Time Flies
One morning when Olivia was still half asleep, she heard her Grandma talking to her Grandpa all about things that fly. At least she thought that was what they were talking about because the last thing she heard her Grandpa say was…
“…It’s funny how time flies.”
Then Grandpa headed out the
door hollerin’ and laughin’ to himself, so hard that he was sneezing all the
way down the path.
“Serves the old goat right,”
said Grandma.
“It sure does,” said Olivia
without any real idea what she was talking about.
Olivia had made a note to
herself that when she got to school she’d ask her teacher about Time and why it
flew about the place. However she didn’t reckon on meeting with Smiling Joe,
first. This was the boy who knew everything about everything and all the rest there
was to know.
“Can I walk with you to
school, Missy?” Asked Joe.
“Sure,” said Olivia, who
secretly liked Joe. “What cha been doing?”
“Down the creek, Missy,
trying to catch me a big old fella’ by the name of Captain.”
As well as knowing
everything about everything, Joe was also the best fisherman this side of the
Hill. Well, that was according to Joe, at least.
Olivia looked around but
couldn’t see any fish.
“Heck, I’m savin’ catchin’
the Captain for another day.” Then Joe whistled a little tune that Olivia liked
and they walked on to school together.
“Joe, can I ask you a
question?” Asked Olivia.
“If I don’t know the answer
then it ain’t worth knowing,” said Joe, kinda confidently.
So Olivia asked him if Time
really did fly and Joe told her that it surely did and if you sat on the Old
Creek Road, the one that led out of town……
“….And were real patient,
then eventually you’d see Time flying passed you real fast.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that.”
Olivia was pleased with that
answer and started to whistle Joe’s little tune as they walked on to school
together.The end of the week couldn’t
come fast enough for Olivia and so, on Saturday around lunchtime, she headed
down to the Old Creek Road and sat down and waited on Time flying passed her.
An hour passed, except it
seemed like forever to Olivia - when suddenly Herbert, the dog from Asker’s
Farm, came wandering along the road.
“What cha doing?” Asked
Herbert.
“Ain’t it obvious, I’m
waiting on Time flying passed,” said a very important Olivia.
“You are? It does?” Asked a
bewildered Herbert. “Then mind if I wait too?”
“Don’t mind if you do,” said
Olivia.
So Herbert sat beside
Olivia, really excited about the arrival of Time.
While they were waiting, Herbert and Olivia talked about this and that, for Olivia knew a lot about this and that. They were having a real good time when Scrimpy The Ass, from the next town over, also happened to be walking passed.
“What cha doing?” Asked
Scrimpy The Ass.
“Why we’re waiting on Time flying
passed.”
“Well I never,” exclaimed
Scrimpy. “Mind if I join you guys?”
And both Olivia and Herbert
said they’d be delighted if Scrimpy joined them. So Scrimpy sat down and
waited.
The whole time the three of
them were talking about this and that, since it seemed Scrimpy was quite knowledgeable
about this and that as well.
The afternoon grew old and
it was time to go home, and since Olivia had had such a great time with her new
pals, Herbert and Scrimpy, she’d forgotten about waiting for Time to fly.
“Perhaps we can do this
again next Saturday?” Asked Herbert.
And
they all agreed that it sounded like a great plan and so that is what they did. Hope Floats
The moment she opened her eyes, she knew it was a Saturday. This was Olivia’s very best day of the week since folks were always asking her to do things on Sundays; but not on Saturdays. Olivia couldn’t stop smiling.
“Mornin’ Grandma,” said Olivia as she skipped into the room.
“Why sweetpea, you is sure bouncing today,” said
Grandma. “Now you are going to have to eat your breakfast before you do anymore
skippin’. You hear me?”
Olivia just nodded, it was easier just to agree with her grandma when she was talking like that.
“Where’s Grandpa?” Asked Olivia.
“Why sweetpea, he’s out in the yard feeling sorry for himself. Real sorry. A few hours in the fresh country air and he’ll be right as rain again.”
When Olivia finished her breakfast and had helped her grandma with the washing, she ran out into the yard to see what was wrong with her best pal.
“What’s up, Grandpa?”
The old man turned and smiled, “Mornin’ best friend, you is looking ready for living,” he said. “Ready for livin’,” and then he chuckled so hard that he nearly fell off his stool.
“Grandma says you’re feeling sorry for something,” said Olivia, helping her grandpa back on the stool.
“It is something and nothin’, sweetpea, something and nothin’,” said Grandpa.
And then Grandpa explained that he had lost some work when the Shanter family, in the next valley, had decided to move on to somewhere nearer the coast.
“Just means we’ll be little poorer for a while, but I tell you sweetpea, something always comes down that road, just when you least expect it.It might not be what you are looking for but it sure will be what you are needing right there and then.”
So Olivia asked her grandpa what it was he was expecting to come down the road, and he just turned to her and said with a smile, “why hope, little one, hope.”
And with that Olivia walked off to where she knew she would find the things she was looking for. The road was just outside of town and was called Old Creek. It had been a turnpike once upon a time, but no one really used it to get anywhere, anymore.
Yet Olivia knew that if anything was going to come past it would be on the Old Creek, so she sat down and made herself real comfortable. Olivia just sat there waiting, and waiting and waiting.
"These thing sure take a long time,” she said to no one in particular. Just then Herbert turned up.
“Thought I’d find you here, Olly,” said Herbert. He was the dog from Asker’s Farm and tended to go walkabouts on a Saturday. The Askers used to try and tie him up but he’d just chew through the rope and go walking. So they eventually gave up and let Herbert do his own thing.
