By Phyllis Barnett Olinger
& Cindy Olinger
Miss Jeanette was a tall woman with reddish streaks in her hair. She always wore an attractive t-shirt. Miss Jeanette served me ice cream at Big Biff's Ice Cream Store.
Miss Jeanette would see me walking down the street and bang on the window with her long fingernails. "Come in!"
"Hello, Miss Jeanette," I said, "I think I am going to quit eating ice cream."
Miss Jeanette bent down and asked me, "Why, child?"
"I think the monster, who comes in after I am in bed, likes children who like ice cream," I told her.
"Who in the world told you that, child?" Miss Jeanette asked me.
Rickie Roamer from my kindergarten class had told me that he thought that all the ice cream I got from Miss Jeanette caused monsters to like me.
"What did your mother say about the monsters?" Miss Jeanette asked.
"Mother told me that I could leave on the light. There were no real monsters. And she told me that I could have a flashlight, if I wanted, in my room," I told her. "But, I am still afraid."
Miss Jeanette went behind the ice cream counter. She came out with this huge blue wand. "This wand will get rid of those monsters," she said, handing it to me. "But you have to keep it a secret, or it won't work."
"There is your mother to pick you up." Miss Jeanette pointed out the window.
My mother had a large bundle of packages. I took the small package to help her, and we went out the door. I waved goodbye to Miss Jeanette. The wand was carefully tucked between my arm and side. My mother didn't notice that I had the wand.
As I looked back, Miss Jeanette was smiling at me. I liked Miss Jeanette. She was kind.
That night, when the moon came out full and round, I could see the moon's reflection in my mirror. It looked scary. I quickly got out of bed and got the wand out of my drawer. I waved the wand back and forth around the room. All the scary things were gone! I fell asleep with my wand in my hand.
The next morning, I got up early and put my wand back in the bottom of my drawer. I was afraid that one of my playmates would come in and find my magic wand. I was really afriad that they would make fun of me.
On the way to school, my mother told me that she was very proud of me and that she loved me very much. She told me to get Grandma to walk me to the ice cream store and then home after school. Grandma Michaela was a short woman whom my father said "was as tall as she was wide." She smelled sweet. I loved her.
I was really looking forward to telling Miss Jeannette that her magic wand had worked!
After two weeks went by, the magic wand was still working for me. I decided that I would use it only every other night. Miss Jeanette told me that it would be OK to do that. Then, I used it only once a week.
More weeks passed, and it was now the end of the school year. Miss Jeanette told me she had another little girl, Madeline, who needed a wand. Could I give her back the wand to let the little girl destroy her monsters in the night? I gave it back. The minute I gave it to her, I wondered if I would need it again.
That night, I ate my dinner and played in my room until bedtime. I got in my bed, and I almost went to my drawer to get my magic wand. Then I remembered that I didn't have it anymore. I got into the bed - and nothing happened! I slept all through the night.
The next day, I told my mother about the magic wand. She told me that Miss Jeanette had invented her wand to help all children get through that scry period in their lives, and I didn't need it anymore.
When I came back the next school year, I was much older and smarter. I knew that there were no monsters. But, Miss Jeanette's magic monster wand helped at the time!
THE END
ليست هناك تعليقات:
إرسال تعليق