I have come to noticed that over the years I have spent with Meo and her rolling-eyed husband that they often have visitors on Sunday evenings. One of those evenings was brought to mind when I heard the man on the big screen speaking of events on a Sunday to come.
And so it goes…
There must have been a breeze outside that early evening of a Sunday back because as rolling-eyed husband opened the front door to the visitors a gust of wind caught my dress. Before I knew it, I had lost my balance and toppled over. I found myself resting on a pile of tools scattered about on Meo’s working space at the dining room table.
Then behind me, Meo was speaking loudly to Grover, “Stay down, stay down!” she said. Grover’s attention was on a short cute, little guy.
As I lay sprawled a-top Meo’s untidy dining table, I was displayed in a somewhat distorted pose over a pair of scissors, a box of straight pins, and various pairs of eye glasses. My skirt had shifted up too. So this was indeed a very un-lady-like situation to settle upon me. However, I did not lack for space and as it was, I had a clear view of the visitors and Meo and rolling-eyed husband. This included the cute little short guy. From what I gathered the cute little short guy answered to the name Little Man.
The visitors, Meo and rolling-eyed husband, all seamed to be talking at once and the people on the big screen were making much too, much noise. I must confess that this commotion was a good deal more than I could bear. Therefore to escape the hubbub I encouraged my thoughts to wander…I do not know from where my memories come but for some time I thought of a young girl and her brother, it seemed they were picking rasberries and then there came some Indians? Some images failed me.
As to the visitors, Meo and rolling-eyed husband, they soon began to settle themselves. It then came about that Little Man caught sight of me. Imagine how thrilled I was! For I now understood that he was not a short little man, as I had first thought, but a small child. Though I new not why, I was overwhelmed with delight for somewhere back in the far off shadows of my past there stirred in me a fond memory of children.
“Grandma, Grandma!” He squealed with delight. “May I play with her?” as he grasp me tight in his small hand.
And so I was to understand that Meo was Grandma, for presently Meo turned toward Little Man. “Of course,” Meo said in her cheery voice, “Just be careful, that’s Grandma’s Hitty.”
Now Little Man seemed to ignore the goings on in the room as he quickly turned to a door facing the hallway. His little fingers turned a knob and I soon found myself in a very small room cluttered with bright colored toys, and what looked to me to be a yellow and green child sized table and chair set. Numerous books and small playful looking toy cars, even some with eyes, were strewn around this very small room
Seeing that Little Man was at ease with this strange menagerie I put my doubts aside and readied myself for a pleasant time of play. But I must confess Little Man was subject to quick spurts of action especially as he handled the playful looking cars with eyes. Presently he was trying to fit me into the driver’s seat of one of the small cars with eyes. I was very well aware that the little car with eyes was much to small for me. Try as Little Man might I would not fit and at last, much to my relief, he stopped trying and lay me aside. I waited for him to come pick me up and play with me again but, as it happened, he did not.
Some time passed…
And so it came from were I lay, I could hear the man on the big screen speaking of the ten o’clock news. The joyful sounds of talking and laughter that had so filled the rooms were gone now. Seeing that all the bright colored cars with the eyes were back in their place in the very small room, I was sure Little Man had left as well.
One by one the rooms outside my door turned dark as rolling-eyed husband turned the switches. Then as rolling-eyed husband passed by he turned the switch off in the very little room and, to my horror, he also closed the door. It became very quiet now and very, very dark as well. You cannot say that I am unfamiliar with dark spaces, however, to be forgotten, this idea simply humiliated me. I was beside myself.
I am sure it was but a night, but what seemed to me much longer than simply one night, went by. When at last the door was opened once again. Daylight flooded my dark space and I felt a joyfulness I cannot express, for shadowed in the stream of light was Meo.
I heard her whisper to herself, “There you are I’ve been looking high and low.”
She picked me up and quickly and without much fuss placed me atop her untidy working spot on the dining room table. Such comfort it was to be among the pins, scissors and eye glasses once again.
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Don't forget:
Hitty and Meo's contest continues untill May 8th. You can access it at previous posting.