Prologue.

Once upon a time, there was a joyful Fool who lived far, far away in the distant Land of Wonders, at the court of the Honorable Little King. He rose each morning with the sun and each evening, when it grew dark, he lay down contentedly in his soft bed and slept. Most of the day he spent with his colorful balls. When they whizzed through the air, he admired their beautiful colors. And when he caught them, he delighted in their round shape in his hands. Sometimes, he would also put the balls in his large trouser pockets and dance for the king and his court. Then he rejoiced in the smiling faces of his audience and in the bright jingle that the little bells on his clothes made with every movement.

On fine days, when the sun shone warmly from the sky, the Fool would sometimes sit outside the castle gate in the grass and watch the flowers and the trees as they moved gently in the wind. How beautiful they were. When winter came and the flowers disappeared, he would become a little sad outside. Then, he would instead sit by the warm fire in the hall of the Honorable Little King and listen to the stories the people told each other. Sometimes travelers in strange garments would come into the hall, and sometimes someone would even speak to him or touch his cap, making the little bells jingle.

One day during a long winter, he saw a girl at the end of the bench in the hall. She did not look joyful, and from her eyes, water was dripping.
»What is the matter with you?« asked the Fool.
»I can’t do it,« the girl answered and furrowed her brow. The Fool shook his head with a jingle. »What?« he asked.
»Well, this problem. Here. I cannot solve it.«

The Fool looked at the paper that lay on the table before the girl. It was filled with strange signs and lines and patterns. »But why are you so sad then? It looks beautiful!« he said.
»You don’t understand. You are just a Fool. This here is important. It is art. It is science. But I am too foolish. It would take a Wizard to complete this masterpiece!«

With these words, the girl jumped up and stormed out of the hall. The Fool gazed after her for a long time. When it grew dark, he went to bed, and the next morning he rose and spent the day juggling.

The winter passed, and in the spring, the flowers returned. The girl remained away. The Fool did not even know her name. He had remembered only one word, and sometimes he would murmur it quietly to himself while the balls flew merrily: Wizard.