NUK Magazine 60 Years of Inspiration - Anton the star counter

Our bedtime story

49 Anton the star counter I have a very special story to tell today. The one about Anton the star counter. What makes this story special is that star counting is a rather curious profession. And an important one: Just imagine where we’d be if no one knew how many stars there were in the sky? So you see, star coun- ters like Anton are absolutely indispensable. But back to our story. Well, Anton was a very quiet little boy. When other children went out to play, Anton counted. Anton was a great fan of counting. He counted the cars passing by his window. He counted the diamond shapes on the dining room wallpaper. He counted the noodles in his chicken noodle soup. And instead of playing football with the other children, he counted the dandelions on the pitch. Most peo- ple thought this was rather odd – only Anton’s mother was completely thrilled by her son. And Anton was always having to count for all his relations and prove how high he could go. Since then, the whole family has known that there are precisely 568 hairs left on Uncle Jim’s head. Counting has actually made Anton rather famous. Once a newspaper wrote an article about him (5,690 letters long), after which his parents got a call from the famous professor Allan McAllistor. Professor McAllistor is a really famous astronomer – but unfortunately he had a problem. The official star counting computer had broken down again. The situation was rather embarrassing because the King of Taratonga was expected to visit the next day. So Anton’s mother simply put her son in the car and drove directly to the star counting sta- tion. And while Anton’s mother was talking to the professor, Anton started counting stars. And, of course, everything worked out beauti- fully the next day when the King of Taratonga came to visit. The King was so impressed that he decorated Anton with the Taratonganian Dis- tinguished Service Cross. So now Anton is the first official star counter who has been awarded a medal. Which he always wears wherever he goes. When he’s counting stars (he still does this, of course), at school, at home and even at night when he’s asleep. And the other children, they don’t think Anton is boring at all anymore. Even the most inspiring day must come to an end at some point. And a good bedtime story makes falling asleep all the easier. We wish your child sweet dreams and a good night’s rest. Or the story of how to become something by doing something. ANTON THE STAR COUNTER

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