LITTLE TOM'S TRIP
by Václav Tille · from Little Tom
Adapted Version
Little Tom lives in a tiny, neat home. He is tidy. He writes in his diary. Each morning, he cleans his little room. He sweeps the floor. He washes his clothes. Then he works in his small garden. He pulls up bad weeds. He is a very busy mouse.
After his work, Tom writes in his diary. He uses a very small pen. The pen is made from a bug's leg. He writes about his day. He writes about his old home. He loves to recall all.
One night, his Godmother visits. "Dear Tom," she says kindly. "You should read our books." "I can read!" says Tom. He runs to get his diary. He brings many tiny pages. They look like flower petals to her. She cannot read his small writing.
"You write well," Godmother says gently. "But learn our letters." She puts a big book down. She tries to put Tom on it. A big wind blows from the pages! Tom almost falls off the table. Godmother saves him with care.
Tom is brave. He climbs onto the big book. The letters are like big roads. He walks on them with his feet. He reads the letters one by one. Turning the page is hard. He uses his tiny spear. He lifts the page and crawls under. Soon, he can read fast.
Tom loves the pictures in the book. He sees castles and knights. He thinks of his old home. He feels happy looking at them.
Godmother teaches him about the world. She talks about big lands and oceans. Tom listens with big eyes. He wants to see these places. He makes a secret plan. He will travel around the whole world!
Tom starts his big trip. First, he crosses a snowy plain. It is soft and white. It is really a big feather bed. Then he comes to a deep crack. He falls down into it. It is the edge of the bed.
He lands on a sandy desert. It is the floor of the room. He walks for a long time. Then he sees a tall mountain. He climbs up its hot side. It is the leg of a chair. It feels very warm.
Next, he finds a dark forest. It is wood by the fire. He walks into the dark trees. He gets a little lost. He finds a dark cave. It is a small, dark space. He feels tired and sits down.
Tom is very sleepy. He lies down and dreams. He dreams he is flying home. He wakes up on his soft carpet. It is bright morning. He is safe in his home.
Godmother finds him by the wood. "Where were you?" she asks. Tom tells her about his trip. Godmother laughs a happy laugh. "Your snowy plain was my bed," she says. "Your desert was my floor. Your mountain was my chair."
Tom listens with care. He gets it now. His big trip was a small walk. "The world is very big," says Godmother. "It is good to learn first. Then you can have big trips."
Tom smiles. He feels happy and safe. He will wait and learn more. Godmother will tell him stories. He is excited for the next story.
Original Story
LITTLE TOM'S TRIP
AROUND THE WORLD.
LITTLE TOM'S HOUSEHOLD.
LITTLE TOM WRITES A DIARY.
HE LEARNS TO READ THE BOOKS OF MEN.
HOW LITTLE TOM READ WITH HIS FEET AND HOW HE
TURNED THE LEAVES.
LITTLE TOM LEARNS GEOGRAPHY AND WANTS TO
MAKE A TRIP ROUND THE WORLD.
WHAT HE WROTE IN HIS DIARY ABOUT THIS TRIP.
Little Tom had his day well planned. He rose early and, as his Godmother placed every night on his castle grounds an earthern-ware plate full of fresh water he would jump into it the first thing and swim all around in it. When he had finished his bath he would take his breakfast in the garden.
Under the tree was his store of provisions: A hazel nut with an end cut off so that he could take out little bits from time to time, lasting him a whole month; a beechnut; sunflower seeds; a piece of sugar; and a wonderful apple, into which he cut a narrow passage so that it would not dry up from the outside.
When he had breakfasted he would sweep the carpet in his room, clean his clothes and shoes, exercise with his weapons so that he would not forget the arts of defence he had learned at his home, and then go into the garden to plant and weed. Sometimes, he hunted for the ugly worms that dug great ditches in the vegetable beds.
When the Godmother rose she would come to say good morning to Tom, look at his work, praise and advise him. When she saw it was necessary to water the tree, she would tell Tom to take away his tools and would then pour water over the tree from a fine sprinkler. Tom loved to run about in this rain and was happy to think that he could so bravely bear the heavy shower.
