Can Won
Padawan Learner
I've wanted to write a story for my son for quite a while now, something a bit different and have finally started putting it down on paper.
Easier said than done and I'm sure there are a few glitches here and there!
Here's the first couple of chapters.
I'd be grateful for any feedback anyone has to offer...
1.
A long time ago, in a land not quite forgotten , there lived a little boy.
Well, this little boy was a curious fellow, who, from the moment he could talk, started asking questions, particularly odd questions for one so young. Not so much of a what, where or who kind of question but more of a why. Questions that sometimes caused a great conflict, particularly with the adults, how do you explain to a child why the sky is blue, when you don’t even know yourself!
His first tender years of life were spent glued to his Mum's side. she took him everywhere she went, even into the ladies toilets!
“Why Mum? Why can’t I go into the mens’ toilet? I’m not a girl you know!”,
The little boy’s mum did her best to reason with the little boy, explaining that he was too young to go in on his own, to which he replied “well you come into the mens’ with me then!”
“but I’m not a man, I can’t go in there” she came back with.
“I’m not a lady or a girl, so I can’t go in there then!” he hit back.
It was like a tennis match, but far more entertaining. Or so it seemed.
How do you tell a little boy that it’s dangerous for him to go on his own?
You certainly don’t want to scare him, yet you know that there are people out there who wouldn’t think twice of taking advantage of the situation, so what could the little boy’s mum say to him?
And so she put herself in the little boy’s shoes and asked herself what she would want to hear. Her protective nature was doing it’s best to avoid telling him too much about the goings on of man (not so kind), yet she knew deep down that it couldn’t be avoided and anyway, when was an appropriate time to tell him? After something happened perhaps? Of course not. It must be now.
And so, she sat the little boy down and did her very best to explain the reason why, without going into too much detail of course, but enough to let him know that we are not all the same.
"There are many good people on this planet little boy, here to help you along on your journey, but you must also be aware that there are others who are anything but good and these are the ones you must watch out for, they are dangerous to our kind".
“I’ll come with you then Mummy” he quickly replied, once she’d finished.
Had she said too much to her precious child? Her mind was running around in circles, going nowhere fast. Yet she knew well enough through her own experiences that to not tell him the truth of this particular matter was as bad as lying to him, something she was not prepared to do.
Later that evening as the little boy’s father finished reading a bedtime story, the little boy turned to his father and told him what his mum had said earlier that day. His father was a funny man, who didn’t take life too seriously, so it was a surprise for the little boy to see his father’s eyes narrow and his lips tighten up, well, he’d seen this look before in his father and immediately thought that perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything. There was a deathly silence as his father looked to his left and then to his right.
Then bringing his eyes to meet his son’s, he hummed “Hmmmmmmm” before he continued, “I knew that this time would come little boy, but I must admit I wasn’t expecting it so soon. Your Mum is right in everything that she has told you. Do her words worry you?”
“Not really Dad, I’d never thought about things like that before” The little boy responded.
“Well I’ll tell you something that helps me understand things a little clearer, as we go about our day to day business. To see what is going on, we must use our eyes, but to really see, then we must know what part of the eye we use to do this. Do you know what part that is little boy?”.
The little boy thought long and hard, he thought he knew the answer, but didn’t want to embarrass himself by getting it wrong.
His father knew his little boy well enough though and could easily read the look on his face.
With a big smile he put his arm around the little boy’s shoulder and pulled him close.
“Ok. What letter do you think it starts with? Is it P perhaps?” The little boy slowly nodded his head, not quite sure if he was being led into a trap.
“That’s correct, P it is and I reckon you don’t need to concern yourself with getting it wrong next time, because even if you do get it wrong, sometimes that’s the best way to learn. So, P it is then, are you sure it’s not A for apple?”
The little boy laughed “No Dad, p for pupil!”
“well done! Now, do you know what the children at school are called?”
the little boy was still busy giggling about the apple and hadn’t heard the question properly.
His Dad laughed with him, a child laughing certainly has an infectious quality!
Eventually they both calmed down and his father repeated the question.
