we miss your curiosity, your naughtiness, your joy for life.
And sometimes, Na’il, at night, when I think about you and look at the stars, then I smile, because I know that up there, you sit on your own little star, that you already had time to explore and get to know. I’m certain it’s already full of wrecked umbrellas, and rubber that you chewed up, and many swings that await you. Or a giant Luna-park, and the whole day you can do just what you love and want. And it’s good for you there, you are happy and laughing all the time. And please, send us your glorious smile, so we won’t feel so terribly sad…
For then Na’il, I won’t be so very sad, as the little prince said,
“And so it will be as if all the stars were laughing, when you look at the sky at night... And you
will sometimes open your window, so, for that pleasure... and your friends will be properly astonished to see you laughing as you look up at the sky! Then you will say to them, 'Yes, the stars always make me laugh!” I loved you, Na’il, and I miss you, my little prince!
Noah. "
Not many eyes were dry after this moving expression of love for our little boy!
You can read more about “The Little Prince” on my “Called to Write” blog.
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