by Kenneth M. Kapp<\/p>\n
Freddy ran in the front door laughing and screaming at the same time. In hot pursuit was a ragamuffin of a little boy with curly black hair matted around his head. It was so dark and shiny that you noticed little else. Curly hair caught Freddy at the bottom of the stairs to the bedrooms. \u201cGot you!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mrs. G by that time had reached the side of the stairs. She yelled, \u201cAnd I got you,\u201d as she reached out for the boy\u2019s shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNope.\u201d<\/p>\n
And both boys bound up the stairs.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Before they could get to the landing, she yelled, \u201cFreddie, you get down here this instant and bring your friend with you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cMom\u2026\u201d Freddie tried pleading, \u201cBut Mom\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo buts. You heard me the first time.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Freddie\u2019s friend whispered in his ear, \u201cI didn\u2019t hear any second time. Should we tell her?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Freddy, not wishing to go without supper, replied, \u201cOK, Mom, we\u2019re coming down.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mrs. G turned around and marched back into the kitchen, calling over her shoulder, \u201cKitchen!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cDanky, remember what I said. We need to eat supper somewhere and my mom\u2019s a great cook!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mrs. G was at the stove, stirring two pots at once.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Danky licked his lips, his eyes wandering up and to the right, desperately trying to figure out how he could wrangle a dinner invitation. He elbowed Freddie and raised an eyebrow.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Freddie shoved back with his hips and put a finger on his lips.<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cFreddie, are you going to introduce me to your friend and explain why you couldn\u2019t say hello and were rushing upstairs like wild\u2026\u201d she struggled for a correct word, \u201clike wild men from Borneo?\u201d And then taking in his friend\u2019s dark matted hair, added, \u201cFrom wherever.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cYeh, Mom. I\u2019m sorry. This is Danky; he\u2019s from Brazil. They live a couple of blocks from here. We just wanted to look at some maps on the computer. We\u2019ve a great idea about exploring for gold. Danky\u2019s grandparents live in the Amazon and sent him some amazing rocks. He, Danky, says it\u2019s gold and he knows, well his grandparents, anyhow, know where to get more. We\u2019re\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSlow down, Freddie, you\u2019re tripping over your own words.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBut Mom.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cHello, Danky. I\u2019m always happy to meet Freddie\u2019s friends. How are you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m fine, Mrs. Gartner. I\u2019m always happy to meet Freddie\u2019s mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mrs. G turned back to the pots simmering on the stove. It almost sounds as if he thinks Freddie has a couple of mothers. Maybe in the Amazon. <\/em>She turned off the flames. \u201cYou both look like you can use a glass of juice or water. Did you run here from the playground?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cNo, we were playing at Danky\u2019s when a package came from Brazil. It had these great nuggets inside for Danky. That\u2019s why we ran here. Dad knows these things. He\u2019s always going on about sedimentary rocks and those others. Bragging what a great collection of stones he had when he was a kid. We were going to consult with him.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Danky swallowed. \u201cThat\u2019s why we ran over here.\u201d He swallowed again. \u201cMaybe I can have a little juice, if you wouldn\u2019t mind, Mrs. Gartner.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mrs. G smiled. \u201cHow about some orange juice. Drink it slowly; I wouldn\u2019t want you to get a stomachache so close to supper.\u201d When she returned with the juice she looked at her son and winked. \u201cI know, Danky, why don\u2019t you stay for supper. Mr. G knows all about rocks and stones. He studied them in college but then decided to become an accountant. If you have those stones with you, he can look at them after supper. Not before. He needs to relax and have a beer. Otherwise, he can be grouchy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Danky and Freddie exchanged looks.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Freddie almost got up to dance. \u201cThat would be great, Mom. We were hoping to ask. Danky said he\u2026Danky can call his mother and ask. I sure hope it will be OK, right, Danky?