Ted

Ted

Ted stood at the bow of his ship, looking out over the water. It had been a long trip, there were times when he wasn’t sure he would make it back. Everyone had discouraged him from this mission, but he couldn’t seem to let it go.

From the moment the idea came into his head, it was all he thought about. Most everyone discouraged him, except old Gramps, of course. Gramps would sit there, scratching his beard with that twinkle in his eyes. But then Gramps would encourage to jump off a cliff if he wanted to. Gramps was always encouraging. Fortunately, Ted was smart enough to know not to jump off a cliff. Being afraid of heights helped too.

As he stood there, he went over the trip in his mind. Pulling his ship down to the edge of the water. Actually, a tub. Looking over the river to the hill on the other side, really a swamp and the rise to the cemetery on Center street. All he needed to do was navigate across the flowing stream, avoid the geese, and land at the cemetery. Then come back. He was obsessed. He needed to do it, to prove to himself that he could do it!

And now it was done! Suddenly he heard a shout. It was his mother, she was running, screaming. “What did you let him do! He could have drowned!”

“But he didn’t, did he,” he heard Gramps say.

Unfortunately, Gramps probably wouldn’t be watching him much in the near future. The five-year-old turned, pulled his soggy self-up, and started through the weeds, to face his very angry mother.