DRayVan
09-22-2018, 11:11 AM
Part #1
Today--a few of months before Tommy’s fifth birthday--started as most days on the farm: chores, washing up, and breakfast. Afterwards, he grabbed his walking stick and announced, “Goin’ out to play, Mommy.”
This morning, Tommy decided it would be great fun climbing his tall mountains--a small outcrop of boulders at the edge of the forest--and imagining some grand adventure. No children lived near the farm, so he didn’t have anyone to share his exploits. At times, he felt lonely, but he could always count on his imagination for companionship.
A short distance from his mountains, he saw a little old man. One moment the man wasn’t there, but now, he was sitting on a boulder.
Walking up to him, Tommy said, “Never seen you round these parts. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Alfie. I’ve come to play with you.”
Tommy looked him over. Standing about four feet tall with a wrinkled face, fat belly, and red hair, Alfie was dressed in a greenish-brown coat, matching britches and striped leggings.
Alfie sure looks like the old leprechaun in last night’s bedtime story, but he’s wearin’ a baseball cap, not a green top hat.
After seeing his clothes and wrinkled face, Tommy wasn’t certain he believed the little old man and said, “You won’t like playin’ my games.”
“Yes I will. Try me.”
“Okay. How about playin’ Cowboys and Indians?”
Without hesitation, Alfie asked, “Do you want to be a cowboy or an indian?”
“I’ll be the cowboy. You can be the indian.”
Tommy was knocked backwards for in an instant Alfie became an American Indian dressed in buckskins with a tomahawk, a bow, a sheath of arrows slung over his right shoulder, and three white and black feathers stuck in the baseball cap on top of his red hair.
“Alfie, how’dja do that? You’re a real indian just my size.”
“I didn’t do anything; you did.”
“Whacha mean, I did?”
“Imagine what you want me to be, and I’ll be that. Look, you’re a cowboy. You have boots, hat, six-shooters with pearl handles, and you’re wearing a mask.”
“You’re right, I’m the Lone Ranger, and you’re Tonto. Their stories on CD are the best. But they had horses; we don’t.”
“Yes, we do. Listen.”
Tommy thought he heard the whinnies of horses. The farm didn’t have horses, but he swore he could hear them. He turned toward the barn and saw two horses trotting toward them: a great white steed and a pinto. He knew their names, too: Silver and Scout.
Alfie mounted Scout, and Tommy straddled his walking stick, Silver, and they rode around, and around, whooping, and hollering. They were having great fun playing Lone Ranger and Tonto. Tommy’s stick made long trails in the dirt as they galloped down the road to the barn and back to the boulders.
“What could we play now?” asked Alfie.
“Let’s play ‘Rescuing a damn seal in a dress.’”
Alfie started laughing, but Tommy continued, “Mommy and Daddy said I shouldn’t say ‘damn’, ‘cause it’s a bad word, but that’s what I heard on the CD.”
Alfie was slapping his thigh and laughed all the harder. His fat belly jiggled with each outburst.
Tommy ignored him. “The bad men took her horse stage, too.”
Alfie couldn’t contain himself any longer. He was laughing so hard, he rolled on the ground, crying.
“Alfie,” Tommy scolded, “If you’re gonna laugh at me, I’m goin’ home. Friends don’t laugh at each other.” He turned to leave.
“Wait. Wait a minute, Tommy. I’m sorry. You’re right. True friends laugh together, but they don’t laugh at each other.”
Tommy stopped and turned back.
“When you understand why I’m laughing, you’ll laugh, too. We’ll have a good laugh together.”
Tommy wasn’t sure he would, but he trusted Alfie.
“On the CD, did they actually say ‘horse stage’?”
“No, they said ‘hoss stage.’ Uncle has a friend who calls a horse, hoss. So, I figured they meant horse stage.
Alfie chuckled and said, “No, no, Tommy. They said ‘hostage.’”
“Whazit mean?”
“It’s a person who has been taken captive and held as a prisoner.”
“Oh, makes more sense. The bad guys took the seal hostage, right?”
“No, that isn’t quite right. They didn’t say ‘damn seal,’ they said ‘damsel,’ which means a young, unmarried woman. And they said ‘in distress,’ not ‘in a dress,’ which means the young woman was in trouble and needed help.”
Gee, Alfie’s the smartest person ever. Just where’d he learn all that stuff?
“So the Lone Ranger and Tonto were rescuing a ‘damsel in distress taken hostage.’”
Tommy started laughing. The more he thought about what he’d said, the more he laughed. Putting a dress on a seal didn’t make much sense anyway: It’d get all wet when the seal swam away. Soon, both were rolling on the ground, laughing so hard their bellies ached and tears filled their eyes.
Having a friend to share good laughs and great adventures is sure terrific.
“Okay, Alfie, let’s go rescue the damsel.” Alfie mounted Scout and Tommy straddled his stick, yelling, “Hi-ho, Silver, away!” Together, the Lone Ranger and Tonto galloped down the road on the first of many grand adventures.
