The Bottle

Once upon a time, there was a bottle created of glass. And a beautiful bottle was he. Sleek and curvaceous, tall and slim. A container so lovely he could be only a dream.

The hands that created him gave him a purpose. His purpose was to contain.

What was his name? He called himself, Orange bottle. Orange bottle dedicated himself to the containment of orange juice and orange juice alone. He refused to hold anything else within him. So proud was he of being the only bottle to hold orange juice alone, unlike the other bottles around.

Yet one day, he found himself without any more orange juice to hold. He was empty. Orange juice bottle waited and waited. Yet not a single drop of orange juice even came close to him.

Day by day passed till a month was over. Months turned into years. Still nothing. Orange juice bottle remained dry as the desert. Till he could no longer take it anymore and he finally cried.

"What has happened to me? I can no longer serve my purpose in life anymore. Look at me oh great hands! What have I become? Not a single drop of orange juice have I found no matter where I look! Instead, you have left me with nothing but dust and cobwebs to hold!"

And he cried and cried for so long that all the other bottles gathered around him and asked what was the matter.

"The great hands have left me without a purpose to live with! Look at me! I am an Orange bottle. But I have no orang juice to hold! I feel empty. I have no reason to live anymore."

The other bottles, seeing truth in the words of Orange bottle and his presently empty state, set out in search of oranges. High and low did they search, exploring every nook and cranny imaginable. All to no avail. They all returned empty handed.

Seeing the hopelessness of his situation, Orange bottle cried even more. Until a small bottle spoke up from amid the throng of bottles that were there to comfort him.

A squeaky voice broke through the throngs. "But you aren't empty Orange bottle. Look at you. You are home to a spider. I'd think that you hold a life within you. One that is more precious than any amounts of Orange juice you could possibly hold."

The words of the tiny bottle struck a chord in Orange bottle and made him stop to think.

"A life?"

Again the little bottle spoke. "Why yes. That spider's chosen you to be his home. Is that not a worthy purpose to live by Orange bottle?"

For the first time in years, Orange bottle found himself no longer empty.