“Ah,” said Professor Parrot. “That’s better. Isn’t
this a nice building!”
“What’s so nice about it?” asked Henry, who sat on
the ledge between Perry and the Professor.
“Why, can’t you see?” said the Professor, “It’s a
public library! It contains billions of wonderful words!
Just think of all those wonderful words we’re sitting on.
Isn’t that a nice feeling?”
Henry looked down. “More words than in the
dictionary?” he asked.
“No,” said Professor Pickle. “
All
the words are in
the dictionary.”
“How could they be in the dictionary and in the
library at the same time?” asked Henry.
Professor Parrot put on his glasses and looked
around at Henry. “Well. now,” he began, “that’s hard to
explain. Let’s put it this way: A word isn’t a thing, it’s an
idea. Now, for instance, you’d
be
a pickle, even if the
word for pickle didn’t exist. You would exist, but there
wouldn’t be a word for you yet. Then when something
gets imagined or discovered, somebody makes up a
name for it, and that’s a word!”
“Oh,” said Henry. “Have I been discovered?”
“Well, I’m not sure,” said Professor Parrot. “I don’t
think so. I think you’ve just been
imagined
. Pickles
don’t talk, you see. Only
People
and
Parrots
talk!
Talking pickles don’t exist.”
“How about talking Pelicans?” asked Perry.
“No,” said Professor Parrot. “Pelicans don’t talk
either.”
HENRY
THE
PICKLE
90
 |
 |
 |
 |