Today--a few of months before Tommy’s fifth birthday--started as most days on the farm: chores, washing up, and breakfast. Afterwards, he grabbed his walking stick and announced, “Goin’ out to play, Mommy.”
This morning, Tommy decided it would be great fun climbing his tall mountains--a small outcrop of boulders at the edge of the forest--and imagining some grand adventure. No children lived near the farm, so he didn’t have anyone to share his exploits. At times, he felt lonely, but he could always count on his imagination for companionship.
A short distance from his mountains, he saw a little old man. One moment the man wasn’t there, but now, he was sitting on a boulder.
Walking up to him, Tommy said, “Never seen you round these parts. What’s your name?”
“My name’s Alfie. I’ve come to play with you.”
Tommy looked him over. Standing about four feet tall with a wrinkled face, fat belly, and red hair, Alfie was dressed in a greenish-brown coat, matching britches and striped leggings.
Alfie sure looks like the old leprechaun in last night’s bedtime story, but he’s wearin’ a baseball cap, not a green top hat.
After seeing his clothes and wrinkled face, Tommy wasn’t certain he believed the little old man and said, “You won’t like playin’ my games.”
“Yes I will. Try me.”
“Okay. How about playin’ Cowboys and Indians?”
Without hesitation, Alfie asked, “Do you want to be a cowboy or an indian?”
“I’ll be the cowboy. You can be the indian.”
Tommy was knocked backwards for in an instant Alfie became an American Indian dressed in buckskins with a tomahawk, a bow, a sheath of arrows slung over his right shoulder, and three white and black feathers stuck in the baseball cap on top of his red hair.
“Alfie, how’dja do that? You’re a real indian just my size.”
“I didn’t do anything; you did.”
“Whacha mean, I did?”
“Imagine what you want me to be, and I’ll be that. Look, you’re a cowboy. You have boots, hat, six-shooters with pearl handles, and you’re wearing a mask.”
“You’re right, I’m the Lone Ranger, and you’re Tonto. Their stories on CD are the best. But they had horses; we don’t.”
“Yes, we do. Listen.”
Tommy thought he heard the whinnies of horses. The farm didn’t have horses, but he swore he could hear them. He turned toward the barn and saw two horses trotting toward them: a great white steed and a pinto. He knew their names, too: Silver and Scout.
Alfie mounted Scout, and Tommy straddled his walking stick, Silver, and they rode around, and around, whooping, and hollering. They were having great fun playing Lone Ranger and Tonto. Tommy’s stick made long trails in the dirt as they galloped down the road to the barn and back to the boulders.
“What could we play now?” asked Alfie.
“Let’s play ‘Rescuing a damn seal in a dress.’”
Alfie started laughing, but Tommy continued, “Mommy and Daddy said I shouldn’t say ‘damn’, ‘cause it’s a bad word, but that’s what I heard on the CD.”
Alfie was slapping his thigh and laughed all the harder. His fat belly jiggled with each outburst.
Tommy ignored him. “The bad men took her horse stage, too.”
Alfie couldn’t contain himself any longer. He was laughing so hard, he rolled on the ground, crying.
“Alfie,” Tommy scolded, “If you’re gonna laugh at me, I’m goin’ home. Friends don’t laugh at each other.” He turned to leave.
“Wait. Wait a minute, Tommy. I’m sorry. You’re right. True friends laugh together, but they don’t laugh at each other.”
Tommy stopped and turned back.
“When you understand why I’m laughing, you’ll laugh, too. We’ll have a good laugh together.”
Tommy wasn’t sure he would, but he trusted Alfie.
“On the CD, did they actually say ‘horse stage’?”
“No, they said ‘hoss stage.’ Uncle has a friend who calls a horse, hoss. So, I figured they meant horse stage.
Alfie chuckled and said, “No, no, Tommy. They said ‘hostage.’”
“Whazit mean?”
“It’s a person who has been taken captive and held as a prisoner.”
“Oh, makes more sense. The bad guys took the seal hostage, right?”
“No, that isn’t quite right. They didn’t say ‘damn seal,’ they said ‘damsel,’ which means a young, unmarried woman. And they said ‘in distress,’ not ‘in a dress,’ which means the young woman was in trouble and needed help.”
Gee, Alfie’s the smartest person ever. Just where’d he learn all that stuff?
“So the Lone Ranger and Tonto were rescuing a ‘damsel in distress taken hostage.’”
Tommy started laughing. The more he thought about what he’d said, the more he laughed. Putting a dress on a seal didn’t make much sense anyway: It’d get all wet when the seal swam away. Soon, both were rolling on the ground, laughing so hard their bellies ached and tears filled their eyes.
Having a friend to share good laughs and great adventures is sure terrific.
“Okay, Alfie, let’s go rescue the damsel.” Alfie mounted Scout and Tommy straddled his stick, yelling, “Hi-ho, Silver, away!” Together, the Lone Ranger and Tonto galloped down the road on the first of many grand adventures.