About the place

Man sculpture

– Halt, Lie down, Run, Fall, Swim, Ride, Crawl, Climb!

Woman sculpture:

– You are too strict with our little one, Antanas. Besides, it is summer – holiday time.

Man sculpture:

– Woman, do you see the root beneath our feet? Why is it here? Children must be raised like Spartans so that they do not forget the land of their parents, fear nothing, defend us from enemies and misfortune when we are old, and bring us a glass of water.

Woman sculpture:

– Dear Antanas, perhaps we should ask little Petras what he wants himself. Does he like jumping, running, falling…? Maybe he wants to sing, draw and write poems. You cannot raise a child so harshly. Times have changed. They might even take our child away if he tells them at school how hard his holiday was.

Man sculpture:

– He has ears, let him listen. He has eyes, let him see. He has a head, let him think. A common root binds us together. Mother, do you really think our own flesh and blood will betray us?

Woman sculpture:

– I am not thinking the worst, Antanas, but I do understand that a child wants to feel freedom during the holidays.

Man sculpture:

– Maybe you are right that I no longer hear anything. I do not hear what our child wants, how the birds sing or what people say as they walk by. Where are my ears? Why do I hear only my inner voice, grumbling to itself? Where are my ears?

Woman sculpture:

– Antanas, do not panic. Calm down and listen. If you listen carefully, your ears will grow back from this common root on which all three of us live. Close your eyes and listen to what the blood flowing through our veins is saying, what the underground rivers are roaring, what the passing wind whispers. Listen, and then you will hear your child among all the other voices. And there will be no need to shout – halt, lie down, run. Everything will grow and flourish naturally from this root of ours. Do you understand, dear Antanas?

Man sculpture:

– I do not understand. But I want it to be as you say. I will stay quiet and wait for my ears to grow back. And you, mother, listen too, because your ears are barely visible either.