After she had gone away, he would write in his diary, describing everything he had been doing, as well as all those things he could remember from his former kingdom, so that nothing should be forgotten. For this purpose, he had a beautiful, smooth parchment, tanned from the skins of white tree bugs, sharp pens, made from the bills of gnats, and fine writing sand from the powder of butterflies' wings. He only lacked ink, but he found a way to get that. On the tree, he discovered the smoky wicks from the candles; mixing the soot with water he made himself some excellent ink; but in doing this, he became so black that when his Godmother saw him she feared that he had turned into a negro.
He took his dinner alone, but always looked forward to the evening meal when he could sit down and talk with his Godmother.
Thus the days passed happily. He worked about his castle and in the garden and was kept busy with his housekeeping. Every day he was becoming more manly and strong and, as he grew up, he thought more and more of his past, of his birth and what he would have accomplished had he become a king and ruled over his underground realm.
One evening, when they were sitting together and Little Tom was speaking of all the things in the world he would like to do, his Godmother said, »Dear Little Tom, before you can do great things in the world, it is necessary that you should learn how to read and write as large people do, so that you can know what they are doing«.
But Tom answered, »I know how to read and write very well, Godmother. I will show you what I have written.« And when, at his request, she placed him on the press, he ran into the castle and brought out a whole armful of parchments; but it seemed to her that they were only a lot of tiny petals from cherry blossoms.
When he had thrown the parchments into her lap she put on her spectacles and took one of the little sheets in her palm; but she could make nothing out of it at all.
Tom offered to read some of it to her and taking up the sheet, read it with much expression. In spite of this, the Godmother shook her head. »You read very nicely what you yourself have written,« she said, »but you must learn human letters as well, so that you can read and study our books.«
Therefore, she brought her book to the table, and reached for Little Tom to place him upon it, but he was nowhere to be seen. She looked all about and finally spied him clinging desperately to the table cloth. The wind caused by turning the leaves had blown him over to the very edge of the table and he had barely saved himself. He was calling for help when his Godmother rescued him from his perilous position. So it nearly happened that, at the very outset, a misfortune might have prevented the reading altogether; but, as soon as he had recovered from his fright, Tom offered at once to begin.
He crawled quickly up the golden edge of the book and surveyed the broad white plain covered in every direction, with curving black lines. He ran at once to the upper left hand corner, stepping gingerly on the first large letter. After he had walked all over it, he stopped and declared confidently that it was a capital »O«. In like manner he went on to »N« and »C« and »E« and a little further, until he had no longer to run completely over a letter but could place himself in the middle and looking all about him could tell at once what it was. One after the other he spelled and his Godmother was surprised to see how quickly the reading progressed.
It was only when he came to the end of the page that he found difficulty, for then he had to crawl down while she turned the page over; but he thought of a way to get around this. When he had reached the end of the next page he procured one of his long spears and crawling a little way down the sloping edge of the opened book, thrust his spear between the leaves and raised the sheet high enough to crawl under it. Then, on his hands and knees, he worked his way to the middle of the book and exerting all his strength, he was able to turn the page over.
In a short time, he learned to read so rapidly that he could run swiftly along the lines and in this way could cover five or six pages in a day. He liked especially to linger by the pictures, looking at the little knights gazing from the battlements of the castle, or the beautiful ladies spinning or embroidering in great rooms; for it seemed to him that these were pictures of his former life and reminded him of his lost realm. But, after a moment, he would diligently continue his reading.
He was very curious to discover what real people know, so that he also might learn; but it seemed to him that he would never be able to read fast enough, and so he began to ask his Godmother to teach him from her own knowledge. She soon perceived that in some things, like mathematics and physics, he was much better educated than herself; but of other subjects, such as history and geography, he knew nothing at all.
So she told him how the earth was shaped and about the sun, moon and stars. She explained how the sun rose in the East and then there was day; and after it had crossed the sky and set in the West, then night came. She told him that in the Far North there is perpetual snow on great, white plains, so broad that you can not see across them; and in the South great deserts of sand, without water, where lions and tigers roam and it is so hot that the people become black like the king in the altar. Between all the countries stretch seas of salt water, which are filled with strange monsters and across which travel large ships.
Little Tom listened breathlessly, and then was eager to learn how people came to know all these things. His Godmother told him that there were famous travelers who went all over the earth, experiencing many dangers, and then came home to describe what they had seen.
