Makeko – the kid in the wall

Milan, Italy, 1968.

In Milan, Italy in 1968 many things were happening, one little known thing is the story I’m about to tell you. 

In a southwestern neighborhood of the city of Milan, new buildings were erected, and in one of these buildings a particular brick was used in one of the walls. I’m not sure if it was magic or science, but this particular brick had a kid in it. I know it is unbelievable and I did not believe it at first either.  But it is true!

This kid was clearly something special. And among the special things about him the most important is that he lived in the wall. I don’t mean behind a wall, I mean in the wall, in the bricks of the wall. From that original brick he was now able to go around all walls.

Kids in the wall are not given names, they name themselves, and this kid had named himself Makeko.

Kids in the wall also don’t have parents, they are born from a brick, and only one in many million buildings gets to have one. 

Kids in the wall don’t grow. They are somewhere between 7 and 12 forever.

But kids in the wall are pretty much like every other kid, well, aside from being in the wall and all that.

Makeko was very bored because he lived in the wall of an apartment building that had just been built; no one yet lived in that apartment.

One morning he was awaken by noises coming from the kitchen. A few people were in the kitchen.

“The table could go here” was saying a man. “One, two, three, four … the chairs here!” He continued.

The people then moved to the rest of the house. “This will be the kids room” a woman voice said.

“Kids??” the kid in the wall thought. “There will be kids? Kids are going to move here??” The kid in the wall was very excited, he had always wished to live in the wall of an apartment with kids.

The people left and the apartment went back being silent like it had always been. But this silence no longer made Makeko feel bored or lonely, he knew that someone was going to move in soon, and he knew that kids were coming.

That night and the following night Makeko did not sleep. He could not sleep! He was too excited. The following day Makeko was really tired but he still could not sleep … this time because of all the noise a large group of movers was making all over the apartment. They setup the kitchen, the living room, the 2 bedrooms and the studio and as soon as they were done, they left.

The next day a new group of movers came, this time they just brought many, many boxes. Then they left.

Finally the following day a family arrived. There was a mother, a father and two kids, a 4 years old girl and a 1 years old boy.

Makeko spent his day observing fascinated everything that went on the apartment.

He followed Marco, the boy, learning to run and then run up and down the hallway, he followed his father telling him to stop. He followed Nicoletta spending quiet time and reading a kids book.

Soon enough Makeko became Marco and Nicoletta’s best friend. At dinner time they played a game. Makeko would stay (In the wall, of course) near Marco. Marco would say something, like he was telling a secret into someone ears, covering his mouth and talking to the wall. Then makeko would run at the other end of the table and repeat the “secret” to Nicoletta.

This could go on for hours. Time passed, years passed, Marco and Nicoletta were not sure if they were imagining these communications of they happened for real. They talk to each other’s and determined that Makeko was simply an imaginary friend. Finally they kind of forgot all about him.

Makeko was still in the wall. He still loved the two kids but was very, very, sad they had forgotten him.

One day Marco got a new present. A large toy car. The wheels turned left and right when you turned the steering wheel, the doors opened, and all things like that. After playing for a bit Marco tossed the car hard against the wall … whooooop the car hit the wall and got right inside.

What? Marco could not believe what he saw. The car had completely disappeared. He looked! There was absolutely no way the car could have gone in the wall, it was solid and without any opening. How could this be?

While looking and searching in disbelief Marco had is ear near the wall. A voice said: “Thank you! I needed something to play with.”

The END