1,394 slov, čas čítania: 7 minút.
Zazvonil zvonec a pani učiteľka Lenka s úsmevom privítala deti v triede. Všetci sa tešili na novú hodinu, okrem Teodora. Bol to nový chlapec, ktorý sa do mesta prisťahoval len pred pár dňami. Ešte nemal žiadnych kamarátov a cítil sa trocha smutný a osamelý.
Pani učiteľka Lenka vytiahla mapu Slovenska a rozprestrela ju na tabuli. „Dnes sa pozrieme na rôzne kraje a mestá,” povedala s nadšením. „Kto mi vie ukázať, kde sa nachádza Senec?”
Všetci sa hlásili, ale Teodor sa hanbil. Nevedel, kde sa Senec nachádza a bál sa, že sa zosmiešni. Jonatán, ktorý sedel vedľa neho, si všimol jeho zmätok. Nenápadne mu šepol do ucha: „Pozri, je to tu,“ a ukázal mu malé mesto na západe Slovenska.
Teodor sa usmial a s úľavou si vydýchol. Bol vďačný Jonatánovi za pomoc a v duchu si ho zapamätal ako dobrého kamaráta.
Po skončení vyučovania sa Jonatán a Teodor hrali na školskom dvore. Teodor zrazu našiel na zemi kus papiera, ktorý vyzeral ako nejaká mapa.
„Pozri sa, Jonatán,“ povedal s nadšením. „Toto je mapa k pokladu!“
Mapa bola plná tajomných symbolov a kresieb. Jonatán a Teodor boli fascinovaní a hneď sa rozhodli, že poklad musia nájsť. Všimli si, že nákresy na mape pripomínajú miesta na školskom dvore.
Jonatán zvolal: “Teodor, ja viem kde by to mohlo byť!” Jonatán už poznal na školskom dvore každý kút a miesto kde sa mal poklad nachádzať, bolo v húštine za starou preliezkou. Chlapci sa teda vydali tam pozrieť, boli plní očakávania a netrpezlivo zrýchlovali chôdzu. “Čo myslíš, že tam bude Jonatán?”, opýtal sa Teo. Jonatán sa na chvíľu zamyslel, ale než stačil odpovedať, boli už na mieste. Vyzeralo to tam úplne obyčajne, no chlapci sa nedali odradiť. Po chvíli hľadania našiel Teodor malú špinavú krabičku. “Pozri Jonatán!”, zvolal.
“Našiel som to!”. Jonatán pribehol k Teovi a spoločne krabičku otvorili. V krabičke bolo niekoľko zvláštnych predmetov: starý gombík na kabát, staré vreckové hodinky a kúsok papiera s písmenami, ktoré nedávali zmysel. Chlapci sa čudovali.
“Čo to má znamenať?”, spýtal sa Teodor. “Žiadny poklad”, skonštatoval Jonatán. “Počkaj!”, zvolal Teodor. “Čo ak sú tie veci čarovné, čo ak spolu súvisia a ten text na papieri je nejaká šifra k nim?” Jonatán sa tváril nechápavo.
Teodor mu vysvetlil, že kedysi dávno mu starý otec rozprával príbeh o čarovných veciach, ktoré vlastnil jeden čarodejník v 19. storočí, ale ktoré sa stratili spolu s čarodejníkom jedného dňa stratili a už o nich nikto nikdy nepočul.
“To sú iba rozprávky..”, zašomral Jonatán, no Teo sa nedal odbyť. “Čo ak nie? Čo ak sú to tie vzácne veci?”
“A čo by robili práve u nás na školskom dvore?”, neveriacky odvetil Jonatán.
“To neviem, ale ani vylúčiť sa to nedá, však?”, dodal Teodor.
” Ak vylúčime všetky možnosti, akokoľvek nepredstaviteľné, to, čo ostane, je pravda.“
Citát sa pripisuje Arthurovi C. Clarkovi, britskému spisovateľovi sci-fi. Clark bol známy svojim optimistickým pohľadom na budúcnosť a vierou v silu vedy a techniky. Jeho myšlienky o vylúčení možností a hľadaní pravdy sa odrážajú v mnohých jeho dielach, vrátane románu „2001: Vesmírna odysea“.
Odrazu začalo zvoniť a bol čas sa vrátiť do triedy. Chlapci sa teeda rozhodli, že si krabičku schovajú vo svojej skrýši v bútľavom strome za telocvičňou, a že sa ku nej vrátia ďalší deň a pokúsia sa rozlúštiť šifru.