“What cha doing?” Asked Herbert.
Olivia just nodded, it was easier just to agree with her grandma when she was talking like that.
“Where’s Grandpa?” Asked Olivia.
“Why sweetpea, he’s out in the yard feeling sorry for himself. Real sorry. A few hours in the fresh country air and he’ll be right as rain again.”
When Olivia finished her breakfast and had helped her grandma with the washing, she ran out into the yard to see what was wrong with her best pal.
“What’s up, Grandpa?”
The old man turned and smiled, “Mornin’ best friend, you is looking ready for living,” he said. “Ready for livin’,” and then he chuckled so hard that he nearly fell off his stool.
“Grandma says you’re feeling sorry for something,” said Olivia, helping her grandpa back on the stool.
“It is something and nothin’, sweetpea, something and nothin’,” said Grandpa.
And then Grandpa explained that he had lost some work when the Shanter family, in the next valley, had decided to move on to somewhere nearer the coast.
“Just means we’ll be little poorer for a while, but I tell you sweetpea, something always comes down that road, just when you least expect it.It might not be what you are looking for but it sure will be what you are needing right there and then.”
So Olivia asked her grandpa what it was he was expecting to come down the road, and he just turned to her and said with a smile, “why hope, little one, hope.”
And with that Olivia walked off to where she knew she would find the things she was looking for. The road was just outside of town and was called Old Creek. It had been a turnpike once upon a time, but no one really used it to get anywhere, anymore.
Yet Olivia knew that if anything was going to come past it would be on the Old Creek, so she sat down and made herself real comfortable. Olivia just sat there waiting, and waiting and waiting.
"These thing sure take a long time,” she said to no one in particular. Just then Herbert turned up.
“Thought I’d find you here, Olly,” said Herbert. He was the dog from Asker’s Farm and tended to go walkabouts on a Saturday. The Askers used to try and tie him up but he’d just chew through the rope and go walking. So they eventually gave up and let Herbert do his own thing.
“What cha doing?” Asked Herbert.
“Why you always ask me that, Herbert. Ain’t it
obvious?” Asked Olivia.
“Not really,” said Herbert.
“I’m waiting on Hope coming down the road. My
Grandpa says he needs some and I thought if I wait here, I could get him some,”
she said.
“Mind if I wait with you?” Asked Herbert.
“Don’t mind if you do,” said Olivia.
“Mind if I wait with you?” Asked Herbert.
“Don’t mind if you do,” said Olivia.
So they waited and talked, then talked and waited, but Hope seemed to be taking its time.
They were having a real interesting time when Scrimpy the Ass, from the next town over, also happened to be walking past.
“What cha doing?” Asked Scrimpy The Ass.
“Why we’re waiting on Hope coming down the road,” said Herbert.
“Why we’re waiting on Hope coming down the road,” said Herbert.
“Why so?” Asked Scrimpy in his funny way of
talking.
“’Cause Olivia’s grandpa needs some real quick,” Herbert replied.
"Mind if I wait with you?” Asked Scrimpy.
“Don’t mind if you do,” said Olivia. “Make yourself comfortable.”
“’Cause Olivia’s grandpa needs some real quick,” Herbert replied.
"Mind if I wait with you?” Asked Scrimpy.
“Don’t mind if you do,” said Olivia. “Make yourself comfortable.”
So they sat and talked about this, and that, and everything in between.
Then Herbert looked at Olivia and said,”D’you mind
if I ask a question?”
“Sure,” said Olivia and Scrimpy.
“Well, I know this sounds strange but I just wondered what Hope looked like, in case I don’t recognize it.”
“Well, according to my Grandpa, it won’t be what you’re expecting but it’ll be what you need,” said Olivia, wisely.
So Olivia, Herbert and Scrimpy all looked down the road looking for one thing and expecting another. And what they didn’t know, was that each of them was looking for a different type of hope.
By the time it came to sundown, they had wondered if maybe Hope had passed them by while they were talking.
Then Scrimpy said something that had them all thinking:
“Maybe your grandpa, has to sit on the road himself to get his own Hope. Maybe you only find your own. And maybe us talking and being friends was the Hope we needed for today and that is what we got.”
And they all agreed that perhaps you can only look for your own Hope and that it doesn’t ever look like what you were searching for.
“Next Saturday?” Asked Olivia.
“Sure,” said Herbert.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” said Scrimpy.
And each of them headed off in different directions, and each of them with a little Hope inside.
bobby stevenson 2015
“Sure,” said Olivia and Scrimpy.
“Well, I know this sounds strange but I just wondered what Hope looked like, in case I don’t recognize it.”
“Well, according to my Grandpa, it won’t be what you’re expecting but it’ll be what you need,” said Olivia, wisely.
So Olivia, Herbert and Scrimpy all looked down the road looking for one thing and expecting another. And what they didn’t know, was that each of them was looking for a different type of hope.
By the time it came to sundown, they had wondered if maybe Hope had passed them by while they were talking.
Then Scrimpy said something that had them all thinking:
“Maybe your grandpa, has to sit on the road himself to get his own Hope. Maybe you only find your own. And maybe us talking and being friends was the Hope we needed for today and that is what we got.”
And they all agreed that perhaps you can only look for your own Hope and that it doesn’t ever look like what you were searching for.
“Next Saturday?” Asked Olivia.
“Sure,” said Herbert.
“Wouldn’t miss it,” said Scrimpy.
And each of them headed off in different directions, and each of them with a little Hope inside.
bobby stevenson 2015
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