That night, Little Tom in his excitement could not sleep for a long, long while and, finally, when he began to doze, he dreamed that he was walking through the snow, climbing the mountains that reached to the sky and crossing the primeval forests. Then he wandered in deserts and swam the sea in the midst of fierce sharks.
Next day, he was all the time thinking of the great wonders of the world, and his work was not so pleasing to him. He could hardly wait for the evening to come so that he might learn more from his Godmother. When she had told him other things that she knew, he asked her where was the end of the earth. She explained that the world was round and that, if any one walked on and on, he would come to the place whence he had started.
Little Tom became quite confused, for with his growing mind he could not understand how the world could be so great, or how it could be round! Neither did he know what it meant to travel. There was only one thing that he remembered and that was, if he started in one direction and kept on going, in the end he would come back home. His heart was very brave and he was not afraid of danger. He wanted very much to gain experience and do heroic deeds, even if he did not know where he was going.
So he decided that he would become a great traveler and go round the world. He made careful preparations for the trip. In secret, he filled a bundle with nourishing food, which he put on his back and hung a bottle of water from his neck. On his feet he put heavy shoes, made from strong caterpillar leather, belted his sword around his waist and, as soon as his Godmother had left in the morning, started on his journey round the world.
He looked forward to his Godmother's surprise on his return, when he would tell her all that had happened to him and thereby gain great fame.
He walked down from the box that held his castle and crossed the press straight to his Godmother's bed. He judged that the window through which the light was streaming, was in the East and that, therefore, he was going directly to the North.
When the Godmother returned to her room in the evening she was greatly surprised that Little Tom was not there to welcome her. She called and looked for him everywhere, but could not find him. She feared that he had crawled to some place where he had fallen down and died miserably. She swept the floor most carefully, but in vain. Sadly, she went to the hearth to get some wood to replenish the fire, for it was a cold Spring day. As she took out some pieces, there she found Tom asleep with a tiny bundle upon his back. He was sleeping so soundly, that he did not stir when she called to him, so she took him up carefully and placed him under the tree on her handkerchief. She feared that something had happened to him. Many times during the night she got up to look at him, but Little Tom slept quietly until the morning.
When he finally awoke, he did not at first know where he was. When he remembered, he avoided telling his Godmother where he had been the day before; but he begged her forgiveness and promised that he would never again crawl down from the linen press. She did not insist on an explanation, for she thought that he had been curious and had run around the room and thus become lost. When she went away, he started diligently to write in his diary. This was what he wrote:
Castle Easter Egg,
The 114th day of my life.
When I was one hundred and twelve days old, believing it to be the duty of a man to accomplish great deeds, I decided that I would be a traveler and go round the earth—Godmother having told me that it is round—so that I could see for myself the wonders she has described. I made my preparations in secret. In the morning, when Godmother had gone away, I started for the hills on the northern horizon, stretching across the plain on which my castle stands.
I expected that beyond those northern hills would lie the snowy plains about which she told me; and that, if I kept straight on, I should reach the deserts of the hot, tropical country and, beyond them, by crossing the forests, I should come to the great ocean. I had planned, if I could find a boat by the ocean, to cross to the other side and, by traveling over the countries there, finally return home.
Godmother had said that the sun, during the day and the night, goes from the East to the West and clear around the earth until it comes back again to the East. I judged that if I should hurry my journey, it would not take any longer than the sun, so I made up my mind to go from the North to the South.
The hills stretch clear across the plain which is sloping and smooth. At first, I could not find a suitable place to climb; but, finally, coming to the end of the plain before a steep precipice, I saw a little fissure by which I might ascend to the very top. With great difficulty I managed to make my way by this fissure until I came to the summit, where I could look over and, as I had expected, I saw before me a vast, white plain stretching out to infinity.
With great care I crawled upon it at the place where it touches the hills and, stepping on it, I found that it was elastic and yielding, like the snow Godmother described. One can really walk on it with ease and I was surprised to find, moreover, that one can so easily overcome the difficulties of those desolate countries. Also I did not feel any cold.
After a time, I came to a place where the white plain began to slope downwards, until it formed, in front of another hill that appeared in the distance, a dark and very deep chasm. I made my way at good speed into this chasm and was already looking forward to the time when I should come out of this inhospitable place, when, all of a sudden, the ground began to slip from under my feet. In vain I tried to hold myself with my hands. Faster and faster I fell, until, head first, I plunged against the wall of the precipice, where I lay unconscious.
