Hugo's Pain

Dear Hugo,

I felt your pain and defeat when the Station Inspector yanked you at the last possible minute to reach the train and escape (469). For everyone on the train, nothing extraordinary had happened. They had simply pulled into the station. But for Hugo, his entire world was ending (470-471). I felt all hope draining as your adrenalin was coming down from the rush to catch the train. I wished with all my being that you would have escaped, then the inspector wouldn’t have had the chance to terrorize you or inflict you with more agonizing pain on your injured arm (471). What if you hadn’t accidentally dropped the ice and milk when you were eavesdropping (411)? What if Uncle Claude hasn’t been found dead at the bottom of the river?

Hugo, if life hasn’t thrown you a curve then you wouldn’t have had to be inflicted with emotional and physical pain. Since you overcame most of the agonizing events in your life, especially living alone, it would have been easier if you caught that train. Maybe you would have had a better chance of escaping from that Station Inspector. The nightmares you had of the Station Inspector catching you didn’t help I bet, every time you fall asleep (316-317).

I was also in a similar situation where I felt defeated and regret. Several days ago, I was running to catch up with my bus, which I was afraid of missing it. I was wearing flat slippery shoes. The asphalt on the sidewalk was grainy with the winter salt. I was in front of a driveway that is slightly higher in a steep way that I fell on my left hip first, followed by my left wrist. The pain was so crucial and unbearable that, I only slept on my right side for the whole night. I guess I was yanked to the floor as the Inspector yanked you of the train.

Hugo, for every seed of good we plant, it grows big and outshines all the small bad deeds. Even though it was a hoppy for you to fix and keep the clocks, it was your ticket out of jail (479). Remember to follow your heart because it always points you to the right direction. And remember to keep up the good work of fixing any little broken mechanicals, let it be toys or city clocks.