The little boy stopped and thought hard, being put on the spot sometimes confuses the mind, “er, students?”
"That is right, but there's also another word too little boy. Have a think."
The little boy tightened his brow and squeezed his eyes tight, trying to force the answer out, but nothing was coming.
"relax little boy!" his father chuckled.
"Now there are some words that have 2 meanings to them, the word pupil is one of these. Get your dictionary and look up the word pupil and see what it says".
The little boy flicked through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
Pupil: a person, especially a child at school, who is being taught.
Pupil: the circular black area in the centre of your eye, through which light enters.
So let me now explain what I mean, If you see with your pupil then you also see things as a student and the student is here to learn. Continue with this vision for the rest of your days little boy, remember this "you are here to learn", quite simple really, but oh so, so easily forgotten. And while we’re on the subject, you may one day want to look up what “the apple of my eye” means.
And with that he gave the little boy a knowing wink and a gentle kiss on the cheek and mouthed the words “Good night”.
2.
“Good mourning everyone!” the little boy’s father called out as he opened the front door on his way to work.
It really was a beautyfull day outside.
Earlier that summer, the little boy’s parents had sat him down to explain that he would be soon be starting school.
His parent’s had said that the school would be able to answer all the questions the little boy had at this stage of his life, but as the words came out of his Mum’s mouth it dawned upon her that what they was saying perhaps wasn’t quite true.
The little boy’s questions were not the sort you would expect from someone of his age. Before she had a chance to continue though the little boy had jumped right out of his seat knocking his dinner everywhere, he didn’t need to hear another word.
“an answer to all my questions? why didn’t you tell me that before?” the way the words sprung from his mouth, it was as if he was singing a song!
And with that, he danced around the room singing “An answer for all my questions” over and over again.
The little boy’s enthusiasm lit up the room. And so it was, that very morning was going to be his first day at school.
As he skipped down the road, singing one of his songs he stopped suddenly, turned to his Mum and asked, “why does Dad have to go to work every day Mum?” .
As his Mum looked to the sky, the little boy realised that he didn’t really need an answer to the question, he was on his way to school!
“To pay the bills” she replied as the little boy skipped along not quite sure whether he had heard her or not, but actually glad that he seemed preoccupied with other thoughts, so she just left it at that.
Later than evening as they all sat down for dinner the little boy’s father inquired “How did you enjoy your first day Son?”
“well Dad, I didn’t get a chance to ask any questions because I was too busy paying attention to what the teacher had to say”.
His father looked up from his plate with a surprised look on his face, before smiling and continuing with his food. Peace at last he chuckled to himself. Days, became weeks and weeks became months and although the little boy always had something to talk about, school appeared to be keeping him busy enough and one presumed was giving him all the answers to his ever growing list of questions.
And so it was one evening, as the three of them were sitting around the fire, the little boy piped up, “in our class, there are 30 children and one teacher. The class starts at 9 and finishes at 3 with a one hour lunch break. That means that we are in the class for 5 hours and 5 hours is 300 minutes.”
“Well done” his Mum and Dad replied in unison, not realising that he hadn’t quite finished.
“Well, does that mean that the teacher only really spends 10 minutes with each child?”
Here we go again his Dad thought out loud, before realising what he’d actually said and more so, how he’d said it.
The little boy turned sharply towards his Dad and promptly stated “I’m not enjoying school anymore Dad. You told me they would have the answer to all my questions and they don’t. So I’m not going anymore, it’s much more fun with Mum.”
“What’s brought all this on then Son?” said his Dad with a puzzled look, trying to keep the conversation on neutral ground.
“It was exciting at first, everything was new, but It’s not much fun anymore and you told me once that if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing then you should ask yourself “why?” so I have every day and today is the day I’ve decided that I don’t want to go to school anymore because I just don’t enjoy it. Please may I leave the table now.”
His parents stared at one another. “Has something happened to upset you?” his Mum asked, but he wouldn’t answer. “What’s brought all this on then, perhaps we can help?” She followed up with, trying to coax an answer from him and that’s when it all came blurting out.