When I came to myself, I found that I was on another broad plain; but, instead of snow, this one was very rough and covered with coarse sand. My arms and legs pained me from my fall, so I rested while I refreshed myself with some food from my bundle and drank a little water from my bottle. Then I started farther on my way. After this, I proceeded with great caution. As I did not in the least doubt that I was now on the dangerous desert of Sahara, which is filled with tigers and lions, I took care that I should not be pounced upon unawares.
But nothing living appeared; only before me stretched the rocky, limitless desert. I hoped that I should come to some oasis where I might find palms and a stream of fresh water, but was disappointed. Finally, I saw before me a mountain that rose so far into the sky that I could not even discern its top. As I came nearer, I perceived that it was warm, so I concluded that I had now come to the tropical country and that behind this great mountain, lay the deep forests and the ocean of which Godmother had told me.
I began to climb the steep side of the mountain, which grew warmer all the time, so that my hands were nearly blistered. From the mountain itself, there seemed to come forth a great heat, so that I was fearful that I had come upon a volcano and that I might fall into the crater. I wanted to go back, but my head became dizzy when I looked over the narrow ledge on which I stood, into the deep chasm I had left behind me. I rested awhile; then, after a drink from my water bottle, I crawled down at the risk of my life.
Reaching the level, I decided to walk around the mountain to see if I could discover some valley. At this point, I would have preferred returning to my home, but did not know how I should climb up the steep slope of the snow plain down which I had fallen.
I followed along the foot of the mountain until I came to a vast forest which, from under its cliffs, stretched a long distance away. I hoped when I should reach the other side that I should come to the ocean. In the forest were only bare trunks of trees fallen in every direction and many turned up by the roots. Perhaps a great earthquake had destroyed it and the heat from the mountain had dried up the trees.
With difficulty, I made my way into the tangle. It soon became darker and with the trunks piled high one on top of another, it seemed to me that there would be no end to it. On and on I went, hoping each moment to see a glimmer of light, when suddenly I ran into a steep, rough wall, but it was unlike anything my Godmother had told me about. On both sides, to the left and right I went, trying to find a way out; but there was not even a hole. Only, on each side was another wall like the one I had run into, and so I found myself in a great cave which, perhaps, in olden times had been caused by an earthquake and now by way of the forest led into the heart of the mountain.
I became frightened and lonely, lost in this desolate place, and feared that I might never again come out into God's world. However, I did not want to give up without making another effort, so I turned around and started back through the forest by the way that I had come, dragging myself wearily over the tangled trunks. Many times I stumbled and fell, until, finally, weariness overcame me and I sank down in the wood too worn out to go further. Before I fell asleep, in my thoughts I said good bye to my dear Godmother, fearing that I might never wake up again.
In my dreams, it seemed as if the whole forest was shaken violently and that I was lifted bodily and carried to great heights; but I could not call out or even open my eyes.
When I finally awoke, I found myself lying on the carpet in front of my castle in broad daylight. I was uncertain whether I had simply dreamed all about my journey; but, when Godmother came, she asked me with much concern where I had been and how I had come to be among the great faggots by the hearth.
I did not understand at all what she meant, but at least my journey was not a dream and I knew that I had escaped a great danger. I did not want to tell whither I had been wandering and, moreover, I was sorry that my courageous efforts had been without success. It seems to me that, for the present, the journey around the world is too great for my strength and that I should wait until I am better prepared and know fully about the direction and the dangers I shall be apt to meet.
Last evening, I read my diary to Godmother, so that she might tell me the mistakes I had made and how I can better prepare for my next journey. While I read, she laughed until the tears ran down her cheeks. I was sorry that she made so light of my efforts and that the dangers I had encountered seemed so laughable to her, but she endeavored to soothe me by saying that she was the one who had made the mistakes and had instructed me badly.
She told me that the journey was over her great feather bed, across the floor to the hearth, and into the niche where the faggots for the fire lay. I had no idea that the lodging of human beings is so vast and imagine that the earth itself must be a great deal larger and that I shall have to give up my idea. Godmother also advises me to give it up until I shall be more experienced. In the meantime, she will tell me stories of the great heroes, their adventures and the wonderful deeds they accomplished.
