The Great Mystery

And now six years have already gone by. I have never yet told this story.

My sorrow is comforted a little. That is to say — not entirely. But I know that he did go back to his planet, because I did not find his body at daybreak. It was not such a heavy body. And at night I love to listen to the stars. It is like five hundred million little bells.

But there is one extraordinary thing. When I drew the muzzle for the little prince, I forgot to add the leather strap to it. He will never have been able to fasten it on his sheep. So now I keep wondering: what is happening on his planet? Perhaps the sheep has eaten the flower.

At one time I say to myself: "Surely not! The little prince covers his flower under her glass globe every night, and he watches over his sheep very carefully." Then I am happy. And there is sweetness in the laughter of all the stars.

But at another time I say to myself: "At some moment or other one is absent-minded, and that is enough! On some evening he forgot the glass globe, or the sheep got out, without making any noise, in the night." And then the little bells are changed to tears.

Here, then, is a great mystery. For you who also love the little prince, and for me, nothing in the universe can be the same if somewhere, we do not know where, a sheep that we never saw has — yes or no? — eaten a rose.

Look up at the sky. Ask yourselves: is it yes or no? Has the sheep eaten the flower? And you will see how everything changes.

And no grown-up will ever understand that this is a matter of such great importance.

---VOCABULARY---

**boa constrictor** — a very large snake that kills its prey by squeezing it tightly

**prey** — an animal that is hunted and eaten by another animal

**digest / digestion** — to break down food inside the body after eating; the process of doing this

**extinct** — no longer active or alive; used for volcanoes that no longer erupt, or animals that no longer exist

**astronomer** — a scientist who studies stars, planets, and other objects in space

**asteroid** — a small rocky object that travels around the sun; smaller than a planet

**catastrophe** — a sudden, terrible disaster

**baobab** — a very large tree that grows in Africa, with a thick trunk; it can live for thousands of years

**tedious** — long and tiring; boring because it takes a lot of time and effort

**conceited** — thinking you are better or more important than others; too proud of yourself

**admire** — to look at someone or something with respect and pleasure; to think very highly of them

**ephemeral** — lasting for only a very short time; not permanent

**lamplighter** — a person whose job was to light and put out gas street lamps every day (in the past)

**geographer** — a scientist who studies the Earth: its lands, seas, rivers, mountains, and peoples

**tame** — to make a wild animal comfortable with humans; in the story, to create a special bond with someone

**essential** — the most important thing; what is truly necessary

**rite** — a special action done regularly at a particular time, which makes that moment different and meaningful

**solitude** — the state of being alone, especially in a peaceful way

**fragrance** — a pleasant, sweet smell

**responsible** — having a duty to take care of something or someone