“Well, last week I asked the teacher where the Bills live, but she said she didn’t know them and so I asked the dinner lady if she knew them and she said she’d never heard of them. But I overheard the teacher talking at lunchtime and she said that she was having trouble paying the Bills and that they’d be the death of her one day so I asked all my friends to ask their parents why they had to work and the next day they came in and told me it was to pay the Bills. so I thought if I could just find out where the Bills live, then I could go and explain to them that I wanted to spend more time with my Mum and Dad, and then you wouldn’t have to go to work, they can’t spend all the money everyone’s giving them but nobody seems to know where they live, but they must live somewhere, it must be the biggest house ever Mum! So, I asked the teacher again “where do the Bills live?” and she told me to stop asking silly questions and to pay more attention otherwise I’d never learn anything!”
All of this was said without stopping for a breath, before he folded his arms in a very matter of fact way and stuck his bottom lip right out!
The little boy’s Mum and Dad stared at each other with eyes open wide, before bursting into fits of laughter, tears were streaming down their cheeks. Neither of them could manage to get any words out, while all the time the little boy was stewing inside.
He thought they were laughing at him. Well the little boy had never been too good with criticism and had a habit of taking things a little too personally. And this, quite obviously, was one of those very occasions.
The topic of money was one the little boy’s parents had decided not to burden him with at such a tender age, yet here he was asking the kind of questions that the adults should perhaps be asking themselves. Where does all the money go?
As the laughter subsided, the little boy’s Mum pulled the little boy close to her and while stroking his face and looking into his deep brown eyes, a tear slipped from her eye.
The little boy was confused and angry already, but this wasn’t an ordinary tear, behind her eyes was a pain that the little boy could not just see, he could feel it too. His arms were still folded tight and he was having trouble moving due to the tight grip that his Mum held him.
As his Mum felt the little boy wriggling, she came to, she’d been so lost in the moment that she hadn’t realised how the cuddle was now a… “Let me go Mum, I can’t breathe” the little boy gasped.
As she quickly released the vice like grip, the little boy sprung down from his chair and sprinted out of the room, before either one of his parents had a chance to speak.
“leave him to calm down” said his Dad quietly, fully aware now of the situation. He shook his head and stared at his half eaten plate full of food, “but he’s upset, he thinks we were laughing at him!” said the little boy's Mum.
“I know, but by going now he will not hear what needs to be said”.
The two of them sat there in silence and all the while the little boy lay there on his bed, crying his little heart out, until he eventually fell asleep.
When he awoke, his dad was sitting on the bed with a big smile and a cup of tea to greet him. “Good morning Son!, how are you today?”
“I’m good thanks Dad” (it is a wonderful trait of children, not to dwell upon the past) “why aren’t you at work Dad?”.
“Well, today I’d like to spend some time with you and Mum, work can wait for a change. When you’ve finished your tea and got ready, come downstairs” and with that he leaned forward and kissed his little boy on the forehead.
“But where are we going Mum?” the little boy questioned. “Your Dad wants to take us out somewhere and he won’t even tell me where, all he said was that he was popping out and for both of us to be ready and waiting for when he returns”.
10 minutes later while the 2 of them were sat at the kitchen table finishing off their breakfast, they heard a key unlock the front door. “Are you both ready? Come on we’ve got a train to catch!” the little boy’s Dad called out as he came through the front door. “What about school Dad?” “I’ve spoken to the school and let them know you won’t be in today, but let’s not concern ourselves with that!” and as he finished speaking he gave the little boy’s Mum a gentle nod. Yesterday’s turmoil had long been forgotten by the little boy, yet unbeknown to him this was the very reason for the unexpected trip.
All the while the little boy had been at school he forged many friendships yet there was one fellow student in particular who he had bonded with more than all the others.
Perhaps unusually so, as it wasn’t another boy, it was a girl. She wasn’t as inquisitive as the little boy, but there was just something about her, that just caused you to smile.
Some might say it was her carefree attitude, but if you got the opportunity to listen to the topics of conversation she had with the little boy, you’d soon know that the little girl cared deeply, so much so that at times it was painful.
