Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Children's Stories Continued - Day 10

From the first day of kindergarten to stolen berries

From daddy's closet to another galaxy

From the video game king to the spelling bee

I loved your little dudes and dragons. The BOOOOOMS and Tickkkkkks were delightful.

We had a blast reading children's stories yesterday. We will continue.

There are times when kids deal with difficult issues. I wrote the following piece to capture the loss of a pet.

Gizmo’s Spot
Alfred W. Tatum
January 11, 2010
5:57pm on the Metra

This was his third trip to the doctor in as many weeks. The hope we once had was gone. Last night was the hardest for us as he lay in the dark basement in a spot that comforted him. He refused to eat, refused to move. Nothing worked. I was not only concerned for him; I worried about his best friend, Andrew. The loss of a friend is hard to swallow when you are really young.

“He’s going to make it dad.”

These were Andrew’s words earlier in the week when he heard about his friend’s disease. I tried to explain that some things are just out of our control. He covered his ears and refused to listen to me. This was the first time Andrew acted stubborn. He was usually an easy-going kid. The idea of losing Gizmo changed him.

“Look what I got!”

These were mom’s words when she surprised Andrew with a kitten. Frankly, we were all surprised. This was Andrew’s first pet. He had his very own kitten. Small. Cute. Playful. The kitten started reaching for the string on mom’s white coat.

“Mom look, he likes your string. I got a string.”

Andrew ran up the stairs and removed a string from an old shoe. He rushed down the stairs almost tripping before sliding on the floor to be close to Gizmo. He pulled the string and Gizmo chased it. He held the string over Gizmo’s head and Gizmo reached for it. They were in string heaven.

“This is the one,” I said.

“Mom, can he sleep in my room?”

“We have to help him get used to his litter box first.”

“How long will that take? I will take him to the litter box when he has to use the bathroom.”

“Cats are not like dogs, Andrew. They train themselves.”


Gizmo was going to his litter box before bedtime. Andrew left his bedroom door cracked and a nightlight on hoping that Gizmo would find him. The next morning, to his delight, Gizmo found a spot near Andrew’s feet.

“Mom, Gizmo slept in my bed. He likes me.”

For the next three months, Andrew found Gizmo at his feet when he woke up in the morning. Then one morning, Gizmo was not there. Instead, he slept in the corner of Andrew’s closet. He did not follow Andrew down the stairs to breakfast as usual. He did not chase after the string. Gizmo stared at Andrew with his adoring eyes, but he did not move.

“Do you think Gizmo is overweight,” my wife asked.

“I notice some bloating in his stomach, but the rest of his body looks normal.”

“We should take him to the doctor just to make sure everything is okay.”

Three days later, my wife took Gizmo to the veterinarian. By this time, he had stopped eating. His water bowl was full at the end of the day. The bloating was not going away. Gizmo stopped running, stopped chasing the string; he stopped being, Gizmo.

It was a gray Friday afternoon, but Gizmo seemed happy in the doctor’s arms. His eyes turned toward Andrew as he was lying on the examination table.

“It’ll be okay, Gizzy. The doctor just needs to help you get better. You’ll be chasing strings again before you know it.”

The doctor decided to keep Gizmo overnight. This was Gizmo’s first night away.

“Is he coming home tomorrow, mom?”

“Yes, Andrew. The doctor just wants to make sure he’s okay.”

Gizmo came home Friday afternoon, but he was not better. Andrew was just happy to have his kitten home.

“Mom, Gizmo made a mess on the floor.”

This was the first time Gizmo failed to use his litter box. He did not have the energy to go to the basement. My wife called the doctor and explained what happened. Gizmo would have to return to the doctor on Monday. He was placed in the basement over the weekend because he did not have the energy to climb the stairs.  It was a long weekend. Gizmo was starving himself. The smell of home cooked potpies did not entice him to eat. We blasted the music and danced around him with dangling strings. He followed us with his eyes, but he did not move. We were all sad.

I was at work on Monday evening when my wife called.

“Well, I just received the news about Gizmo. He will not be able to return home."

Immediately, I thought about Andrew. As suddenly as Gizmo came into our lives, he was leaving us. I asked to speak to Andrew before my wife shared the sad news.

“Hey Drew.”

“Hey dad.”

“How was school?”

“Not so good. I was asked to write about a problem and explain how I dealt with it.”

“What did you write?”

“Nothing. I just live my life. I don’t have any problems. I am just a happy kid.”

“We’ll talk about it when I get home tonight.”

“Here’s mom, bye dad.”

