24 Restless Hours

The toys said in one voice, "We know. We know what you're like. But we can't belong to you. We're sold for a lot of money."
Then one of them said, "I don't think that even a month of your father's earnings would be enough to buy one of us."
The camel quieted them down again and continued, "Let's get back to the subject. Your comments are all correct, but we
planned this gathering for the sake of something very important which you haven't mentioned."
I spoke up again, "I myself know why you brought me here. You wanted to say to me, "See, not everyone goes to sleep hungry at
the side of the street like you and your father."
Several men and women were sitting around the table eating very quickly. Apparently they were the servants and maids of the
house. I began to eat, too, but there seemed to be a hole at the bottom of my stomach so that no matter how much I ate it wasn't
enough, and my stomach kept on growling and gurgling. Like all those times when I am very hungry.
I thought, "I'm surely not dreaming that I'm still hungry?” I drew my hand across my eyes. Both lids were open. I said to myself,
"Am I sleeping? No, I'm not. The eyelids of a person who's sleeping are closed, and he doesn't see. Then why aren't I satisfied?
Why do I feel my stomach gnawing?"
I had been walking around the building and touching the expensive stones in its walls. I didn't know where the dust and dirt was
coming from, and something hit me right in the face. I was in the basement now so I thought that's why the air was dusty. On the
first step dirt flew into my nose and mouth so violently that I sneezed: "Achoo! . . ."
"What happened?" I asked myself. "Where am I?"
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