When the little boy told her about the bills, she couldn’t stop laughing either, only this time the little boy laughed along with her, on the trip his Mum and dad had explained why they laughed when he’d told them all about wanting to find where the bills live, but more importantly they’d took the time to actually explain that if he spends too much time concerning himself with money, he’d miss out on all the simple pleasures of life, that don’t cost a penny. The little boy was satisfied with what his parents had told him, but one got the impression that he was also well aware there was unfinished business, that would need to be addressed sooner or later.
He was young though and his Mum advised him not to get too caught up in such topics yet, there were other things that would be far more beneficial. Of course he wanted to know “like what Mum?” and so this was the latest topic of conversation between the little boy and girl.
It was a story about pirates, not the type everyone reads about though. Of course there were those who reeked havoc wherever they went, but no more than those who do it on the comfort of land. This particular story though was about another kind of pirate.
The Captain and his crew were a happy, go lucky bunch who wouldn’t dream of hurting anyone, certainly not intentionally and they spent their days travelling the seas to distant shores, bringing with them goods unseen in many parts and it was with these very goods that they did their trading.
They were always one step ahead, wherever they turned up it was as if they knew what the people at the other end wanted, it could be spices from India, Cotton from Egypt, tobacco from America, tea from China and everything in between.
No one was quite sure who was the brains behind the whole scene, some said it was the Captain himself, but those who really knew, were well aware that nothing could be done without the agreement of the crew and so really there wasn’t a Captain as such, he just happened to be the one who wore the funny looking hat!
They were always friendly wherever they went, happy to help those in need, far from the stories you hear nowadays, of killing and robbing whoever crossed their bow. For some reason or other there was a rumour though that the Captain and his crew had buried all the real treasure deep in a treasure chest on an island far, far away.
Well of course the story spread from land to land and each time it was told the size of the treasure grew.
Some people became jealous of the Captain and his crew and plotted a way to steal this very treasure, all for themselves.
But little did they know, that the Captain and his crew had no earthly treasure as many assumed. The rumours got more and more farfetched as time wore on and the Captain and his crew had started to get a hostile reception whenever they weighed anchor.
They were concerned as to why this was happening and soon decided to address the situation.
When they arrived at the next port the whole crew disembarked the ship, there were many of the town folk who rushed forward to greet the crew, but it didn’t go unnoticed that there was a group who cast dirty looks and shouted out inflammatory remarks towards them.
The Captain stopped and turned to that very said group and addressed them with the words “What is your point exactly?” to which one particular individual stepped forward “we know who you are, you play the caring souls whenever you touch land, but on the seven seas you’re a blood thirsty lot, stealing from hapless sailors who cross your path. We know what you’re about and we’re on to you now see, mind your step from now on Captain. You and your crew”.
To which the Captain laughed “and where is your evidence, or are these the just the whisperings of a bitter soul perhaps?”
“We know all about the stolen treasure!” the man shouted back, waving a fist in the Captain’s face.
“Treasure you say? Stolen from hapless sailors? It is true we have a treasure, beyond your wildest dreams perhaps, but certainly not stolen from anyone, let alone fellow sailors” the Captain calmly replied with a smirk, before continuing “if you want to find it, good luck is all that I have to offer you” and without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and disappeared back into the crowd.
And to this day the rumours continue, of the blood thirsty pirates and their stolen treasure, buried deep in a chest on a deserted island. But there is another side to the story.
The little boy took a long pause because this was, as his Mum had told him, the most important part of the story. One that he must never forget.
Well, just as he opened his mouth to begin, the bell sounded, and the teachers started to usher everyone in. “Quick tell me before we go in!” the little girl cried, but it was too late, the nearest teacher was heading straight in their direction! “The treasure’s inside us all! You’ve got to dig deep to find it! X marks the spot!” called the little boy as he headed off to his class and with a knowing wink and a big grin he lifted his finger up to his chest and drew a big cross over it. The little girl stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the little boy as he skipped away, her eyes wide open and her mouth agape. Something had clicked, but she wasn’t quite sure what exactly.
The teacher looked at them both, shook his head, pulled a funny face and muttered, “Children”.
Children indeed.
