A Short Story…
Johnny had been running around in the fields nearby acting like a cowboy. When he got back home, he turned on the TV and was watching old cartoons with his slightly older brother Jeff. He had been watching TV so closely that he missed Uncle Jerry coming into the house. Actually, he had heard the doorbell ring, but ignored it, not knowing who was now home.
Uncle Jerry let himself in when no one bothered to answer the door. Uncle Jerry stepped over Johnny and walked into the kitchen. His sister, Margie was fiddling with the electric mixer. She was taken by surprise when her brother Jerry gave a fairly hard cough and Margie turned off the mixer. Soon they were laughing and talking.
They chatted and Margie asked Jerry to stir up Johnny. Johnny was busy drawing and coloring a snake he had just seen out in the yard somewhere. Uncle Jerry turned to all the kids and said “Why aren’t you all out seeing all the wild animals?”
Both Jeff and Johnny were content to watch TV. Jeff looked at his uncle and said, “What animals?” Jerry said, “Snakes, birds, ants, spiders, squirrels and God knows what else we can find.” Jeff and Johnny looked at their uncle and said, in unison, “We don’t have animals like that here.” Uncle Jerry said, “I bet you do. I’ll tell you what I’ll do. You take your sister Betty with you, run around in the field and jump over the tiny stream I’ve seen and bring me what you find. I’ll reward you.”
After gathering jars and bags, the kids were gone. Jerry returned to the kitchen to visit Margie. A half hour later, he went out on the porch and called the kids back in, but stopped and looked. He saw nobody. Quietly he returned to the kitchen where he and his sister were just happy to keep talking and laughing.
After a good hour and a half of the kids tramping in the field, Jerry said, “Mmmmm” after looking at his wallet “I hope they haven’t got a great collection, I’ve only got a few bucks cash on me.” Margie said, “Let’s give them fifteen minutes more.” She handed Jerry a large whistle and said, “I can lend you a few bucks more if you need it” . . . and they went back to talking and laughing.
Jerry and Margie were having a great time just telling the old stories and saying, “Do you remember the time when…?” But Jerry was super anxious to find out what the kids had found. He was afraid the kids may be taking him for all he was worth. Jerry stepped out onto the porch and gave three whistle blasts. He heard groans, but the kids came running back with their boxes and bags. All three had their own containers and a group of some surprises.
There was quite a mixture of treasures. There was a good-sized mayonnaise jar with a screwed down lid (with small punctures) holding three large garter snakes. There was another small jar with dirt and some angry ants in it . . . with a lid of course. Another larger jar with a screwed down lid containing polliwogs. The prize however was a nest with half-a-dozen eggs in it. Second place looked like it was going to pay off big for the kids. They had almost two full boxes plus two bread bags filled with hazel nuts. Uncle Jerry did a quick look at the struggling boys with their bags of goodies and said, “Oh, my God, I’m going to need a loan to pay you guys off. I love hazelnuts.” Margie chortled and said, “Don’t worry, little brother. I’ve got you covered.”
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