Just Imagine!

            by Jessie Moritz

 

            Alexander did not like doing chores.  Not one bit.  Sometimes he would even hide for hours to avoid doing them.

            “Can somebody mow the lawn?” his mother would ask, and Alexander would slip into the back of his closet and wait until his mother gave up searching for him.

            Instead of Alexander, his mother would have to ask Alexander’s brother, Benny, to mow the lawn.  Benny always volunteered to help mother and never complained.  Alexander thought he was crazy.  Why would Benny want to work when he could go and play ball in the park?

 

            One day, their mother asked, “Alexander, could you feed the cat please?”

            Chuckles the cat looked up expectantly from his little food dish and meowed loudly.

            “But I don’t want to feed the cat,” cried Alexander.  “I want to go and play in the sandpit with my friends.  I won’t feed him.  I won’t!”

            He ran away before his mother could catch him and went to play.

            “I’ll do it,” said Benny, petting Chuckles on the head and smiling.

 

            After a while, Alexander became tired of playing in the sand and came back inside.

            “Why didn’t you come and play with me?” Alexander demanded of Benny.  “It was boring without you.”

            “Oh, but I was on an adventure!” said Benny.  “The kitty food I gave Chuckles turned out to be magical, and Chuckles turned into an amazing lion with giant, feathery wings!  I jumped on his back and he flew me to the pyramids in Egypt and oh, Benny, they were so tall and wide!  We landed on the top of one of them and I could see so far all around.  And we explored the deep crypts where they buried their dead rulers.  It was very dark and cold inside the pyramids, and it smelled funny but it was so amazing!”

            “What about mummies?” asked Alexander, entranced.

            “Well!” said Benny, “one of them nearly captured me when I was climbing down the side of a pyramid, but Chuckles gave such a roar and scared it.  One of the ends of it’s wrapping came loose and Chuckles began to chase it like a ball of wool.  The mummy tried to fight but it started unraveling until it was just a bunch of old bandages lying in the sand.  Then the pharaoh came out of his palace and thanked me and Chuckles for getting rid of the mummy, and said we could come back and visit him anytime we wanted!”

            “Oh,” said Alexander.  “Hey, next time I want to feed Chuckles, okay?”

            “Okay,” said Benny, and they both went outside to play.

 

 

            A few days later, Alexander’s mother asked, “Alexander, could you help me wash the dishes?”

            “But I don’t want to wash the dishes,” cried Alexander.  “I want to go and swing on the playground.  I won’t wash them.  I won’t!”

            He ran away before his mother could catch him and went to play.

            “I’ll do it,” said Benny, reaching for the soapsuds.

 

            After a little while, Alexander became tired of swinging to and fro on the swing-set and came home.

            “Why didn’t you come home and play with me?” Alexander demanded of Benny.  “It was boring without you.”

            “Oh, but I was on another adventure!” said Benny.  “When I turned the tap on, the water made so many bubbles that soon they grew in mounds and heaps all around me.  Next thing I knew I was standing in the courtyard of an underwater bubble castle!  Lots and lots of bubbles made up the walls—like stones--and the whole thing was trapped inside one huge bubble.  Outside the big bubble I could see mermaids and sunken ships and turtles and sharks!”

            “Wow,” said Alexander.  “Did anybody live in the castle?”

            “Well there was a King, of course, and a Queen, and a royal jester.  I listened to the music playing in the grand hall for a little while, but then the little prince asked me to play hide and seek with him.  We started playing and the little prince was counting, but all of a sudden, a gigantic serpent peered around the edge of the gate and slithered inside the castle.  Everybody was terribly afraid and hid under the tables and behind the curtains, but the serpent wasn’t interested in them.  He coiled his long tail around the very tallest tower and climbed up to where the little prince was counting.  The king and queen screamed with horror, but the serpent didn’t attack the little prince.  Instead he just said, in a very hissy, serpent-like way, “I would like to play too, please.”

            “Hmm,” said Alexander.  “Hey, next time I want to do the dishes, okay?”

            “Okay,” said Benny, and they both went outside to play.

 

 

A few days later, Alexander’s mother asked, “Alexander and Benny, could you clean your room, please?”

            “But I don’t want to clean our room,” cried Alexander.  “I want to go paddling down in the creek.  I won’t clean it.  I won’t!”

            He ran away before his mother could catch him and went to play.

            “I’ll do it,” said Benny.

 

            After a little while, Alexander became curious about Benny’s next adventure and came back to help him clean their room.  Benny had a shirt tied around his head like a bandana and was brandishing a mop.

            “Avast ye scallywags!” he cried, advancing on a nearby chair with narrowed eyes.

            “Benny,” said Alexander, “I don’t see any pirates.”

            “Oh don’t ye?” cried Benny, flicking clothes expertly into a pile with the point of his mop.  “Then perhaps ye isn’t imaginin’ very well.  I ran into these cursed pirates when I found a treasure map in yonder desk.  Now we have to fight them for the treasure, and for the right to call ourselves buccaneers!”

            And suddenly, Alexander could see the pirates.  He could see their captain--a dark, fearsome pirate with a scar down the side of his cheek, and a squawking parrot on his shoulder.  He could see their pirate ship with the black skull and crossbones flag flapping over the water.  Behind him was a large coconut tree, with an ‘X’ slashed into it—that’s where the treasure would be buried!  He hurried to the tree and started digging furiously.

            “You kept the pirates busy,” Alexander called to Benny, “and I’ll dig for the treasure.”

            “Yarrrr,” agreed Benny.

            Soon the pirates were disposed of and the treasure was uncovered.  Alexander opened the chest cautiously and looked inside.

            “Lego,” said Alexander, dropping the lid back down.

            “Oh, no it isn’t!” said Benny.  “Can’t you see?  It’s blocks of solid gold and silver trinkets!  We’re rich!”

 

           

            A few days later, Alexander’s mother asked, “Alexander, could you mow the lawn, please?”

            “Sure!” cried Alexander.

            “Can I help?” asked Benny.

            “Certainly,” said their mother. “Just don’t forget to wear shoes.”

            “Oh, mom,” said Alexander, “racecar drivers never forget to wear shoes.”

            And Alexander and Benny hurried outside to the garden, which had become a winding racecar track, and readied themselves for the championship race.