A Fiction Story by Dr. Margaret Aranda
This is Day 6 of the October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge, which is something about a 6 year old. To catch more on this, please visit Jane Ann McLachlan. To start reading Articles from Age 1, Please Click Here: Age 1: Sitting on the Edge).________________________________________________________________________________________
Sheriff John was a Sheriff. He wore a shiny badge and shiny boots, and wore a brown cowboy hat with a Sherrifs golden buckle that covered up all his hair. I never saw his hair.
Every week on television in Los Angeles, California, he would sing, "Put another candle on my birthday cake", as a yummy carousel cake spun around and the camera went in for a close up. There were lions and tigers and bears on the carousel. Roar! They spun around and around, as if dancing in their own world, oblivious to the rest of us. They were only focused on going up and down, down and up, chasing one another around and around. They were magestic, each in its own way. Royal.
I was six. I closed my eyes really, really tight and I thought that if I closed them hard enough and "thought" extra hard, I could turn into one of these gorgeous animals. And so I did it.
I closed my eyes and I blinked just like that Genie in TV that has a cute little home in a bottle with red draperies and black bedsheets, golden tassles all about. I closed my brown eyes and I thought so hard that I expected to open my eyes and literally be in the body of a great lion. My eyes crinkled. At first, I could feel nothing. After a time, I could definitely feel my tail growing, and I thought. "It must be almost time to open my eyes."
I scrunched my eyes more now, as I wanted to make sure that nothing would be missing. I wanted to be sure as ever that my teeth would be long and sharp, and that my claws would glisten in the moonlight. "There has to be nothing better than glistening in the moonlight," I thought, momentarily forgetting that I was still a girl. My mouth cracked a gentle smile as again, my tail was starting to come out. I waited for it to grow fully, still crunching my eyes tightly.
Now I thought I was ready to open my eyes now, without getting it wrong. Certainly I was on the right track. Ever so painfully slowly, I opened my eyes. At first, they ached from squinting so hard in my fervent prayer. I saw the light of day as they opened, and there he was again! I glared closer, disbelief covering my entire body. Sheriff John was reading from a piece of paper.
"Wait!", I thought, "I'm not supposed to know what a piece of paper is!" My eyes began to blur as the first tears started forming. "I must not be a lion!" He wouldn't stop to care about my plight. "Linda, Joanne, Sarah, Tom, Edward, and Brian! Wishing you all a Happy Birthday!" said Sheriff John, happy as could be.
I was disappointed, hurt, and well, I was sad. I was shocked. "How come it didn't work?" "I can't believe it didn't work!" I was already six years old, the smartest one in my class, and I got Gold Stars on my tests! What did I do wrong?
I sunk in the living room sofa. I cried big tears of reality and disappointment. And I learned, as we all do, that I couldn't just change into a lion whenever I wanted to.
This is Day 6 of the October Memoir and Backstory Blog Challenge, which is something about a 6 year old. To catch more on this, please visit Jane Ann McLachlan. To start reading Articles from Age 1, Please Click Here: Age 1: Sitting on the Edge).________________________________________________________________________________________
Sheriff John was a Sheriff. He wore a shiny badge and shiny boots, and wore a brown cowboy hat with a Sherrifs golden buckle that covered up all his hair. I never saw his hair.
Every week on television in Los Angeles, California, he would sing, "Put another candle on my birthday cake", as a yummy carousel cake spun around and the camera went in for a close up. There were lions and tigers and bears on the carousel. Roar! They spun around and around, as if dancing in their own world, oblivious to the rest of us. They were only focused on going up and down, down and up, chasing one another around and around. They were magestic, each in its own way. Royal.
I was six. I closed my eyes really, really tight and I thought that if I closed them hard enough and "thought" extra hard, I could turn into one of these gorgeous animals. And so I did it.
I closed my eyes and I blinked just like that Genie in TV that has a cute little home in a bottle with red draperies and black bedsheets, golden tassles all about. I closed my brown eyes and I thought so hard that I expected to open my eyes and literally be in the body of a great lion. My eyes crinkled. At first, I could feel nothing. After a time, I could definitely feel my tail growing, and I thought. "It must be almost time to open my eyes."
I scrunched my eyes more now, as I wanted to make sure that nothing would be missing. I wanted to be sure as ever that my teeth would be long and sharp, and that my claws would glisten in the moonlight. "There has to be nothing better than glistening in the moonlight," I thought, momentarily forgetting that I was still a girl. My mouth cracked a gentle smile as again, my tail was starting to come out. I waited for it to grow fully, still crunching my eyes tightly.