CHAPTER FOUR.
Story DNA
Moral
Sometimes, the greatest adventures are found in understanding the world from a new perspective, and true wisdom comes from learning from both experience and guidance.
Plot Summary
Little Tom, a tiny, intelligent creature, lives a disciplined life in his 'castle' within a human home. Encouraged by his Godmother, he learns to read human books, which ignite his curiosity about the vast world. Misinterpreting his Godmother's geographical descriptions, Tom embarks on a secret 'trip around the world,' believing he crosses snowy plains, deserts, and mountains, only to become lost and terrified in a 'forest' and 'cave.' He awakens back home, where his Godmother reveals his grand adventure was merely a journey across her feather bed, floor, and into a woodpile, leading Tom to understand the true scale of his world and the need for more experience.
Themes
Emotional Arc
innocence to wisdom
Writing Style
Narrative Elements
Cultural Context
Václav Tille was a Czech literary historian and folklorist, and his stories often blend traditional fairy tale elements with a unique perspective, in this case, a miniature one.
Plot Beats (15)
- Little Tom maintains a disciplined daily routine of bathing, eating, cleaning, exercising, and gardening in his miniature home.
- He meticulously records his daily life and memories in a diary made of tiny parchments.
- His Godmother suggests he learn to read human books to understand the larger world.
- Tom demonstrates his own writing, which his Godmother cannot decipher, reinforcing the need to learn human letters.
- He ingeniously learns to read human books, navigating the large pages and turning them with a spear.
- Tom becomes fascinated by the pictures in books, which remind him of his 'former kingdom'.
- His Godmother teaches him about geography, describing the earth's shape, climates, and oceans, inspiring Tom to travel.
- Tom plans a secret journey around the world, misinterpreting the scale and features his Godmother described.
- He sets off, believing he is crossing snowy plains (a feather bed) and a deep chasm (the edge of the bed).
- He falls into a 'desert' (the floor) and then climbs a 'mountain' (a piece of furniture or a large object).
- Tom enters a 'vast forest' and 'cave' (a woodpile by the hearth), becoming lost and terrified.
- He falls asleep from exhaustion, dreaming of being carried.
- Tom wakes up back in his home, uncertain if his journey was real, but his Godmother confirms he was found in the faggots.
- He recounts his journey to his Godmother, who laughs but then explains that his 'world' was her home, and his 'journey' was a trip across her furniture.
- Tom accepts that his journey was a misunderstanding of scale and decides to postpone future travels until he is more prepared, while his Godmother promises to tell him stories of heroes.
Characters
Little Tom ★ protagonist
A small, agile mouse, likely with soft brown or grey fur, a slender build, and quick movements. His size is consistently emphasized as being tiny in comparison to human objects and environments.
Attire: No specific clothing mentioned, as he is a mouse. He is described as cleaning his 'clothes and shoes,' which implies he might wear miniature, simple garments, perhaps a tunic or vest and tiny shoes, but these are not detailed.
Wants: To explore the world, learn about human ways, and perhaps reclaim or understand his 'former kingdom' and 'underground realm.' He seeks knowledge and adventure.
Flaw: His extreme smallness, which makes the human world incredibly vast and dangerous, and his naivety about the true scale and nature of his 'adventures.'
He starts as an ambitious and somewhat deluded adventurer, believing his small world is vast. Through his 'trip' and his Godmother's gentle revelations, he learns humility and the true scale of the world, realizing he needs more preparation and knowledge.
Industrious, curious, brave, determined, and a bit naive. He is diligent in his daily tasks and eager to learn and explore, though his understanding of the world is limited by his size.
Image Prompt & Upload
A small, agile mouse with soft brown fur and prominent whiskers, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. He has small, dark, beady eyes and a twitching nose. He wears no clothes, but his fur is clean and well-groomed. He holds a tiny, rolled parchment in one paw and a sharpened gnat's bill in the other, as if writing. His posture is alert and curious. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Godmother ◆ supporting
A kind and gentle woman, likely of a comfortable build, given her nurturing role. Her movements are described as careful when interacting with Tom, suggesting a deliberate and soft demeanor.