Easier said than done and I'm sure there are a few glitches here and there!
Here's the first couple of chapters.
I'd be grateful for any feedback anyone has to offer...
1.
A long time ago, in a land not quite forgotten , there lived a little boy.
Well, this little boy was a curious fellow, who, from the moment he could talk, started asking questions, particularly odd questions for one so young. Not so much of a what, where or who kind of question but more of a why. Questions that sometimes caused a great conflict, particularly with the adults, how do you explain to a child why the sky is blue, when you don’t even know yourself!
His first tender years of life were spent glued to his Mum's side. she took him everywhere she went, even into the ladies toilets!
“Why Mum? Why can’t I go into the mens’ toilet? I’m not a girl you know!”,
The little boy’s mum did her best to reason with the little boy, explaining that he was too young to go in on his own, to which he replied “well you come into the mens’ with me then!”
“but I’m not a man, I can’t go in there” she came back with.
“I’m not a lady or a girl, so I can’t go in there then!” he hit back.
It was like a tennis match, but far more entertaining. Or so it seemed.
How do you tell a little boy that it’s dangerous for him to go on his own?
You certainly don’t want to scare him, yet you know that there are people out there who wouldn’t think twice of taking advantage of the situation, so what could the little boy’s mum say to him?
And so she put herself in the little boy’s shoes and asked herself what she would want to hear. Her protective nature was doing it’s best to avoid telling him too much about the goings on of man (not so kind), yet she knew deep down that it couldn’t be avoided and anyway, when was an appropriate time to tell him? After something happened perhaps? Of course not. It must be now.
And so, she sat the little boy down and did her very best to explain the reason why, without going into too much detail of course, but enough to let him know that we are not all the same.
"There are many good people on this planet little boy, here to help you along on your journey, but you must also be aware that there are others who are anything but good and these are the ones you must watch out for, they are dangerous to our kind".
“I’ll come with you then Mummy” he quickly replied, once she’d finished.
Had she said too much to her precious child? Her mind was running around in circles, going nowhere fast. Yet she knew well enough through her own experiences that to not tell him the truth of this particular matter was as bad as lying to him, something she was not prepared to do.
Later that evening as the little boy’s father finished reading a bedtime story, the little boy turned to his father and told him what his mum had said earlier that day. His father was a funny man, who didn’t take life too seriously, so it was a surprise for the little boy to see his father’s eyes narrow and his lips tighten up, well, he’d seen this look before in his father and immediately thought that perhaps he shouldn’t have said anything. There was a deathly silence as his father looked to his left and then to his right.
Then bringing his eyes to meet his son’s, he hummed “Hmmmmmmm” before he continued, “I knew that this time would come little boy, but I must admit I wasn’t expecting it so soon. Your Mum is right in everything that she has told you. Do her words worry you?”
“Not really Dad, I’d never thought about things like that before” The little boy responded.
“Well I’ll tell you something that helps me understand things a little clearer, as we go about our day to day business. To see what is going on, we must use our eyes, but to really see, then we must know what part of the eye we use to do this. Do you know what part that is little boy?”.
The little boy thought long and hard, he thought he knew the answer, but didn’t want to embarrass himself by getting it wrong.
His father knew his little boy well enough though and could easily read the look on his face.
With a big smile he put his arm around the little boy’s shoulder and pulled him close.
“Ok. What letter do you think it starts with? Is it P perhaps?” The little boy slowly nodded his head, not quite sure if he was being led into a trap.
“That’s correct, P it is and I reckon you don’t need to concern yourself with getting it wrong next time, because even if you do get it wrong, sometimes that’s the best way to learn. So, P it is then, are you sure it’s not A for apple?”
The little boy laughed “No Dad, p for pupil!”
“well done! Now, do you know what the children at school are called?”
the little boy was still busy giggling about the apple and hadn’t heard the question properly.
His Dad laughed with him, a child laughing certainly has an infectious quality!
Eventually they both calmed down and his father repeated the question.
The little boy stopped and thought hard, being put on the spot sometimes confuses the mind, “er, students?”
"That is right, but there's also another word too little boy. Have a think."
