They finally spotted her. She was half way to the back. She was grabbing onto a shirt that a lady was pulling on. They tugged at the shirt until the lady gave up. Judy crunched the shirt under her arm with the other cloths already there. Then she made her way to the cash register line, grasping her cloths all the way. After 20 minutes she had the cloths paid for and left the store.
She saw Santa, ignored him and approached Jim, “These are really good jeans.” while holding up a pair of jeans. “I can’t believe how much they cost.”
Jim replied by saying, ”Santa said you can have your job back.”
Then Judy acknowledged Santa’s presences by saying, “Thank You. Santa.”
Judy turns to Jim and said, “That’s all I want. Do you want to get anything.”
Jim, “No.”
Judy, “Lets go back to my house.”
Judy, Jim, and Santa went out the back door. In the back parking lot was the sled and Rudolph and Comet. Jim chased off the kids that were climbing in and around the sled. He and Judy climbed in. Santa started to get in, and recognized there was not enough room for him.
He murmured to himself a little and said to Jim and Judy, “I’ll take the bus.”
Jim and Judy flew off in the sled, while Santa walked to the bus stop. In just 20 minutes the bus arrived. Santa boarded and found a seat.
As soon as he sat down a little girl can up to him and said, “Hi Santa. I’m Susie. Thank you for the doll you gave me last year. This year I need a bicycle and a trampoline.”
Santa said, “The little girls that have been nice get presents. Have you been nice this year.”
She answers, “Yes I have.”
Her mother, who was sitting two seats behind Santa, didn’t like the direction the conversation was going.
She hollered to her daughter, ”Don’t bother that man. The real Santa is at the North Pole. Get back here.”
On the way up Main Street several other children told Santa what they wanted for Christmas and that they were good the whole year. Santa was becoming edgy. He was thinking about getting back to the North Pole. While all these children were around saying how good they were. Every kid wanting all of their presents. As if they deserved them.
About five blocks from his stop. He lost his patience and shouted at a little kid, “Why don’t you shut up. You’re just as bad as the rest.”
The driver stopped the bus, opened the door and said to Santa, “That’s enough Santa. Get off the bus.”
Santa, while grumbling under his breath, trudged off the bus. He then walked the rest of the way to Judy’s house. When he arrived it was six thirty. He was a mental mess. Mom The Elf gave him two glasses of warm chocolate milk to calm him down.
It was ten after seven when he convinced Jim to leave for the North Pole. Jim and Judy took the new sled to the North Pole. Santa followed in the1952 old sled. After flying threw a snowstorm, Santa arrived at 11:52. The elves had the new sled loaded and ready to go. They helped Santa into his suit and sent him on his way.
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Thinking and Remembering
Rob is walking along the path. Same as all the other Saturday mornings, most of the summer.
He thinks about work, “Yesterday the shipment was almost late. The day was going good. Right after lunch, the 500 box shipment was finish. Waiting in shipping. Everybody ready to get off early. It didn’t happen. The spot check of the boxes, found the book missing. Nobody put the books on the line. Everybody helped. The boxes were opened. Books put in. Boxes repacked. Twenty minutes before quitting time. Finally. Got out of there. Meeting on Monday. This is stupid. Keep this thinking up. Be old before 25. Who cares? It’s the weekend. Forget about Monday.”
Rob is hearing the sound of bird’s wings. He looks up and watches the flock of birds as they fly out of the tree top. He has walked to the rise in the path. Now the pond is ahead. Just to the left of the path. He pulls close his unbuttoned long sleeve shirt. It was tossed on over his t-shirt as leaving. Temperature got down to 55 last night and hasn’t warmed up yet. This is typical early morning for a mid-august day. After the long hot July summer days. Hard to realize they are starting to end. Cooler days are coming.
Too the right of the path. The damp grass has the August spider webs. Another sign cooler days are on their way. Can never see these spiders in the webs.
Rob thinks, “Not like the large webs that appear overnight. Just about anywhere. The spider is in the center of these webs. The creepiness of walking into them. Need to get the web off. Some as you can. Keep rubbing your hands. Everywhere. Hope the spider is gone. Not on you.”
