10 Shades of Wrong

When the sun and momma had settled for the evening and chirping were the only sounds ‘sides the humming noise of the refrigerator, I took my leave and strolled outside to share twilight with no one.

I ambled down the dirt road on this warm evening in June to discover eve’s first fireflies … all zipping about going nowhere.

The moon began its magnificent ascent into dark blue skies slashed with orange, when out of nowhere came peculiar sounds. I stopped in my tracks to listen and wait, and inched closer to investigate.

Down the road a’piece, stood two turkeys and a hen arguing over a fountain pen.

“Tis mine,” shouted hen, “I bought it to write my memoirs.”

These words caused such a flurry of feathers that I rushed on by eager to get out of earshot and on with my leisurely stroll.

The moon cast its shadow across the surface of Old Ben’s Pond, so I strolled over to take a gander and found a swimming lamb. He struggled, then yelled, “I can’t swim!” so I edged closer, shouting, “Then why did you go in?”

When the lamb began to explain about his failed swimming lessons, I moved away deciding to ignore his cries … the lamb should’ve known better!

In the distance I viewed a cloud of dust and curiosity led me onward.

As I neared, loud voices echoed off a row of pines, “Why did you steal my walnuts?” shouted one squirrel to another.

“Steal them? They were just lying there on the ground for anyone to take,” the squirrel shouted back.

As I approached, the second squirrel glanced up. “Hey you, fella, come over here and settle our dispute.”

So I moseyed on over and listened to them argue for a while and they never noticed that I ate those walnuts while standing there. As soon as they saw the nuts were gone, they both angrily chased me on down the road and I scarcely made it back home.

From the living room, momma heard me climb onto the front porch. “Sunny Boy, where you been? Come in this house! It’s dark out now.”

I shook the dust off my feet and joined momma in the living room. “Just takin’ my evening walk,” I told her staring at the floor.

“Well, go get us a fresh glass of sweet tea,” she answered, “and we’ll go sit a’spell on the front porch.”

I made two glasses of sweet tea and handed one to momma, and we found our way back outside, settling into our rocking chairs. “Lovely walk, it was. The fireflies are out already. The hen is arguing with those turkeys again. That stupid lamb is still trying to learn swimmin’. I stole some walnuts from those cantankerous squirrels.”

Momma smiled, sipped her sweet tea, then sighed as she closed her eyes and rocked back and forth. Crickets outside seemed to chirp in time with her squeaky rocker. The moon was up full now; its light illuminated a plow out in the yard. I, too, settled back and closed my eyes. Night was fully come now and it was brimming full of wonder.

“Maybe I’ll go fishin’ tomorrow,” I told momma sipping my tea.

“Yes, that would be nice, Sunny Boy. Get us a few catfish and we’ll fry ‘em up for dinner.”

Me and momma settled into our chairs on the porch and watched the moon come up over the tree line. The frogs were croaking now but the crickets were trying to drown ‘em out.

“Gonna be a lovely evening,” momma murmured.

“Yep,” I answered sipping sweet tea from a mason jar.