Now I thought I was ready to open my eyes now, without getting it wrong. Certainly I was on the right track. Ever so painfully slowly, I opened my eyes. At first, they ached from squinting so hard in my fervent prayer. I saw the light of day as they opened, and there he was again! I glared closer, disbelief covering my entire body. Sheriff John was reading from a piece of paper.
"Wait!", I thought, "I'm not supposed to know what a piece of paper is!" My eyes began to blur as the first tears started forming. "I must not be a lion!" He wouldn't stop to care about my plight. "Linda, Joanne, Sarah, Tom, Edward, and Brian! Wishing you all a Happy Birthday!" said Sheriff John, happy as could be.
I was disappointed, hurt, and well, I was sad. I was shocked. "How come it didn't work?" "I can't believe it didn't work!" I was already six years old, the smartest one in my class, and I got Gold Stars on my tests! What did I do wrong?
I sunk in the living room sofa. I cried big tears of reality and disappointment. And I learned, as we all do, that I couldn't just change into a lion whenever I wanted to.
I kept it to myself until just now.
I'm only telling you because I know you won't tell anyone else.
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Dr. Margaret Aranda's Books:
Face Book Page: No More Tears: A Physician Turned Patient Inspires Recovery
No More Tears en Espanol
Face Book Page: Stepping from the Edge
Little Missy Two-Shoes Likes to go to School
Face Book Page: Little Missy Two-Shoes Likes a Ladybug
From Menarche to Menopause: A Journey through Time
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For Additional Memoirs by Dr. Margaret Aranda, Please Click Here:
Age 31: The Color Blue
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Additional Free Articles by Dr. Margaret Aranda
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Full Disclosure: Margaret A. Ferrante, M.D. is an Institute Physician with Cenegenics Medical Institute. She receives no monetary compensation for hosting this website you are on, which is independent and not affiliated with Cenegenics. The information presented is for education and awareness. Dr. Ferrante currently sees patients out of the Cenegenics office in Beverly Hills, CA.
To book an appointment for a free Consultation, please email her at: mferrante@cenegenics.com
Ohh Dr Margaret... There are times now when I wish I could turn myself into something, or someone, else.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you a secret - it NEVER works :(
But most of the time, I happy to be me.
I used to love to watch Captain Kangaroo - especially Tom Terrific and his Mighty Wonderdog, Manfred, lol
Yes, Captain Kangaroo was so good. I used to watch him for the weather, and wear a sweater if he told us to wear one! Also Hobo Kelly with those big sunglasses, yes ;-)?
ReplyDeleteThanks for the note, Susan...I'm giving away too many of my secrets here!
Lovely post! Really enjoyed that! I guess we can all relate to that childish hope of wishing so hard to be something else but always failing.
ReplyDeleteI used to pretend to be Robin Hood, inspired by the Robin of Sherwood TV series of the 80s....
...still do ;-)
Hi Neil, thank you for stopping by again! I'm so glad you liked this one...I thought we could all relate, and how wonderful that it sparked some of your own memories! I'm off to go to your blog!
DeleteYou put me so much inside your little girl imagination I fould myself expecting her to turn into a lion! I was as disappointed as she was when it didn't work. Loved the last line!
ReplyDeleteJane Ann
http://www.janeannmclachlan.com
Glad it kept you on the edge, Jane! She was so disappointed, too....and it was doubly so, because she was so sure that she could feel her tail start to grow! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDr Margaret Aranda
www.girlpowerinamm.blogspot.com
Ah... the imagination when we were kids. I wanted to be a lion too. After all, I was a Leo so being a lion was only proper. ;)
ReplyDeleteBeautiful story!
Yes, Anthony, lions are quite wonderful creatures. And only fitting, of course for you! Thanks for your kind comments.
DeleteDr Margaret Aranda
www.dysautonomiamd.blogspot.com
I like this. My imagination was more along the lines of teleportation, but I remember that feeling of surprise that it didn't work. I was still in the same room.
ReplyDeleteYes, Joy, that is exactly it! I could have let her become the lion, and I recognized the transition time when it could have gone this way or that. It was surprising and disappointing, crushing actually. I'm glad you get to make it go the other way in your writings. Your writings are quite fun.
DeleteDr Margaret Aranda
www.drmargaretaranda.blogspot.com