A Subtle Mark in Snicketts History

Then Rose got it. Five out of eleven. Down. Chalk scratching out check marks, one name at a time. But, by the early afternoon Bær was fine. Tired. But it hadn’t been “so bad”, was his verdict. Plus, Rose got another much-needed unexpected day off, hanging out at the Big House, pampered by Mom and Carrie-Bri no doubt, and ordering a high quality Cardinal-red winter parka.

I took Puck with me to the library and bank in the morning. It’s always fun to watch his chubby toothless grin in the rearview mirror. One of his front teeth is in now. I sort of hope the other one doesn’t grow in for awhile.

“Can you just stay six forever?” I asked him, as we turned into the neighborhood.

He just grinned, like he knew he was some pretty cute stuff. Chubby dimples. “If time travel had been invented yet, I could … But then I wouldn’t get any more birthday presents.”

Case closed.

I took him to the park. An hour and a half of fresh air and sunshine, and new friends. While they prepared to dig into the rock collection of fossils and crystals in the gulley under rolls of wheat-y hills, Puck counseled them into preparing their birthday lists for the year. Twenty minutes later he was explaining Christianity to them. I just hoped there was no unintentional blasphemy.

“EXCUSE ME! DID YOU KNOW THAT THERE WERE PEOPLE CALLED PHARISEES IN THE BIBLE WHO TRIED TO MAKE PEOPLE BE LIKE THEM, BUT THEY WERE BAD? I’M NOT GOING TO BE LIKE THAT BECAUSE I DON’T WANT TO BECOME A PHARISEE! I WANT TO BECOME A SCIENTIST!”

This water cooler chit-chat morphed into favorite colors. Like “golden” and “violet”, but “not pink”.

Word on the street came in that afternoon – the old Green Slug had finally gone to its rest. When Puck saw Rose’s video of the towing, he waxed melancholic. “Just try to remember all the good times we had … Well, we all have to let go of something. It doesn’t last forever. It won’t go to Heaven.”