An image from an 1868 book by a mariner. Gaspar goes on a lengthy adventure starting when he is just a boy, in "The Magician's Show Box." Public Domain
Wishing for and desiring an adventure is different from experiencing it. Yet, very frequently, it’s easier to wish for an adventure than to seek one out and find it.
Lydia Maria Child contemplates this difficulty in her short story “The Magician’s Show Box“ as she follows a boy who wants to travel the world. Through his struggles, she demonstrates the roadblocks that inhibit the desired adventure.
Boxed In
Gaspar dreams of traveling the world and seeing new places and people. One day, as he sets out on his adventure, he meets an old man, sitting alongside the road cracking nuts. Gaspar decides to spend some time with the man, cracking nuts and talking with him.
Kate Vidimos holds a bachelor's in English from the liberal arts college at the University of Dallas and is currently working on finishing and illustrating a children’s book.
