the lost thing

 setting : 

A fantastical town, seemingly an industrial one, that's perhaps been largely abandoned, as seen from the lack of people and things like bottle caps being commonly discarded on the streets.

conflict : 

The man comes across a creature that he's never seen before, and after realizing that it is lost, sets out to help find where it belongs.

climax : 

After following the mysterious sign which they were given from the creature at the department of odds and ends, the man and the "lost thing" finally reach their destination. The door opens, and at one glance, they know that this is the place where the "lost thing" belongs, that they had found what they were looking for.

symbols : 

Although there are many ways in which it could be interpreted, I personally see the "lost thing" as symbolizing anyone in the world who struggles to find a place that they belong, a place in which they feel comfortable and can completely be themselves; those who, in a large way, are "different" from those around them and are often seen as such and treated differently for it. The way nobody in the beginning tries to help the "lost thing", shows how humans and society in general tend to turn a blind eye to people in need of help, especially if they seem unusual or alien. That is, until the man shows up and wholeheartedly tries to help the "lost thing", showing how one person having an empathetic heart can make all the difference for someone who is "lost".

The Department of Odds and Ends at first seems to the man like the solution, but turns out to be a place where these "lost things" are taken to be forgotten, rather than placed where they belong. The figure that tells them that seems to be a creature similar to the "lost thing", which makes me think that it itself was taken there, only to be forgotten and left behind. This represents how in the real world, there are people who find happiness and achieve their dreams, and there are those who are unfortunately left behind.

irony : 

I think that the biggest irony in this story comes at the end, when the man says, 

"I see that kinda thing less and less these days. Maybe there aren't that many lost things around anymore. Or maybe I've just stopped noticing them. Too busy doing other stuff I guess,"

when speaking of the "lost thing". I think this can be interpreted in a multitude of different ways, but in my mind, I saw it as a bitter irony that this man has essentially become just like the people at the beginning of the story who walked past the "lost thing" without a second glance.

Perhaps this is an overly pessimistic interpretation, one which wasn't intended by the author and creator, but in my view, this showed the inevitability of peoples' change in behavior and values as they grow up, live their life, and witness countless tragedies and misfortunes, eventually leading them to become numbed and hopeless in the face of a dilemma. 

Despite the narrator seeming different at first, like he was a "good" person in the sea of people who wouldn't even look towards the "lost thing", he would eventually end up the same way as the rest, busied by life and using that as an excuse to look the other way.

theme : 

I think that the general theme of this story is that in a world of people who turn a blind eye to those who are lonely and lost, one person with a good and pure intent to help can make all the difference. 

On the contrary, however, I think that if you look into the narrator's introduction and conclusion to the story, the theme changes into something much more dismal: That in the end, we all become the same insensitive character, heartless to some extent, regardless of how we acted when we were younger or how hard we try to preserve our innocent and empathetic hearts.