The little boy tightened his brow and squeezed his eyes tight, trying to force the answer out, but nothing was coming.
"relax little boy!" his father chuckled.
"Now there are some words that have 2 meanings to them, the word pupil is one of these. Get your dictionary and look up the word pupil and see what it says".
The little boy flicked through the pages until he found what he was looking for.
Pupil: a person, especially a child at school, who is being taught.
Pupil: the circular black area in the centre of your eye, through which light enters.
So let me now explain what I mean, If you see with your pupil then you also see things as a student and the student is here to learn. Continue with this vision for the rest of your days little boy, remember this "you are here to learn", quite simple really, but oh so, so easily forgotten. And while we’re on the subject, you may one day want to look up what “the apple of my eye” means.
And with that he gave the little boy a knowing wink and a gentle kiss on the cheek and mouthed the words “Good night”.
2.
“Good mourning everyone!” the little boy’s father called out as he opened the front door on his way to work.
It really was a beautyfull day outside.
Earlier that summer, the little boy’s parents had sat him down to explain that he would be soon be starting school.
His parent’s had said that the school would be able to answer all the questions the little boy had at this stage of his life, but as the words came out of his Mum’s mouth it dawned upon her that what they was saying perhaps wasn’t quite true.
The little boy’s questions were not the sort you would expect from someone of his age. Before she had a chance to continue though the little boy had jumped right out of his seat knocking his dinner everywhere, he didn’t need to hear another word.
“an answer to all my questions? why didn’t you tell me that before?” the way the words sprung from his mouth, it was as if he was singing a song!
And with that, he danced around the room singing “An answer for all my questions” over and over again.
The little boy’s enthusiasm lit up the room. And so it was, that very morning was going to be his first day at school.
As he skipped down the road, singing one of his songs he stopped suddenly, turned to his Mum and asked, “why does Dad have to go to work every day Mum?” .
As his Mum looked to the sky, the little boy realised that he didn’t really need an answer to the question, he was on his way to school!
“To pay the bills” she replied as the little boy skipped along not quite sure whether he had heard her or not, but actually glad that he seemed preoccupied with other thoughts, so she just left it at that.
Later than evening as they all sat down for dinner the little boy’s father inquired “How did you enjoy your first day Son?”
“well Dad, I didn’t get a chance to ask any questions because I was too busy paying attention to what the teacher had to say”.
His father looked up from his plate with a surprised look on his face, before smiling and continuing with his food. Peace at last he chuckled to himself. Days, became weeks and weeks became months and although the little boy always had something to talk about, school appeared to be keeping him busy enough and one presumed was giving him all the answers to his ever growing list of questions.
And so it was one evening, as the three of them were sitting around the fire, the little boy piped up, “in our class, there are 30 children and one teacher. The class starts at 9 and finishes at 3 with a one hour lunch break. That means that we are in the class for 5 hours and 5 hours is 300 minutes.”
“Well done” his Mum and Dad replied in unison, not realising that he hadn’t quite finished.
“Well, does that mean that the teacher only really spends 10 minutes with each child?”
Here we go again his Dad thought out loud, before realising what he’d actually said and more so, how he’d said it.
The little boy turned sharply towards his Dad and promptly stated “I’m not enjoying school anymore Dad. You told me they would have the answer to all my questions and they don’t. So I’m not going anymore, it’s much more fun with Mum.”
“What’s brought all this on then Son?” said his Dad with a puzzled look, trying to keep the conversation on neutral ground.
“It was exciting at first, everything was new, but It’s not much fun anymore and you told me once that if you’re not enjoying what you’re doing then you should ask yourself “why?” so I have every day and today is the day I’ve decided that I don’t want to go to school anymore because I just don’t enjoy it. Please may I leave the table now.”
His parents stared at one another. “Has something happened to upset you?” his Mum asked, but he wouldn’t answer. “What’s brought all this on then, perhaps we can help?” She followed up with, trying to coax an answer from him and that’s when it all came blurting out.
