As a Mantis

                                                                    As a Mantis

                                                              By Daryl Campbell



         Mathew was a strong mantis and his long, green body had six legs. The life of a mantis was simple: he went to school, played with his friends, and ate very well. He loved his mom, his grandma, and his three sisters, Sara, Michelle, and Andrea. Mathew even loved his dad, who had been away since he was born to provide for the family.

         As a mantis, it would be Mathew's job to one day do the same, but he wanted something more.

         “Mathew, I told Mrs. Tenodera you’d take her daughter to the library today,” Mom said at breakfast.

         “But a girl? I don’t wanna go to the library with a girl.”

         “You like the library, and she's such a pretty girl.”

         Mathew scrunched his face.

         “Get cleaned up and take a lunch with you.” Mom cleared the table.

         Cindy, the mantis Mathew took to the library, was great. She knew everything about his favorite authors. Mathew talked about the stories and shared his ideas with her. He looked at the bark-bound books with yellow leafed pages and saw an opportunity to be a writer. There were wonderful stories here, but everything was written by a girl. With his own stories, he could add something special.

         Mathew got home before dark and his mom and sisters were excited to see him. After dinner, he told them about his trip to the library..

         Mathew was up early the next morning.

         “Mathew, I told Mrs. Brunneria you’d take her daughter to the museum today,” Mom announced at breakfast.

         “I went with that Cindy girl yesterday. Why do I have to take another girl somewhere?”

         “I told Mrs. Brunneria you’d pick Kerrie up this morning. That’s her name, Kerrie.” Mom smiled.

         Kerrie was interested in everything that Mathew was. She explained art to him, told him of the emotion and power of each piece: brown leaves with pictures painted by colored petals and statues carved out of white wood.

         Mathew didn't know why so many of the museum things were made by girls. There was a thing here and there by a boy, but not enough. With the way he could paint and sculpt, Mathew could be an artist, maybe the most famous of all.

         When Mathew got home he told his mom and sisters about the art and old things he saw at the museum. At dinner, Mathew said he'd be an artist or a writer; he'd be something great.

         Mathew was surprised to see a pie on the table with his name on it the next morning. The pie was so good, he ate the whole thing before anyone else got up.

         “Mathew…”

         “Not again, Mom!” he interrupted.

         “Mathew, I told Mrs. Gongylus you’d take her daughter, Kathy, to the boats today.” Mom smiled. “She’s younger than you, but I’ve heard nice things.”

         “What time?” Mathew didn't argue.

         “I made you lunch and Kathy will meet you at the High Lake to eat.” Mom put a lunch bag on the table. “In an hour or so.”

         Mathew got to the High Lake before Kathy, a long, bright green mantis. Mathew was happy to discover she had a boat and they'd go sailing after lunch.

         Mathew found a place to sit where he and Kathy could watch the boats. The boats were made of bark and painted in bright colors: oranges, reds, greens, and blues. The sails were what interested Mathew most, made from different leaves: wide ones, tall ones, short ones, and narrow ones.

         After lunch, Mathew and Kathy went to her sailboat, a large boat with an oak leaf sail. Impressed at how well Kathy handled the boat, Mathew watched everything. He wanted to be a captain. All the captains on the lake were girls, but he could get a boat of his own and a become the greatest captain.

         When Mathew got home, everyone was waiting to hear about his day at the lake. His sisters giggled when he told them about sailing, how he wanted to be a captain, and that girls were okay.

         Before Mathew went to bed, he thought about being a writer, an artist, or a captain. He might be all three, but he'd be great. He fell asleep and dreamed of what waited for him.

         Mathew got up before the sun. He was quiet as he got things ready for his adventure. He grabbed some food and wrote his mom a note so she wouldn't worry. He let her know he'd travel, write a few stories, create some art, and see about a boat. He assured her he'd be home before supper.

         As Mathew, he left that morning to become something special.