The path is closing in on the pond now. Each day, the later morning sun makes the shadow cover more and more of the pond. The shadow is on the pond later into the morning now. Each day is getting shorter. The path reaches the near end of the pond. A girl is sitting on the rocks at the far end and across the pond. She has never been here before. She has a drawing pad.
Rob wonders what she was doing there, “Drawing the pond maybe. What will the picture be? Will it be the large leaves in foreground and water in background? Will it be branches, covered with leaves, leaning down to touch the water? The green leaves reflecting green in the water. Why draw a picture? What’s she thinking? Does she even think? Why draw a picture? What’s the picture for? For a class assignment. For a test. For that one famous picture. Maybe it’s just to draw a picture.”
“She looks Asian.” Rob remembered, “Not really. She’s not working behind the counter. Not standing behind embroidered cloths, laid out on the sidewalk. Guess somebody suppose to come along and buy them. Not watching her mother, in the water, pushing in the rice plants. Each one standing in just the right place. She’s not walking along the road. Not rinsing clothes in the tiny rapids of the stream.”
That’s what he knows about Asian looking girls. He never knew and couldn’t figure, how the image of a paradise could have developed from rundown, overpopulated counties. He often thought. The explores must have brought the image with them went returning to Europe. It spread to the world from there. Must have gone to a different place.
The path is reaching the end of the pond now. She looks dressed up. Ready to go someplace.
Rob recalled, “Maybe she knows nothing about Asians. Maybe she’s Japanese. They have a lot of monsters in Japan. Waiting at the airport. In Japan. In the middle of the night. Just wanting to get back on the plane. To continue returning. Never saw any monsters. But for sure. They were there.”
Looking at the girl again. Rob imagined, “She’s sort of skinny. Probably not very tall. Small wave like ripple forms. In the water. By the girl. Becomes a circle of water. In the circle center. Fish monster thrusts from the water. Mouth opens. Gulps her down. Monster disappears. In the water. Water calms.”
Down the path, Rob sees the donut shop is open.
Rob thought, “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Better get over their while the donuts are still fresh. It only a donut. That’s OK. After all. You don’t need a big breakfast.”
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A Season in the Garden
The long summer days were hot and dry.
Now it’s past the end of fall.
Some cabbage, watermelon, and lettuce grew.
During June it didn’t rain at all.
In March carrots and peas were planted.
Inside, marigolds started from seeds.
The spring rain grew early peas.
Time was spent hoeing weeds.
Pea pods were filled in June.
Pumpkins vines were dropping down.
The first red tomatoes were ripe.
The green beans turned brown.
During the first of August some rain fell.
The carrots were growing underground.
Indian corn hung on stalks in early fall.
Some pumpkins had grown orange and round.
Birds had fluttered around the sunflowers.
The squir
rel had sat on the woodpile.
A black and yellow spider had clung to a web.
In November it snowed a while.
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Hoeing the Garden
Behind the house with a garden out back.
During the afternoon with no heat to lack.
His hoe moves smoothly through the soil.
Hoeing the new weeds.
Growing from their seeds.
The day is dry and the soil is hot.
The air is warm and the wind is not.
He tires, stops to sit beside the row.
Pulling weeds between plants.
Watching the running ants.
Rain clouds cross the fields at their will.
Big drops hit the soil in sunlight still.
He feels the coolness of the drops on his hand.
Picking up the hoe.
Walking down the row.
Beyond the green grass ready for rain.
The big drops hit the windowpane.
Watering plants once more.
Showing what it’s for.
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They Walked to School
In the Late summer.
They walked along the red brick sidewalk.
The bricks sunk into the ground long ago.
Leaving grass and red patches to show.
Branches from the apple tree hung low.
They picked apples above the sidewalk.
In the early fall.
Wildflowers flowered along the way.
Blooms were bright purple, red, and blue.
Cows in the pasture and new grass grew.
Leaves from tall trees past them blew.
They collected leaves while going the way.
In the cold winter.
They walked in the car track made the path.
Snow came to rest on tree limbs now bare
The snow covered the leaves with care.
The white field had no cows there.
The snowplow made a new wide path.
In the new spring.
Wildflowers flowered along the road.
Blossoms bloomed with limbs leaning.
Cows pastured with new grass greening.
Trees spread new leaves with meaning.
They walked to school down the road.
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