As usual in such cases, we have to quote Astrid Lindgren: “Rasmus was sitting on his customary branch of a lime tree and was thinking of what shouldn\'t exist.

“Well”, Rasmus thought , “What I first see on top of the lime tree is clearly pure nature. And when I say \'pure\', I don\'t mean that the leaves of the lime tree are somehow particularly merry, but that there is nothing else but my lime tree. The lime tree which I like climbing now and then, so that Mrs. Hawk will not find me, or that I could swing my feet and have my cocoa just like that, or because there is nothing better than being there on top of the lime tree, because it is quiet and good. And a bit beautiful.”

Rasmus adjusted himself on top of the tree, because his bottom was rather stiff., and took a a boiled sweet from his pocket.  
“Well, but if I\'m thinking this way, I sometimes feel, that when I say \' The lime is beautiful\', then I only hit half the truth. Actually, then I feel it is not right to talk about \'a beautiful lime tree\', because hardly any person can express what a lime tree is. Because of that”, Rasmus started, when he suddenly heard two weird male voices underneath.

“Look”, said one. “I\'m going to buy this lime tree. What will it become, I don\'t know, but I will buy it, you can count on that. Will you be so good and take a picture? Me and the lime tree, the lime tree and me”.  

“Well”, Rasmus thought again. “This is a man, who wants to buy my lime tree. Right, let him buy, it won\'t be the end of the world. Perhaps he is very sad, or very happy, and he really needs this lime tree. Perhaps he sees the limits of his language, perhaps he is anguished and complains about the nonsense of human existence, perhaps he\'s trying to say no and only occasionally says yes, perhaps he has a hunch of a death of the whole nature, and this does not make him peaceful but anxious. Perhaps he is, whom Jacques calls \" le humane avec embarrassment \"  the one who never takes Reality for granted, but who never dares to accept symbolism. Well,” Rasmus thought, “I\'m not quite sure what I am saying.”    

“Look”, said the other voice. “I am not upset, because you like the lime tree. Who wouldn\'t? I\'m not upset about your innocent idea, that you could buy the lime tree, that you can own and have the lime tree as an entry in the land register. What bothers me is that you always say \'no\' and never \'yes\'. You are the one, who suffers from the anguish of existentialism. You are the one, who is able to think within the limits of either Reality or Symbolism. You are the one, who does not get that on the top of this lime tree there is vagabond Rasmus, that under the lime tree a maze flows which is as beautiful as Mrs. Vive\'s graphic drawing and a bit terrifying like theatre. You are the one, who does not get that a maze can well be a vulgar metaphore, but also an elegant solution to the anguish of existentialism, that is spreading all over the country. You are the one, who is not ...”

Rasmus did not go on listening any further. Why should I? Why?

My bottom is almost entirely stiff.