Lore Segal

It's Benjamin's birthday, and Morris won't give up the present he has brought him. It's a box of paints, and Morris wants to paint. Soon, everybody's painting.

“Come,” Morris’s mother said to Morris. Morris said, “I don’t want to.” “Yes you do,” said his mother. “You want to get a present for Benjamin’s birthday.” “But I want to paint,” said Morris. Come along, Morris,” his mother said. “NOW.”

Morris’s mother said, “How about a ball?” “I’ve got a ball,” said Morris. “Morris, this is a present for Benjamin,” said his mother. “Do you think Benjamin would like a dump truck?” Morris said, “He doesn’t want a dump truck.” “Would he like some blocks?” “I know what Benjamin wants,” said Morris.

Here come Rosie and Harry and Leah. Here comes Morris. They are going to Benjamin’s birthday. “Hey, a ball!” said Benjamin, the birthday boy, to Harry. “Wow, a dump truck!” he said to Rosie. “Look! Blocks!” he said to Leah. “Tell everybody thank you,” said Benjamin’s mother. Benjamin said “Thank you,” to everybody except Morris. When the time came to give Benjamin the box with his present in it, Morris said, “No.” “Morris!” said his mother. “Give Benjamin what you brought for him.” “But I don’t want to,” said Morris. “Yes, you do,” said his mother. “Give Benjamin his present. Now!” But Morris put the box behind his back. “Never mind,” said Benjamin’s mother, “let’s all go and have birthday cake.”

Benjamin’s birthday cake was an ice-cream cake. It had a layer of strawberry, a layer of vanilla and a layer of chocolate. Morris’s slice had a chocolate heart on top of the icing. But Morris was holding the box on his lap and his fork didn't reach the cake on his plate.

After the cake everybody played with Benjamin’s new toys. Benjamin threw the ball to Rosie, Rosie bounced it to Leah, and Leah threw it to Harry. Morris wanted to throw it and bounce it too but he needed both his hands to hold the box with Benjamin’s present in it. He said, “O.K., Benjamin. You can have your present.” But Benjamin was building a tower. Morris wanted to put the last block right on the top, but he was holding the box with Benjamin’s present, so he said, “Take your present. Benjamin!” The tower had an opening at the bottom. Benjamin rolled the dump truck through the opening to Leah, who rolled it to Rosie, who rolled it back to Benjamin. Morris wanted to roll it so much he said, “Benjamin! Take your present. NOW!” But Benjamin was catching the ball Harry threw him and rolled it to Rosie through the opening in the tower and Rosie bounced it to Leah who put it on the dump truck. And Morris held the box with Benjamin’s present in it.

So Morris said, “I’ll open it for you,” and he sat down on the floor and untied the ribbons and took off the wrapping paper. Harry said, “Hey! That’s Benjamin’s present!” Rosie said, “You can’t open Benjamin’s present!” “Look, Benjamin!” said Leah. “Morris is opening your present!” “It's only paints,” said Leah. “We got paints in school,” said Rosie. “I thought it was going to be something interesting,” said Harry. “Thank you, Morris,” said Benjamin. “You want to catch?” and he threw Morris the ball.

But Morris said, "I want to paint," and opened the black jar and painted a big circle. “I’m going to make a picture of me,” he said. He opened the blue jar and painted two small blue circles and said, “That’s my eyes. This is my nose.” He painted a line going down. He painted two red lines going across and said, “My mouth. My teeth. This is my green hair.” He opened the green jar and painted squiggles. It was Morris!

“I want to paint,” said Harry. “So do I,” said Leah. “Me too!” and “Me too!” said Rosie and Benjamin. Harry painted a picture of a red dump truck with red parts that went up and red parts that went down. Leah painted a picture of a green ball that had things like orange elephants all over. Rosie painted a picture of a tower. She painted one red block, one green and one orange block. She made one block blue and one block dark blue. There were as many blocks as there were colors in the jars. There was umber and sepia and olive and emerald. There was rose madder and viridian and turquoise and cerulean and aquamarine and more because one color got mixed with another color and then there was mauve and purple and violet. There was aquamarine and cerulean and brown.

Benjamin said, “I'm going to paint Leah.” He painted Leah’s chin purple, and Leah did her orange elephant on Harry's elbow, and Harry made a lot of pink stars on the palm of Rosie's hand and Rosie painted a blue moon on Benjamin's forehead. “This is so great!” said Benjamin. "I know," Morris said and he took the fattest of the brushes and dipped it deep into the yellow jar and on Benjamin the birthday boy’s left knee he painted a yellow circle with circles inside it and lines sticking out of it like rays. And on Benjamin’s right knee he made more yellow circles with rays all around.

They were the two yellowest suns that you will ever see.