Gizmo had twenty-four hours left. We decided to let Andrew stay up as late as he wanted to be with him. He decided to sleep in the basement on the couch near Gizmo’s bed. I went down to check on them just after midnight. They were both sound asleep. Andrew and Gizmo were enjoying their last night together.

“How was it,” I asked my wife.

“It was pretty sad. It seemed like he knew what was going to happen.”

“Why do you say that?”

“During his final trip to doctor’s office, he refused to come out of his carrying case. He just meowed and meowed and meowed. I never heard him sound like that.”

We shared the news with Andrew tonight. He did not say much at the dinner table. This was unusual.

“I think I am going to bed early tonight.”

“Okay, I’ll be up to tuck you in.”

I went upstairs twenty minutes later and found Andrew’s door shut for the first night in three months. There was no need to keep it open. I heard him crying softly. When I cracked his door, I saw him lying at the other end of his bed. Andrew was lying in Gizmo’s spot. My son’s best friend was gone and he knew it.

Today, you will write another children's story that aligns with the aims of our Preamble.

6 comments:

BA 10 said...

Busy Bee, Busy Bee, what can you see?
I see the caterpillars looking at me!

Busy Bee, Busy Bee, what can you see?
I see the flowers glowing with glee

Busy Bee, Busy Bee, what can you see?
I see the trees flowing proud and free

Busy Bee carries pollen to the hive and back
Among the sea of brothers and sisters in yellow and black.

Busy Bee buzzing through picnics with such good food.
Paying special attention to not interrupt and be so rude.

Busy Bee was getting tired on his day at work
"All this pollen can wait another day!"
He said with a little smirk.

Busy Bee then flew back to hive.
Where all his bee friends thrive.

BA7 said...

My Mechanical Hero

Teddy doesn’t like the heat. I can see him shaking off all that water on his skin – Momma called it “fur.” Usually, Teddy comes running to my room and starts licking me. But today, he won’t even play fetch with me.
“Momma, I’m tired. Can’t we go somewhere today?”
“Baby, I don’t want to move an inch from this fan, okay? Why don’t you join me here, and we’ll think about what to do until Daddy comes.”
I get up and leave Teddy to join Momma on the couch. Teddy doesn’t even crawl over, he just yells once – Momma said “Stop barking!” - and then puts his head back down. The fan just blows a lot of wind in my face, but it makes the day a little cooler. I think I could sit in front of it all day, if Momma will just move so I could have more of the air.
“Are we gonna sit here all day, Momma?”
“I’m gonna cook in a moment, but yeah, I intend to sit here all day. Now hush your mouth – your breath’s making the air hotter.”
I wonder what she means. How could my breath make this day any hotter? It’s the sun’s fault, not mine. But I will “zip it closed,” as Daddy says; I don’t want Momma angry at me.
The clock’s really slow today. It goes “Tick, Tock,” but hardly seems to move. I really want to pull it hard so the short hand – Momma calls it the “hour hand” - points at the 3. Daddy would be home soon after that, and he said he was bringing a surprise.
“What do you think you’re doing?
“If I move this thing, I can move it at 3!”
Momma laughed. “No, honey, you gotta just wait two more hour.”
“But that little guy’s pointed at the 1, so we gotta wait three more hours. Look,” I said, climbing down the chair to get to the clock, “that number is “1,” and Daddy comes home at “three.” And Mr. Jemison said I am great at math, so my math proves that he comes home in three hours, not two.”
Momma looked at the clock, then back at me. “You sure it’s three hours?” she asked, and I nodded. Momma rolled her eyes and lifted her hands. “Whatever you believe, baby,” she said, before laughing to herself. She got up and went to the kitchen to make some hot dogs, still laughing to herself. I asked her what was so funny, and she only laughed harder.
Momma’s weird.
Momma and I ate those hot dogs and talked about the heat for some more. I wanted to talk to Teddy and bring him to the front of the fan, but he only barked and turned his head away from me. At 2, Momma said her favorite show was on, and she and I watched the T.V. She said that the guy sitting behind the desk was a judge, and that those people behind the smaller desks were just complainers. I don’t really understand what they were complaining about, but they were really mad at each other. Several people came onto the show after the first two, but they weren’t as loud. I like the first two – they made the show look cool.

BA7 said...

