by Jill Anderson

 

There once was a pea named Bobby. Bobby the Pea lived in the country you see,

Where there were very few podmobiles and there were no tall buildings in sight.

Everyday after school Bobby would run home with glee, for he knew his Mom was waiting with warm cookies and a tall glass of milk.

 

 

 

One day, on Bobby’s seventh Birthday in fact, things just kept going wrong. In the morning, Bobby spilled his milk, and his Mom yelled at him, and then at school nobody remembered that it was his birthday. When he got home there was nobody to take him to the pool for swimming lessons!

His big sister Maude, who he called Maudey, Said she couldn’t drive him for she felt too groggy. His Mom and Dad, whom he thought were still mad, were still at work which made him very sad.

 

 

 

Even though it was his birthday, Bobby was unhappy, so he packed a sack with his teddy named jack and sneaked out the back with a whack.  He assured himself that he was a big boy and could go swimming on his own, so he crossed the street to the bus stop, where he sat down on the bench with a plop.

 

 

He sat and sat until he saw the bus; he hopped on and said hi to the bus driver named Gus. Gus didn’t like to drive into the city because of the traffic.  When the bus stopped at the edge of the city, Gus winked at Bobby and said he could find him outside the Brockville Hotel lobby. Bobby stuck out his chin, and began walking to the pool with a grin.

 

 

Everything was bigger than in the country.  Groups of tall skinny asparagus started to surround him. The houses all had many different windows, all with different vegetables looking out onto the street.  Sirens screamed and horns honked.  Street lights beamed and shoes clomped.  Eggplants zoomed by in taxis, carrots on bicycles and even baby corns on tricycles!

 

 

As he got closer and closer to the Artichoke Swim Center for Healthy Hearts,

He began to wonder if he really could do it all by himself and started missing home.

He smelled fresh fish and fresh bread, and began to wish for his Mom’s cookies.  He saw lots of toy race cars, and he began to wish for a friend to play with.  He heard sirens and car horns, and wished he was sitting at home watching TV with his dad.  He then felt chilly and hugged his teddy bear much tighter, and wished he was at home where his mom would wrap him in a blanket and give him hot cocoa.  Luckily he had only walked two blocks away from where the bus had stopped, So he ran and he ran until he saw Gus's green bus.

 Bobby hopped on and said, “I want to go back to my pod.”  Gus smiled and said, “sure thing.” On the way home Bobby looked outside, where he watched fields and farm houses fly by.  As he thought about home Bobby began to cry.

 

 

 When he saw his house he ran inside after thanking Gus for the ride.  His Dad had just called the police when Bobby burst in making his mom jump. Instead of yells or screams, his parents and sister ran over and gave him hugs as a team.   They hugged and kissed and no one was missed, including his teddy bear Jack and even the fish.  He was quite happy you see, to be a young Pea, for he knew despite all odds he could always come home to his pod.