“We do not know what things look like, as you say,”the beast said. “We know what things are like. It must be a very limiting thing, this seeing,”
“Oh no! Meg cried. “It’s- it’s the most wonderful thing in the world!”
“What a very strange world yours must be,” the beast said, “that such a peculiar-seeming thing should be of such importance. Try to tell me, what is this thing called light that you are able to do so little without?”
“Well, we can’t see without it,” Meg said, realizing that she was completely unable to explain vision and light and dark. How can you explain sight on a world where no one has ever seen and where there is no need of eyes? “Well, on this planet,” she fumbled, “you have a sun don’t you?”
“A most wonderful sun, from which comes out warmth, and the rays which give us our flowers, our food, our music, and all the things which make life and growth.”
“Well,” Meg said, “when we are turned toward the sun– our earth, our planet, I mean, toward our sun– we receive its light. And when we’re turned away from it, it is night. And if we want to see we have to use artificial lights.”
“Artificial lights,” the beast sighed. “How very complicated life on your planet must be,”
Madeleine L’Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
To be continued…
Susan Leopold Illustration 