"Don't Eat Your Dinner!"

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	Animating:Animating: Margaret Krakowiak Story: John Rickey

Jamie was stubborn. He was probably the most stubborn boy in the world. The only person more stubborn was his mother. When she said something, she meant it and nothing changed her mind. Especially when she said, "Eat your dinner!" You ate it, or you didn't move.
Every Wednesday night his mom made meatloaf for dinner and coconuts for dessert. Jamie hated bumpy, lumpy meatloaf. He hated hairy coconuts even more.
So when Jamie's mom brought him meatloaf one more time for dinner, he went ballistic!
"Yuck!" he growled. "I'm not going to eat this! You can take away my toys, you can even take away my TV, I don't care, I'm not going to eat this!"
Jamie's mom looked him straight in the eye and snapped, "You sit there till you eat your dinner! I don't care if you're there one hundred years! You're not moving till you eat your dinner!"





Jamie sat all alone at the kitchen table. Just Jamie and his dinner.
As his mom went to bed, he asked, "Can I have something else to eat?"
Rushing into the kitchen, she looked him straight in the eye. "Don't you move! You sit there till you eat your dinner!"


Jamie stared out the window.
The moon came up. He yawned, folded his hands and went to sleep.

"Beep! Beep! Hurray up!" shouted the school bus driver. Jamie sleeping through the entire night, woke and stood up. But his mother jumped on the table and ordered,
"Don't move! You're not going anywhere till you eat your dinner!"
But Jamie, stubborn like a mule, grit his teeth, clenched his fists and scowled,


The moon moved up, the moon moved down,
The clock went roun' and roun'
Summer came and summer went
"And wow! . . .Things became so different!

Jamie's toes popped out of his shoes. His chest exploded his shirt. Jamie asked, "Can I have new clothes?...and something else to eat?"
Hobbling over with a cane, his mom got up on a chair, looked him straight in the eye and said, "You sit...there...till...you...eat... your...dinner!"
Jamie grit his teeth, clenched his fist and growled, "I will not eat my dinner!"


Jamie's friends grew up. His school bus became old and rusty.
Jamie's mom announced. "I'm getting too old to look after you. I'm moving to Oakridge Old People's Home where people can look after me, nevertheless don't move! You sit there till you eat your dinner!"
The moon moved up, the moon moved down,
The clock went roun' and roun'
Summer came and summer went And wow! . . .Things became so different!


Jamie called to a passing policeman, "Please go to Oakridge Old People's Home and ask my mother if I could have something else to eat."
"You look very hungry," replied the policeman, "I'll get her right away." ..........
Jaime's mom arrived. She didn't say a word but grit her teeth and clenched her fist. She pushed away the cobwebs and shuffled into the kitchen. Shaking, she propped herself up on a chair, looked Jamie straight in the eye and said: "You sit.. there...till...you...eat...your...dinner!"
Jamie grit his teeth, clenched his fist and scowled, "I will not eat my dinner!"


The moon moved up, the moon moved down,
The clock went roun' and roun'
Summer came and summer went
"And wow! . . .Things became so different!




The walls collapsed. Grass covered the floor. A tree stretched through the table. A dense forest surrounded Jamie.
Bored, Jamie curled over his dinner in a deep sleep.
Dust and leaves fell on his back. Jamie...buried in rubble...slept.

One day a museum keeper explored the dense forest. "I hope we find something special here," he sighed, "No one comes to my museum anymore."
The museum keeper looked ahead and saw a big hairy thing bent over a table. "Well jumpin' dinosaur bones!" he shouted. "A caveman! And look! His dinner is still here!" "Dust him off!" he ordered his helpers. But dusting made Jamie's nose itchy and he sneezed, "Ah-Chou!"
They all looked at one another, and stuttered, "Did you just sneeze?"
"Ah-Chou," said Jamie, sitting up. "I must have fallen asleep."
Everyone screamed and ran for their life.

Realizing Jamie was alive, the museum keeper came back and listened to his story.
"That's wonderful!" he exclaimed. "I'll put you on display. People will love you".
And sure enough, the crowds loved Jamie. "Wow!" they shouted, "I'll bet he hasn't eaten his dinner for one hundred years." That's all people ever said and Jamie got sick of listening. He began to think. "What did meatloaf actually taste like?"

He picked up his fork. The crowds yelled, "Don't do it!"
But Jamie, more stubborn than a mule, clenched his fists and said, "I'll eat my dinner if I want to!"
The museum keeper pleaded, "Don't eat your dinner! No one will come to my museum anymore!"
However no one could change Jamie's mind. He opened his mouth and plopped in the meatloaf.
Everyone gasped! There was silence while Jamie chewed: "Mmmmm...good! Mmmmm...scrumptious! Mmmmm...delectable!"

The museum keeper held his head low. There were tears. People complained, "Give our money back! Who wants to see a boy who eats his dinner?"
The news spread and everyone heard about Jamie. Even his mother who instantly zoomed over in an ambulance.

Slowly pushing herself out in a wheelchair, she took a bowl of coconuts off her lap and gave it to Jamie.
Jamie smiled, "Mom! Aren't you proud of me? I ate my meatloaf!"
"I'm glad you ate your meatloaf," she nodded, "Now eat your dessert!"
Jamie, looking at the coconuts, remembered how hairy they were. He grit his teeth, clenched his fist and scowled, "Yuck! I'm not going to eat this!"

The nurses pushed her wheelchair up a ramp. They lifted her from the wheelchair and stood her on a chair.
Looking Jamie straight in the eye, she snapped, "You...can...sit...there...till...you... eat...your...dessert!"
Everyone remained silent, their eyes glued on Jamie. He picked up his spoon...then threw it to the floor.
Clenching his fist he yelled, "Yuck! I'm never going to eat this!"

Everyone clapped. The museum keeper smiled and made a new sign for the display. It read: "THE BOY WHO NEVER ATE HIS DESSERT."
The crowds were delighted. Things were back to normal. People came from everywhere to see Jamie.
Everyone was happy...

. . . except Jamie!

The End

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