Teodor si uvedomil, že aj keď je v novom meste a nemá veľa kamarátov, s Jonatánom po boku sa nemusí báť. Jonatán nemusí so všetkým čo Teo povie súhlasiť, ale je dôležité, že ho vypočuje. Jonatán si zas ujasnil, že je dôležité, že napriek tomu, že sú ľudia rozdielni, treba byť s nimi trpezliví, a vypočuť ich, možno majú pravdu aj keď to tak nemusí vyzerať.
Keď sa vrátili do triedy, Teodor už nebol smutný. Vďaka Jonatánovi zažil dobrodružstvo, na ktoré tak skoro nezabudne.
Ako dopadlo pokračovanie s pokladom uvidíme nabudúce.
Jonathan and Theodore: the secret of the old map
The bell rang and the teacher Lenka welcomed the children in the classroom with a smile. Everyone was looking forward to the new lesson, except Teodor. He was a new boy who had just moved to town a few days ago. He didn’t have any friends yet and felt a bit sad and lonely.
The teacher Lenka took out a map of Slovakia and spread it on the blackboard. „Today we are going to look at different regions and cities,“ she said with enthusiasm. „Who can show me where Senec is?“
They all chuckled, but Theodore was embarrassed. He didn’t know where Senec was and was afraid of being ridiculed. Jonathan, who was sitting next to him, noticed his confusion. He whispered unobtrusively in his ear: „Look, it’s here,“ and showed him a small town in the west of Slovakia.
Theodore smiled and breathed a sigh of relief. He was grateful to Jonathan for his help and remembered him in his mind as a good friend.
After school, Jonathan and Teodor played in the schoolyard. Suddenly, Teodor found a piece of paper on the ground that looked like a map.
„Look, Jonathan,“ he said excitedly. „This is the map to the treasure!“
The map was full of mysterious symbols and drawings. Jonathan and Theodore were fascinated and immediately decided that they had to find the treasure. They noticed that the drawings on the map resembled places in the schoolyard.
Jonathan exclaimed: „Theodore, I know where it could be!“ Jonathan already knew every nook and cranny of the schoolyard, and the place where the treasure was supposed to be was in the thicket behind the old jungle gym. So the boys went there to have a look, full of anticipation and impatiently quickening their pace. „What do you suppose Jonathan will be there?“ asked Teo. Jonathan thought for a moment, but before he could answer, they were already there. It looked quite ordinary out there, but the boys were not to be deterred. After a moment of searching, Theodore found a small, dirty box. „Look Jonathan!“, he exclaimed.
„I found it!“ Jonathan ran over to Teo and together they opened the box. Inside the box were several strange objects: an old coat button, an old pocket watch, and a piece of paper with letters that didn’t make sense. The boys wondered.
„What’s that supposed to mean?“, Theodore asked. „No treasure“, Jonathan stated. „Wait!“, exclaimed Theodore. „What if those things are magic, what if they’re related and the text on the paper is some kind of cipher for them?“ Jonathan looked uncomprehending.
Theodore explained that once upon a time, his grandfather had told him a story about magical things that a wizard had owned in the 19th century, but which were lost with the wizard one day and never heard of again.
„Those are just fairy tales..“, Jonathan murmured, but Teo was not to be dismissed. „What if they aren’t? What if they’re those precious things?“
„And what would they be doing right here in our schoolyard?“, Jonathan retorted incredulously.
„I don’t know, but we can’t rule it out either, can we?“, Theodore added.
Quote“ If we rule out all possibilities, however inconceivable, what remains is the truth.“
is attributed to Arthur C. Clark, British science fiction writer. Clark was known for his optimistic view of the future and his belief in the power of science and technology. His ideas about the elimination of possibilities and the search for truth are reflected in many of his works, including the novel „2001: A Space Odyssey.“
Suddenly the bell rang and it was time to return to class. The boys decided the other day that they would hide the box in their hiding place in the wandering tree behind the gym, and that they would return to it the next day and try to crack the cipher.
Theodore realized that even though he was in a new town and didn’t have many friends, with Jonathan by his side, he didn’t have to worry. Jonathan may not agree with everything Teo says, but it’s important that he listens to him. Jonathan, in turn, realizes that it’s important that people are different, but you still have to be patient with them, they might be right even though it might not seem like it.
When they returned to the classroom, Theodore was no longer sad. Thanks to Jonathan, he had had an adventure he would not soon forget.
We’ll see how the sequel with the treasure turned out next time.