Eugene the Builder

A constructive tale about never giving up.

Eugene was a boy who was fascinated by building things. 

When he was very young, he started out with building blocks. Later, he would go outside and use sticks and rocks to construct houses and roads and tall buildings and even cities. Then he upgraded to Legos, which he used to put together elaborate structures he designed himself. There was nothing he couldn’t construct. 

His parents were a bit worried that he showed so little interest in anything else. He didn’t have any friends, never played sports, and didn’t care at all about video games or TV. Quite simply, Eugene was obsessed with building. 

His parents encouraged Eugene’s hobby, of course, buying him tools and toys and different types of erector sets to let his imagination run wild. But over time, it started to become a concern. Other kids bullied Eugene. They called him “Brickie the Bricklayer” and “Yucky Eugene” because his hands were always covered in dirt and dust and other grit from building.

Eventually, Eugene began to learn more about construction and engineering. He studied math and science and geometry and algebra and trigonometry and calculus. He got smarter and smarter until he was taking on amazing and complicated projects at home. He built a huge tree fort in the backyard, with pulleys to lift you up and slides that could take you to the ground in seconds. He also helped his dad build a new garage for his car. He even started working on plans to build a new house.

One day, Eugene’s parents came to him and said, “Eugene, you need to do something more with this gift of yours.” So Eugene did some research and found out about the Builders Academy in Europe. It was known as the greatest school for builders in the whole world. Only the best engineers and architects studied there. 

After talking it through with his parents, Eugene put together an application and sent it to the Builders Academy. As part of his application, he proposed to build the greatest castle ever conceived, inspired by the most wondrous palaces in Medieval European history. He even included blueprints in his application.

After many weeks of waiting, Eugene got a letter back from the academy. It said his application was rejected. They said they liked his plans but no one needs castles anymore. Instead, they encouraged him to think about building something more important. He could apply again in one year. 

Eugene was crushed, but he didn't give up. He studied and studied and a year later he applied again. This time he proposed to build the tallest skyscraper ever constructed. It would be so big you could see it from miles away. Planes and helicopters could stop on the roof to let passengers on and off and to refuel. Once again, he put together the blueprints and detailed plans for how he would build it.

Eugene waited and waited nervously. Every day he would walk down to the end of his long driveway and check the mailbox for news. It seemed as if time slowed down. Then one day, a letter arrived from the academy. Eugene could feel his heart pounding in his chest as he reached to open the envelope. 

He opened the letter and couldn't believe his eyes. They accepted Eugene’s application! The letter said they would welcome him at the Builders Academy and let him build his skyscraper. There was only one condition. He needed to respond within three days to accept his admission.

Eugene was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He started dancing with joy in the middle of the street. But he wasn't paying attention. Just then a car raced by and crashed into him, sending Eugene flying through the air. He blacked out. 

When Eugene woke up, he was in a hospital bed. His mouth was wired shut from a broken jaw. Both arms and both legs were broken and wrapped up in hard casts. He couldn't talk, he couldn’t use his hands, and he couldn't walk. Worst of all, the letter from the Builders Academy was nowhere to be seen, and Eugene had no way to tell anyone about it. He couldn't speak or write a note. He had no way to prove the letter even existed. And he only had three days to respond to the school.

Needless to say, Eugene missed the deadline and never went to the Builders Academy. In fact, he was facing a long road to recovery. He spent an entire year in physical therapy learning to walk again. He had to take food through a straw for months until his jaw healed and he could eat properly again. None of it was easy.

After more than two years, Eugene had finally healed. But he was permanently disabled from his injuries. He had a limp to his walk, and had to use a cane everywhere he went. His whole body was crippled from the accident, which made it very difficult to build anything. 

But Eugene never gave up hope and he never stopped dreaming his dream. No matter how many people told him he couldn't become a master builder, he kept coming up with ideas and drawing up blueprints. 

Then one night he was watching the news on TV when he saw a fascinating story. The richest man in the world, Nehru West, had announced a global contest. He would give $1 billion dollars in cash to whomever could come up with the greatest idea to help improve the world. 

Eugene had an idea, and he wrote a letter to Nehru West. 

Weeks went by and Eugene didn’t hear anything. He was very careful walking to the mailbox and back each day checking for a letter. Then one day, a letter arrived from West’s company. Eugene had been chosen as one of three finalists to win the contest. He was invited to Hollywood to appear on a TV show and present his idea to the world. The audience would then vote on the contestant with the best idea. Eugene couldn’t dance with joy like before, but he felt like he was dancing on air.

Time passed and Eugene spent every day preparing for the contest. He put everything he had into his project. When the day finally came, Eugene got on a plane and flew to Hollywood. He was almost too nervous to think. He wasn’t eating or sleeping. All he could think about was his plan. 

The show started. One by one, the contestants were introduced and asked to present their ideas. 

The first was a boy from Brazil who had an idea to make a rocket ship that would travel the solar system to study outer space. The best part, his rocket ship would be made out of recycled garbage. The whole audience ooh’d and aah’d when they saw his designs.

The second contestant was a little girl from China who said she would build a bridge that would cross the Pacific ocean and the Atlantic ocean and connect everyone in the world. She said it could be built with a series of flexible interconnected parts made out of giant sponges. Her idea was well received by the crowd.

Finally, it was Eugene’s turn to present. He slowly shuffled up to the stage. Right as he got to the podium he got his feet tangled up and tripped and fell on his face. The whole crowd exploded with laughter. It was very embarrassing. 

But Eugene was no stranger to failure. He didn't even hesitate. He stood up, brushed off his pants, and pulled a little device from his pocket. This device, he told the crowd, held the plans that would change the world. 

Then he pushed a little red button on it. And it suddenly started shooting laser lights into the air. The lasers turned into pictures in a dozen colors. They were virtual blueprints for a massive construction project. 

Eugene used a laser show to present the creation of an entire new city. The city had walkways and skyways and tunnels everywhere for pedestrians to get around. It had tubes connecting all the buildings so that people with disabilities could jump in little carts that would take them anywhere in the city in minutes. There were large gardens built into and on top of all the buildings so that every place in the city had a beautiful park for people to enjoy the outdoors and for families to play in. All the farms and factories could be kept adjacent to the city and all the pollution and waste were sucked through pipes and taken into a chamber where they were converted into energy and used to power everyone’s electricity. 

Eugene had created the designs for a whole new city. A dream city where everyone could live and work and be happy together, no matter who they were or where they were from or what they did. 

He called it Eugene’s Gift. It was a place where no dream was too big to dream. 

When Eugene finished presenting, there was a full silence for a few seconds. Then the crowd roared its approval. Eugene won the contest with 99% of the votes. Nehru West, the richest man in the world came on stage and gave Eugene a hug. He told him right then that he would fund the project to build Eugene’s Gift.

After five years of more hard work, Eugene built the dream city. It eventually became known as the most beautiful and powerful city in the world. After that, every other city copied its thoughtful designs and ingenious constructions. Everyone everywhere came to know “Eugene the Builder” as the greatest builder in history.