The happiness seller

Mr Pigeon is a very particular trader, for what he sells is very precious – not pots and pans or toys, but happiness, which he offers to his customers in jars of various sizes: small, medium, or large. This mysterious merchant travels in a van that is easy to spot from afar, for a bell announces its arrival. His customers are birds of various species, like Mrs Quail, Mr Warbler, the elderly Mrs Robin, and Mrs Hoopoe. But among his potential customers, there is one who never wants to buy: Mr Starling, who is an artist and thus prefers to suffer in order not to lose his inspiration. But at the end of one day a jar falls out of the van and Mr Mouse picks it up: he is overjoyed, for an empty jar was just what he needed. The author Davide Calì’s amusing story reminds us how, even if everything appears to be for sale, we carry our happiness within us and just a small gesture can be enough to find it. Il venditore di felicità Davide Calì ; illustrazioni di Marco Somà Kite, 2018