“Well, last week I asked the teacher where the Bills live, but she said she didn’t know them and so I asked the dinner lady if she knew them and she said she’d never heard of them. But I overheard the teacher talking at lunchtime and she said that she was having trouble paying the Bills and that they’d be the death of her one day so I asked all my friends to ask their parents why they had to work and the next day they came in and told me it was to pay the Bills. so I thought if I could just find out where the Bills live, then I could go and explain to them that I wanted to spend more time with my Mum and Dad, and then you wouldn’t have to go to work, they can’t spend all the money everyone’s giving them but nobody seems to know where they live, but they must live somewhere, it must be the biggest house ever Mum! So, I asked the teacher again “where do the Bills live?” and she told me to stop asking silly questions and to pay more attention otherwise I’d never learn anything!”
All of this was said without stopping for a breath, before he folded his arms in a very matter of fact way and stuck his bottom lip right out!
The little boy’s Mum and Dad stared at each other with eyes open wide, before bursting into fits of laughter, tears were streaming down their cheeks. Neither of them could manage to get any words out, while all the time the little boy was stewing inside.
He thought they were laughing at him. Well the little boy had never been too good with criticism and had a habit of taking things a little too personally. And this, quite obviously, was one of those very occasions.
The topic of money was one the little boy’s parents had decided not to burden him with at such a tender age, yet here he was asking the kind of questions that the adults should perhaps be asking themselves. Where does all the money go?
As the laughter subsided, the little boy’s Mum pulled the little boy close to her and while stroking his face and looking into his deep brown eyes, a tear slipped from her eye.
The little boy was confused and angry already, but this wasn’t an ordinary tear, behind her eyes was a pain that the little boy could not just see, he could feel it too. His arms were still folded tight and he was having trouble moving due to the tight grip that his Mum held him.
As his Mum felt the little boy wriggling, she came to, she’d been so lost in the moment that she hadn’t realised how the cuddle was now a… “Let me go Mum, I can’t breathe” the little boy gasped.
As she quickly released the vice like grip, the little boy sprung down from his chair and sprinted out of the room, before either one of his parents had a chance to speak.
“leave him to calm down” said his Dad quietly, fully aware now of the situation. He shook his head and stared at his half eaten plate full of food, “but he’s upset, he thinks we were laughing at him!” said the little boy's Mum.
“I know, but by going now he will not hear what needs to be said”.
The two of them sat there in silence and all the while the little boy lay there on his bed, crying his little heart out, until he eventually fell asleep.
When he awoke, his dad was sitting on the bed with a big smile and a cup of tea to greet him. “Good morning Son!, how are you today?”
“I’m good thanks Dad” (it is a wonderful trait of children, not to dwell upon the past) “why aren’t you at work Dad?”.
“Well, today I’d like to spend some time with you and Mum, work can wait for a change. When you’ve finished your tea and got ready, come downstairs” and with that he leaned forward and kissed his little boy on the forehead.
“But where are we going Mum?” the little boy questioned. “Your Dad wants to take us out somewhere and he won’t even tell me where, all he said was that he was popping out and for both of us to be ready and waiting for when he returns”.
10 minutes later while the 2 of them were sat at the kitchen table finishing off their breakfast, they heard a key unlock the front door. “Are you both ready? Come on we’ve got a train to catch!” the little boy’s Dad called out as he came through the front door. “What about school Dad?” “I’ve spoken to the school and let them know you won’t be in today, but let’s not concern ourselves with that!” and as he finished speaking he gave the little boy’s Mum a gentle nod. Yesterday’s turmoil had long been forgotten by the little boy, yet unbeknown to him this was the very reason for the unexpected trip.
All the while the little boy had been at school he forged many friendships yet there was one fellow student in particular who he had bonded with more than all the others.
Perhaps unusually so, as it wasn’t another boy, it was a girl. She wasn’t as inquisitive as the little boy, but there was just something about her, that just caused you to smile.
Some might say it was her carefree attitude, but if you got the opportunity to listen to the topics of conversation she had with the little boy, you’d soon know that the little girl cared deeply, so much so that at times it was painful.