Attire: Simple, practical, and clean European peasant or middle-class attire of the late 19th or early 20th century. Perhaps a long, modest dress made of sturdy cotton or wool, possibly with an apron, in muted colors like brown, grey, or deep blue. Her clothing would be functional for household tasks.
Wants: To care for Little Tom, educate him, and help him understand the world safely and realistically.
Flaw: Perhaps her amusement at Tom's grand adventures, which she initially struggles to convey without making him feel foolish.
She remains a constant, wise figure, her arc is more about her ongoing role as a mentor. She successfully helps Tom gain a more realistic perspective on his ambitions.
Kind, patient, wise, nurturing, and possesses a good sense of humor. She is supportive of Tom's ambitions but also gently guides him towards understanding reality.
Image Prompt & Upload
A kind, middle-aged European woman with a gentle smile, standing upright and facing forward, full body visible head to toe. She has a soft, round face, warm brown eyes, and her grey-streaked brown hair is neatly pulled back into a bun. She wears a modest, long-sleeved dark blue cotton dress with a white lace collar and a simple cream-colored apron tied at the waist. She holds a pair of wire-rimmed spectacles in one hand. Plain white background, full body visible head to toe, single figure, no watermark, no text, no signature.
Locations
Little Tom's Castle Grounds and Garden
A miniature 'castle grounds' for Little Tom, likely a small, sheltered area within a larger human garden. It features an earthenware plate for bathing, a 'store of provisions' under a tree (hazelnut, beechnut, sunflower seeds, sugar, apple with a passage cut into it), and vegetable beds where Tom plants and weeds. The Godmother waters a tree with a fine sprinkler.
Mood: Cozy, industrious, safe, domestic, a miniature world of self-sufficiency.
Tom's daily routine of bathing, breakfasting, gardening, and writing in his diary. It's his primary domain.
Image Prompt & Upload
A close-up, ground-level view of a miniature, meticulously organized garden. A small, rough-hewn wooden 'castle' is nestled among large burdock leaves. An earthenware plate filled with water sits beside it. Under a gnarled tree root, a hazelnut with a small opening, sunflower seeds, and a tiny apple with a carved passage are arranged. Sunlight filters through giant leaves, casting dappled shadows on the rich, dark soil of tiny vegetable beds. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Godmother's Book (as a 'World')
A vast, white plain with curving black lines representing text. It has a 'golden edge' and 'broad white plains' of pages. The 'wind' from turning pages is a hazard. The end of a page requires a perilous crawl down, and turning a page involves thrusting a 'spear' between leaves to lift it.
Mood: Challenging, vast, intellectual, a landscape of knowledge and discovery.
Tom learns to read, navigating the pages as if they were a vast landscape, encountering dangers and developing ingenious methods to overcome them.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dramatic, low-angle perspective looking across an immense, pristine white landscape, which is actually an open book page. Giant, elegant black calligraphic letters curve across the 'plain' like winding rivers. A tiny, determined figure (Little Tom) is seen gingerly stepping on the golden-gilded edge of the page, which gleams under a soft, diffused light. The vastness of the page stretches into the distance, suggesting an endless world of text. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
The Godmother's Feather Bed / Floor / Hearth Niche
A vast, soft 'white plain' (feather bed) leading to a rough 'desert' (floor) and then a 'mountain' (hearth) with a 'deep chasm' (the space behind the hearth) and a 'vast forest' (faggots) leading into a 'great cave' (niche for faggots). The 'mountain' is warm, implying the heat from the hearth.
Mood: Perilous, disorienting, vast, a domestic interior transformed into a dangerous wilderness from a tiny perspective.
Tom's 'trip around the world' which is revealed to be a journey across the Godmother's bedroom, from her bed to the hearth and into the woodpile.
Image Prompt & Upload
A dramatic, low-angle view from the perspective of a tiny creature. A vast, rumpled white feather bed slopes down to a rough, textured wooden floor, appearing like a sandy desert. In the distance, a towering, dark, rough-hewn stone hearth rises like a warm mountain, with a deep, shadowed chasm at its base. Piles of gnarled, broken faggots resemble a dense, fallen forest leading into a dark, cavernous niche. Soft, warm light from an unseen window illuminates the scene, highlighting textures. no border, no frame, no watermark, no text, no signature, edge-to-edge illustration.