My Mechanical Hero Part 2

DING DONG! Momma and I jumped and looked at the clock. 3:38?! Where did the time go? I ran to the door, but Momma told me not to open it until she seen who was there. When she did look, she said “Oh praise Him” – I wonder who this guy is that she keeps praising – and opened the door. Daddy was there, but he was carrying a huge machine; it was so huge, he had to carry it with both hands!
“Wow Daddy, what’s that?”
“This,” he said, letting Momma carry the other half, “is our hero for the day.” A HERO? Cool! Momma said heroes don’t exist, but Daddy came out and proved her wrong. Momma and Daddy put the big machine on the floor, and Momma took my hand and walked to the front of the thing while Daddy was taking its cord in his hand. When he plugged it in, it was like the house jumped all the way to the North Pole. I went straight behind Mom to hide from the beast, and Momma and Daddy laughed.
“It won’t hurt you. See, it made the heat go away. It’s saving us!”
He was right. The mean sun couldn’t get at us anymore; the big machine saved us from the heat! Even Teddy was happy the big machine came: he barked and ran around in circles before running up to me and started licking my face. Teddy’s weird, like Momma, but his kind of weird is funny to me.
“So,” Daddy said, rubbing his hands together, “what do my girls want to do today?”
We played Monopoly (Daddy said once I got older, I won’t have my winning streak anymore) and Daddy let me ride on his back as he ran around the dinner table. He did the same for Momma, but then stopped and said she was too heavy. Momma laughed and said he needed more muscles.
When I was finally tired, Daddy carried me upstairs to my bed. I wanted to move my bed in front of the big machine, but Daddy said that eventually all of the heat in the house would be gone. I hope whatever “eventually” means, it means pretty soon, because I’m tired of all this heat.
It was thanks to that big machine for saving the day. I want to play in front of it again tomorrow.

BA4 BA12 said...

Just Like a Bird

Sean swung his head up, looking at the big blue sky. His eyes squinted because the sun got into his eyes and made him tear up a bit. But that didn’t stop him from watching the majestic black and brown birds that flew high in the sky! The way they fly with their wings wide open as if they were going to give a bear a big hug! The way they flapped their wings fast enough to keep their narrow bodies in the sky and then soar, left and right, up and down. Sean had always wanted to be one of those birds! He wanted to fly high in the sky and see what they saw. Oh, how he wanted to dip and dive, and coast and glide with the air splashing on his face!

“C’mon in Sean, it’s almost time to go!” Sean’s mother called.

“Okay!” Sean said as he giggled and ran to the door with his arms wide open like a bird in the air.

“Are we still going to go see Grandma in Cawi-Cawi-uhhh-Cawifornia?” Sean asked his mom.

“Ha-ha, yes sweetie we are going to go see Grandma in California.” She replied.


“Yay, let’s go! Let’s go!” He said jumping with excitement.

Sean and his mom arrived at the airport. Sean has never seen so many people before! They sat in the waiting area, waiting for their ticket number to be called to board the plane.

“Mommy, can I go look out the window?”

“Yes you may go look out the window.”

“Yay! Thank you!”

Sean skipped to the window and pressed his palms and face against the window admiring the outside view of the airport.

“Woahhhh!” Sean said in amazement as he saw the airplane pull up in front of him. His eyes got big, and he ran back to his mother,

“Mommy! Mommy! What’s that thing?

“It’s an airplane baby! That’s the thing we are going to use to get to California to where Grandma lives!”

“Ohhhh! So it’s going to drop us off at Grandmas house?” Sean asked

“No sweetie, it drops us off at a place like this one and then Grandmas picks us up from there!”

“Ohhhh! Okay!” Sean said with a big smile.

Sean ran back to admire the airplane. After watching the people put the luggage on the plane, he noticed that the airplane looked familiar.

“Mommy! Mommy!” Sean said running back to his mom.

“Yes?” She said

“The-air-the-the air-uh, the-what’s it called again?”

“Airplane baby, it’s an airplane.” She answered.

“Oh yeah! The airpwane looks like a bird!”

“You’re absolutely right! Great observation! That’s because it flies! Just like a bird!”

“What!” Sean said in amazement and confusion. “So we are gonna fly to Grandma?” He asked.

“Mmhmm! That’s right!”

Sean walked back to the window with a huge smile on his face. He couldn’t believe what he just found out- that he was going to be a bird in just a few minutes.

Their ticket number was called and Sean and his mom boarded the airplane. Sean, tugging at his mom’s arm, couldn’t wait to get on the plane! They sat down and Sean got a window seat. He could see the airplane’s wings wide stretch above the ground, just like the birds he saw earlier today. And in just a few minutes, Sean was about to fly sky high, just like a bird.

BA 2 said...

What Next
Corey Ellis

Sprout was just so lonely growing up being an only child in his big white castle. He was a prince and he thought he could have anything he wanted; but his parents didn’t spoil him. The only thing his parents let him do for fun was, ride the horses and even that was becoming tedious for a nine-year old prince.


