Puzzle of the World

The woman travelled with a giant hippopotamus and a machine said to contain the puzzle of the world. She fitted kingdoms, storms and people into its turning wheel, but one space always remained empty. Convinced the missing piece was herself, she reshaped her voice, wishes and body to fit. Nothing clicked.

The hippo finally leaned against the machine. The empty space opened like a small door, and wind passed through it. It had never asked to be filled; it allowed the puzzle to breathe and the wheel to turn. The woman sat beside the opening and listened to distant places calling through.

The world was not incomplete because it held a gap. The gap was how one part discovered another. They continued travelling with the puzzle unfinished—and working perfectly.