At the End of the World
What is actually at the end of the world? Firlefanz wants to find out for sure!
Firlefanz woke up and looked out the window. The sky was so wide and so blue that you couldn't see where it ended. "Where does the world actually end?" Firlefanz wondered. "I have to find out!"
In the kitchen, Firlefanz made himself a jam sandwich and warm milk with honey. He chewed slowly and thought. Is it cold at the end of the world? Or warm? Does anyone live there?
Firlefanz knocked on Papalapapp's door. His father was sitting in his favorite armchair, drinking coffee. "Papalapapp, where is the end of the world?" Papalapapp smiled. "Far away, behind everything you know. You have to keep going until you can't go any further." He set down his cup. "I'll come with you."
Firlefanz dressed warmly: the green hat, the thick boots, the cozy jacket. He also took his walking stick. "Who knows how far it is," said Papalapapp, tying a scarf around himself. "We should also take cookies with us."
And so the two of them set off. Over seven seas, where the waves sang soft lullabies. Over seven deserts, where the sand sparkled like gold. Over seven high mountains, where the clouds were so close that you could almost touch them. Over seven rivers, seven forests, and seven blooming meadows.
They wandered so far that the colors slowly changed. The sky turned soft purple and the grass shimmered silver. "We're getting closer to the end," whispered Papalapapp. Little glowing fireflies danced around them, as if to show the way.
Then they suddenly stood at a very gentle slope. In front of them lay — nothing. Or was it? It was like a huge, shimmering fog that glowed in all colors. Pink and gold and light blue. "This is it," said Firlefanz softly. "The end of the world."
From the shimmering fog came a small being. It looked like a fluffy star with big, friendly eyes and tiny wings. "Hello!" it chirped. "I'm Glimmi. I live here, at the edge of the world. Visitors hardly ever come here!"
Glimmi showed them what it looked like at the end of the world. Soft, glowing clouds floated everywhere, where you could sit like on cushions. Tiny stars grew like flowers from the ground and made soft, ringing sounds when the wind touched them.
"And what is behind the end?" asked Firlefanz. Glimmi giggled. "Behind it, everything starts all over again! Every end is also a beginning." Firlefanz thought that was beautiful. They sat on a glowing cloud and shared the cookies that Papalapapp had brought.
As the sky grew darker and the stars at the edge of the world sparkled especially bright, Firlefanz became tired. "See you soon, Glimmi," he yawned. Glimmi gave him a small, glowing star for the journey home. Firlefanz held the star tightly in his hand, leaned against Papalapapp, and fell asleep. And the little star shone softly in his hand all night long.