“The is for babies!” Sprout barked.

Later that night up in his tower room Sprout cried for someway to be freed of his boredom. And then out of nowhere and cloud of smoke appeared in his room.

(Poof)

And there floating in the air hovered two fairy-type creatures with crowns and wands. Sprout was star struck he could not believe what he is seeing.

“W…W...Who are you guys?” Sprout said with a hint of hesitation.

“We are Daisy and Dash. Your Fairy-God parents my little prince!”

“So you guys are here to grant any wish I want?”

“That’s right but when you turn sixteen we are no longer yours.”

“HOOOOOOOORAY!” Sprout yelled at the top of his lungs.

Sprout didn’t know where to begin, or what his first wish would be. Now Sprout could finally have the childhood that every other nine-year old should have. The next morning Sprout and his Fairy-God parents went to the garden, so they can begin with the magic.
“Okay Daisy and Dash the first thing I want to wish; would be the ability to fly.”

And two waves of the wand Daisy and Dash tapped it on his had and it was done.

“Is it done?” Sprout asked in confusion.

“Find out.”

And with that Sprout bent down and jumped up WHOOOSH and before he knew it he was flying, and without wings he was like Superman. This was just the beginning of the rest of Sprouts life and right now it was looking good. He swooped back down out of breath from excitement ready to say his next wish.

“WOW okay now that I have that I want a two huge black and sliver fighting robots.”

Daisy and Dash waved their wands and right behind Sprout stood two gigantic black and sliver fight robots. Sprout zipped to one robot while Daisy and Dash went to the other one. They all took control of the MIGHTY machines and began the robo war! But the thought that made its way through Sprouts head was the icing on the cake for the day.

“Hey Daisy Dash I wish to be the worlds greatest ninja so I can sneak places.”

With those simply waves of the wand Daisy and Dash made Sprout into the worlds greatest ninja. Complete with mask, cool crown logo on the top, and candy holder. Sprout ran into the castle to try out his new moves; his target was the cookie jar. His parents never let him eat sweets before lunchtime, but this challenge was great to try out his moves. The jar was on top of the refrigerator, he jumped and reached the jar grabbed two cookies and leaped back down landing with cat like precision. Sprout’s mom came down for Crackers, Sprout thought he was caught but with his abilities he wouldn’t be seen he barreled behind the counter, crawled across the wall, and was out the window. The day was winding down and Sprout was getting ready for naptime so the wishes would have to stop. While Sprout yawned he spoke,

“D…Daisy D…Dash when I wake up I’ll wish for a trampoline to the moon.”

“Only seven years to go” he said as he laid his tired little head on his pillow only sevens years t…o g…go.

BA12 said...

Nightmares and Horses

My son Wilson is 8 years old. I always try to teach the kids how to ride at that age. But my son always had a phobia to riding horses. It’s a little weird since he’s the only one in the family thinking he’ll die from riding a pony. I thought he was just being a little too exaggerating, but then one day I found the real reason Wilson is afraid of riding. He always says he doesn’t know why he’s scared he just is.

I was plowing my field one night and on my way back to the farmhouse I decided to check little Willy’s cabin. I pushed the screen door and held up my lantern. I saw my Wilson churning and squirming, hipping and hopping in his bed. I was a sight I tell ya! His cropped, golden hair was a mess. I was afraid to wake him because I didn’t know what would happen. I decided to leave and talk about it in the morning.


In the morning, Wilson came downstairs for breakfast and I decided I was going to help my little cowboy get over his fears. When I took him outside he asked,

“Daddy, where we goin’?”

“Wait and find out,” I said.

When we got to the stables he told me he didn’t want to ride.

“Why not Willy?” I asked.

“Because I’m afraid,” he responded.

“Why?”

“I don’t know Daddy.”

“Now don’t lie to me, boy,” I told him “ I saw you squiggling in your bed, son, what’s going on?” I demanded

A moment of silence rang out in the stables. He opened then closed his mouth, and finally spoke.
“Dad I been having really bad dreams about a she- horse attacking the farm. I see it coming in my cabin and eating me, then it runs out and the farm is on fire,” Wilson explained

“Is that why you’re scared of horses, Willy?” I asked.

“Yes daddy.” He said. Wilson sounded close to tears, so I went over there and put my arm around my boy.

“Listen son, it’s easier to tell somebody than to keep bad thing to yourself. If you do, it’ll just bottle up inside until your belly explodes.” I told him tickling his stomach. He giggled and told me he understood.

“How about you grab an apple and let’s make friends with the horses before you ride?” I asked
“I could do that, Daddy,” Wilson said.