When the little boy told her about the bills, she couldn’t stop laughing either, only this time the little boy laughed along with her, on the trip his Mum and dad had explained why they laughed when he’d told them all about wanting to find where the bills live, but more importantly they’d took the time to actually explain that if he spends too much time concerning himself with money, he’d miss out on all the simple pleasures of life, that don’t cost a penny. The little boy was satisfied with what his parents had told him, but one got the impression that he was also well aware there was unfinished business, that would need to be addressed sooner or later.
He was young though and his Mum advised him not to get too caught up in such topics yet, there were other things that would be far more beneficial. Of course he wanted to know “like what Mum?” and so this was the latest topic of conversation between the little boy and girl.
It was a story about pirates, not the type everyone reads about though. Of course there were those who reeked havoc wherever they went, but no more than those who do it on the comfort of land. This particular story though was about another kind of pirate.
The Captain and his crew were a happy, go lucky bunch who wouldn’t dream of hurting anyone, certainly not intentionally and they spent their days travelling the seas to distant shores, bringing with them goods unseen in many parts and it was with these very goods that they did their trading.
They were always one step ahead, wherever they turned up it was as if they knew what the people at the other end wanted, it could be spices from India, Cotton from Egypt, tobacco from America, tea from China and everything in between.
No one was quite sure who was the brains behind the whole scene, some said it was the Captain himself, but those who really knew, were well aware that nothing could be done without the agreement of the crew and so really there wasn’t a Captain as such, he just happened to be the one who wore the funny looking hat!
They were always friendly wherever they went, happy to help those in need, far from the stories you hear nowadays, of killing and robbing whoever crossed their bow. For some reason or other there was a rumour though that the Captain and his crew had buried all the real treasure deep in a treasure chest on an island far, far away.
Well of course the story spread from land to land and each time it was told the size of the treasure grew.
Some people became jealous of the Captain and his crew and plotted a way to steal this very treasure, all for themselves.
But little did they know, that the Captain and his crew had no earthly treasure as many assumed. The rumours got more and more farfetched as time wore on and the Captain and his crew had started to get a hostile reception whenever they weighed anchor.
They were concerned as to why this was happening and soon decided to address the situation.
When they arrived at the next port the whole crew disembarked the ship, there were many of the town folk who rushed forward to greet the crew, but it didn’t go unnoticed that there was a group who cast dirty looks and shouted out inflammatory remarks towards them.
The Captain stopped and turned to that very said group and addressed them with the words “What is your point exactly?” to which one particular individual stepped forward “we know who you are, you play the caring souls whenever you touch land, but on the seven seas you’re a blood thirsty lot, stealing from hapless sailors who cross your path. We know what you’re about and we’re on to you now see, mind your step from now on Captain. You and your crew”.
To which the Captain laughed “and where is your evidence, or are these the just the whisperings of a bitter soul perhaps?”
“We know all about the stolen treasure!” the man shouted back, waving a fist in the Captain’s face.
“Treasure you say? Stolen from hapless sailors? It is true we have a treasure, beyond your wildest dreams perhaps, but certainly not stolen from anyone, let alone fellow sailors” the Captain calmly replied with a smirk, before continuing “if you want to find it, good luck is all that I have to offer you” and without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and disappeared back into the crowd.
And to this day the rumours continue, of the blood thirsty pirates and their stolen treasure, buried deep in a chest on a deserted island. But there is another side to the story.
The little boy took a long pause because this was, as his Mum had told him, the most important part of the story. One that he must never forget.
Well, just as he opened his mouth to begin, the bell sounded, and the teachers started to usher everyone in. “Quick tell me before we go in!” the little girl cried, but it was too late, the nearest teacher was heading straight in their direction! “The treasure’s inside us all! You’ve got to dig deep to find it! X marks the spot!” called the little boy as he headed off to his class and with a knowing wink and a big grin he lifted his finger up to his chest and drew a big cross over it. The little girl stopped dead in her tracks, staring at the little boy as he skipped away, her eyes wide open and her mouth agape. Something had clicked, but she wasn’t quite sure what exactly.
The teacher looked at them both, shook his head, pulled a funny face and muttered, “Children”.
Children indeed.
