The measure of a man

The other day I was listening to an audio-book of a short Sci-Fi story "The measure of a man" and the twist at the ending made me cry. The plot, in brief, is that the protagonist sacrifices himself to save the human race. I am not normally emotional - so why did this bring tears to my eyes? Perhaps it is because a story like this echoes the Greatest Story ever told epitomised by all that is implied by "For God so loved the world that He gave his only Son that the world might be saved through him".

It is the same story that Lucy found in the magician's book where, on the next page, she came to a spell "for the refreshment of the spirit". The pictures were fewer here but very beautiful. And what Lucy found herself reading was more like a story than a spell. It went on for three pages and before she had read to the bottom of the page she had forgotten that she was reading at all. She was living in the story as if it were real, and all the pictures were real too. When she had got to the third page and come to the end, she said, "That is the loveliest story I've ever read or ever shall read in my whole life. Oh, I wish I could have gone on reading it for ten years. At least I'll read it over again."

But here part of the magic of the Book came into play. You couldn't turn back. The right-hand pages, the ones ahead, could be turned; the left-hand pages could not.

"Oh, what a shame!" said Lucy. "I did so want to read it again. Well, at least I must remember it. Let's see . . . it was about . . . about . . . oh dear, it's all fading away again.

And even this last page is going blank. This is a very queer book. How can I have forgotten? It was about a cup and a sword and a tree and a green hill, I know that much. But I can't remember and what shall I do?"

And she never could remember; and ever since that day what Lucy means by a good story is a story which reminds her of the forgotten story in the Magician's Book.

And later when Lucy asks "Shall I ever be able to, read that story again; the one I couldn't remember? Will you tell it to me, Aslan? Oh do, do, do" Aslan answers "Indeed, yes, I will tell it to you for years and years..."

For me a good book or film makes me cry. Would that I might also measure up.