Instagram City. How Billie Got into a Social Network

Billie’s parents liked to spend with hedgehog much time and did not let him to sit up late into social networks. They thought that it would be more useful for a little boy to read tales, do handmade stuff and learn homework. But unfortunately the parents did not have enough time to create funny amusements for Billie. During the holidays the hedgehog asked his parents to let him surf through the internet, visit social nets and watch cartoons online. His mom and dad allowed his son to do that, as they knew that restrictions cannot be always good for a child while freedom can teach and provide with unforgettable experience. So that’s how a journey to Instagram City, which Billie visited, begins.

Children’s Tale about Instagram City

Billie got up earlier as he knew that he’d be able to spend all his day with his laptop. He registered himself in VK and Instagram at once. The little hedgehog was pleasantly surprised and received a lot of positive emotions. As it turned out there were a lot of users who were just alike him. Life is not just friends from his kindergarten, school or outside his home. Many hedgehogs, hares and little bears live all around the planet, Billie was excited to see how they smile, play, eat or pose for photographs.

The more our hedgehog surfed in the net, the more he started to like it. Instagram was like a magic city where truly happiness was living. After a while the little hedgehog decided who he would become when he grows up. He would drive an expensive vehicle, travel a lot, visit fashionable cafes, drink coffee, take books with amazing covers from a library, smell flowers, look into the sky and ride a bike.
When the sunset came mom asked the hedgehog for dinner.

“ What is that?” asked Billie with disgust.
“Buckwheat with cutlet.”
“Presentation of the dish is a disaster; buckwheat is boring and too routine.”
“But you always loved it,” said mom in a sad voice. She was trying to cook delicious cereal for her kid so much, he liked it earlier and always asked additional portion. The mother boiled it stirring it slightly with love, added some butter and was waiting until it become not so hot and warm enough to be eaten. But Billie pushed it away and said he would not eat.
“ Cutlet is fat and ugly.”
“But meat contains a lot of useful protein.”
“I feel like becoming a vegetarian. But I’m not sure about it.”

The little hedgehop was upset, he also registered his account in Instagram and wanted to share his first photo but his mom let him down. He was ashamed to post this buckwheat and cutlet as no one will give the photo their “likes”. Then Billie phoned his friend a little hare called Poo and asked to visit him. Poo’s mother made delicious cheese pancakes for the friends, they looked very nice on the photo so Billie made his first Instagram picture and was very happy.
“Let’s read a book or make a tale about mushroom city! Or we can play board games or backgammon. We can make a handmade… Billie, do you hear me?”
But the little hedgehog did not hear him he was sitting with his mobile waiting for his first likes.
“That’s so strange that no one liked my photo”, said Billie. “The picture is really nice, isn’t it? I might have chosen wrong filters.”
“Billie, shall we play together?”
“You mean to make some selfie photos?” Billie came to Poo and started to take pictures with him. “Can you change? This vest is not perfect for the photo.”
Poo felt bitter with Billie because it seemed that the hedgehog did not need his friend but only his “likes”. Billie did not even understand his own behavior. He came back home and was thinking why was his picture not liked enough. He blamed Poo for that. Because the friends of the others from a magical city of Instagram were much more beautiful, smiley and wore pretty clothes. He also blamed his parents as their house was not fit for beautiful pictures. Then the little hedgehog decided to go to the woods and make some vivid November pictures in leaves there. Put a mushroom or an apple onto his spins though hedgehogs do not eat apples but still it would look nice in Instagram. But Billie postponed his wood visit for a next morning to have enough sun light for photo.
In the morning Billie saw Poo in his window, the little hare was very frustrated. The hedgehog shrugged his shoulders and went downstairs into the kitchen. His mom had already cooked wheat cream and was covering it with jam in the shape of heart, she looked upset.

“Mom, why are you so sad?”
“I’m afraid that you also won’t like your breakfast this time.”
“No, the heart looks nice.”
“But taste is more important than shape.”
“And also,” added the father hedgehog entering the kitchen, “your mom’s love is important, she woke up early to prepare this healthy breakfast for you.”
And then Billie realized that the tale about Instagram City is only a tale. The real life is unlike it and true love is measured not by “likes” but by close people around you. They may be not so perfect, not so splendidly beautiful as on Instagram shots but they are real and they are close. Billie put off his laptop and promised to use Instagram just for studying social trends and moods and never to replace his friends and family with social nets where everybody tries to show everything in brighter colors concealing it with blanket of happiness and success.