The Top Button by Stavroula Papadopoulos, Maria Chatzi - HTML preview

There once was a button in a sewing supplies store whichalways did its best to draw attention to itself as it wanted to beadmired. It was a brilliant, sky blue color button and its holeswere hidden on the bottom. Right in its center there was abright star. It was a hand painted masterpiece.

“I would like a button for the top buttonhole. I’m looking forsomething special” said a customer.  She was holding a whiteknitted jacket.

The salesperson placed the sky blue button, Brighty, on thecounter along with some other buttons. Brighty wanting to standout, pushed the rest of the buttons aside and said, “Pick me, I’mthe brightest!”

The customer marveled at the shining bright button but said,“It’s really beautiful but rather expensive.”  ”Why don’t you buythis one to put on top and get some plain but much cheaper bluebuttons for the rest of the buttonholes?” suggested thesalesperson.

That’s how Brighty came to be the top button on Kate’s jacket.Everyone admired it and it wanted nothing to do with the otherbuttons on the jacket. Why, it didn’t even care to know theirnames. Of course, life wasn’t always that pleasant or easy forthis bright button, nor did things always happen the way Brightyhad once imagined. 

There were times when people just didn’t notice it and it wasoften jealous of the other buttons even if they weren’t as fancyas it was.  When Kate left the top unbuttoned it would screamat the lapel “How dare you cover me up?!” 

On cold days Kate’s scarf would get in its way. “Get this off of me, immediately!”  Brighty would order the rest of the buttons.

“We are doing all we can to keep the jacket buttoned up so that Kate is warm.” they responded.

Whenever the wind was blowing, Kate’s long hair made it difficultfor Brighty to be seen. It would shout at the top of its lungs andstruggle with her flyaway hair until it was exhausted.  Yet,despite all that this bright button was pleased with its goodfortune and felt it deserved that top spot on the jacket. .

Kate was growing fast and the white knitted jacket was now toosmall for her. She gave it to her younger cousin Irene. UnlikeKate who was always well-behaved, Irene would often get intofights with the other kids in the school yard or in theneighborhood park. Once as they were going at one another, oneof the kids pulled on Irene’s jacket as if to tear it apart. Thethread holding the top button in place stretched and wasscreaming out, “Heeeelp!” and Brighty turned to the otherbuttons for help. “Hold on as tightly as you can. We are alsoholding onto our own threads. Irene’s jacket needs all of us now!”they cried out.

One day, Irene was in the middle of a squabble with one of herclassmates when she took off her jacket. Nick grabbed thejacket and tossed it on the wired fence. All the buttons gottangled in it and Irene was frantically pulling on the jacket.  Asshe was pulling the top button got caught in the netting andalmost choked but luckily a kind gentleman came to Brighty’srescue and got him out.  “That must have been one of myadmirers” thought Brighty.

Irene later noticed that one of the other buttons was missing and looked for it but could not find it.

“We’ll change all the buttons except the top one” said her motherthat same evening. “New buttons?!” What could Brighty do? Behappy, worried, scared or pay no attention? What would thischange mean for the top button?  When Brighty saw the newbuttons on Irene’s jacket it didn’t know what to think! They wereall exactly the same now and how could it stand out now?

“Ugh! It can’t be!” Brighty thought.

“No! Even if they are like me, itdoesn’t matter. I am no ordinarybutton. I am the top button…I amspecial!” it consoled itself. Thetruth was that now that theywere all the same, which buttonheld the top spot made nodifference.

“The other buttons, the plain ones, looked better on the jacket”claimed Brighty but he was lying.  No one listened. The newbuttons on the jacket were excited. “We’ve found another familymember! I’m Sunny and this is Twinkles” said one of the buttons.”

“And I’m Goldy and this here is Sparkles. We will make a great team!”

Whether he liked it or not Brighty had to accept this newsituation. He wasn’t all that happy about this “family”, “team” and“working together” business.  “Oh, well!” Brighty thought. At leasthe was still the top button. Over time, he got used to sharingpeople’s attention with the rest of the buttons on the jacket. Itwasn’t all that bad. These relatives were not lazy. They all sawto it that the jacket buttoned up perfectly well.

With the passing of time, Irene too just as Kate grew big. Thejacket with the bright blue buttons could no longer fit her. Shegave it to Peter, a boy who lived next door and his mom colored itblue.

How beautiful the bright blue buttons with thehand painted star in the center looked! You’dthink they were like small sail boats floating ona deep blue sea.  People certainly took notice ofthem more than ever before.

“If only my relatives would stop taking myadmirers! I wish they had their threads cut offand maybe they’d get lost” he thought one day.What he was forgetting though was that therest of the buttons had just been sewed onand had a strong hold. It had been a while forthe threads that held Brighty down. Peter wentout one morning wearing the jacket and that’ swhen it happened. The thread that held Brightyin the top spot was worn and as it broke thetop button found itself rolling down the street.

A cat saw Brighty as he was rolling and chased after it wantingto play. Brighty ran to get away but got stuck behind acardboard box next to a garbage can, where he stayed hiddenfor a day.  The following day the garbage truck came and alongwith the garbage it swallowed the cardboard box.

In trying to escape the button took a wild spin and found itselfunder a car, only a short distance from the sewer lid. Just asBrighty thought it was safe, the car driver turned on the engineand there was the button again. All alone and unprotected, in themiddle of the street. “But why isn’t Peter coming to get me? I’mso afraid. I want to go home!” Brighty kept muttering. Peoplewalked past but no one stopped to notice the once proud button.

A magpie saw how bright the button was and picked it up withits beak. It flew high and landed on a balcony. Seeing somethingeven brighter, the magpie let go off the button, which fell on thestreet again. Brighty didn’t know what to do. It kept rolling backand forth trying to find a safe place to rest when a young boycame along and he kicked the button as if it were a ball as faraway as he could.  Brighty tumbled in the air and landed on thesteps at the entrance of house and that’s when it burst intotears.  It was two days later when a young girl picked it up-itwas Irene! The exhausted button was dirty and had suffered afew scratches. “What are you doing here?” she asked the buttonwhich was still whimpering.  She wiped it clean and took it toPeter straight away. “I will be the top button again!” thoughtBrighty back at home.

The rest of the buttons on the jacket were very happy to seeBrighty again. “We missed you!” said Sunny. “We feared we mightnever see you again!” added Goldy.  Brighty was also happy to beback with the family and felt their warm embrace. That’s whatit’s like when you are loved.

Unfortunately for Brighty his place as top button was taken. “The day you got lost, Peter got sick and he was coughing. Thedoctor said he had to button up and stay warm. The familydecided Sparkles should take your place” said Twinkles.

“You can take your new place right below Goldy.” Brighty frownedupon hearing about this new position but said nothing. Whereashe was the top button on the jacket, he was now at the bottom.

As Peter was growing bigger and taller, it was becoming difficultfor the buttons to keep the jacket buttoned properly. On a chillyautumn morning, Peter wore many layers of clothing underneaththe jacket and that caused Goldy’s threads to stretch until theywere pulled apart. Goldy’s shrieks were heard as it was flungout of its buttonhole.  All the buttons looked on in horror.

“I got you!” said Brighty and tucked the button back in itsbuttonhole. Sighing with relief Goldy said,  “Without you, I’d belost. Thank you! You’ve got a big heart and strong arms”. Therest of the buttons applauded. “You are a hero!” Twinkles andSparkles exclaimed and Brighty felt a different kind of pride, akind he had never felt before.

Ever since that day, Brighty never cared about being the topbutton. It was happy to help those in need and always did itsbest work.  This button was indeed a button worth admiring.

THE END

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