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mrs. G looked at the clock. \u201cWhy how time flies! Mr. G will be home in twenty minutes. Why don\u2019t you boys go up and wash? Danky, you can call home from the phone in the upstairs hall. Then, if you can stay, come down and both of you can help set the table and make a salad. Mr. G likes salads, says it keeps him healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Danky was able to stay, and the boys behaved throughout the meal, even helping to clear and rinse the dishes after dessert.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. G declined seconds and said he\u2019d finish reading the paper in the den. \u201cGlad to meet you, Danky. Hope you like it here in the States.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m glad you like dinner, Sweety. The boys helped make the salad. You know, Danky got a special package today from his grandfather in Brazil. It had a couple of rocks the boys would like to show you if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cBe delighted. Rocks certainly are more cheerful than the news in the paper nowadays. Why don\u2019t you bring them into the den; I\u2019ll get my kit out and a couple of reference books. Boot up the laptop. Nowadays, you can find most anything on the net. No rush.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The boys ran upstairs to Freddie\u2019s bedroom and grabbed the small box with the rocks from his dresser. Freddie was \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 babbling, \u201cWhat\u2019d I tell you; what\u2019d I tell you. My dad knows everything about rocks.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Danky blushed. \u201cI don\u2019t know. Sometimes my granddad likes to play jokes.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The boys brought the package over to Mr. G\u2019s desk where he had spread a white piece of heavy paper. A magnifying glass and a couple of metal picks like dental tools were to one side.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Mr. G picked up the larger of the rocks and carefully examined it holding a magnifying glass in one hand.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He picked up one of the tools. \u201cIs it OK if I poke some of those shiny inclusions, Danky?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSure, what are you trying to do?\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSee if they flake or crumble. Gold\u2019s soft like lead. It should indent if this is the real thing. We\u2019ll soon see.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The boys moved closer and watched as inclusions crumbled when they were scraped. \u201cSorry boys, this is fool\u2019s gold, iron pyrite. Freddie, why don\u2019t you get my sample box from the bookcase? I think I\u2019ve got a similar stone in there. You\u2019ll see it\u2019s labelled \u2018Fool\u2019s Gold.\u2019 We could compare and then I\u2019ll find it on the internet. Be good to read about it again, refresh my memory. Rocks are fascinating, you know. When I was a kid, I wanted to become an explorer, find diamonds and gold. It just didn\u2019t work out. But I found Mrs. G, so I got the diamond after all.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Fifteen minutes later they finished viewing a short YouTube video about iron pyrite.<\/p>\n Danky thanked Mr. G. \u201cWow, that was interesting! Maybe that\u2019s what I should study when I grow up. I kind of like rocks.\u201d Then he looked at the clock on the mantle. \u201cWow, it\u2019s gotten late. I really must get home while it\u2019s still light. Thank Mrs. G for a great supper and dessert.\u201d<\/p>\n Freddie swallowed. \u201cThanks, Dad. We were hoping it was really gold. We were going to become great explorers. But I guess not this time.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeh, Son. It may not seem fair but rich isn\u2019t everything. You boys want me to give you ride to Danky\u2019s home?\u201d<\/p>\n The boys looked at each other. Nodded.<\/p>\n Freddie answered, \u201cYes, Dad. That\u2019d be nice. I guess we\u2019re both a little bummed out. We had all these great plans, and it just doesn\u2019t seem fair.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Kenneth M. Kapp Freddy ran in the front door laughing and screaming at the same time. In hot pursuit was a ragamuffin of a little boy with curly black hair matted around his head. It was so dark and shiny that you noticed little else. Curly hair caught Freddy at the bottom of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1822,77],"tags":[1821,1123,1738],"class_list":["post-16044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-egophobia-87","category-english","tag-egophobia-87","tag-english","tag-kenneth-m-kapp"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6DakB-4aM","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16044","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=16044"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16044\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16045,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16044\/revisions\/16045"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=16044"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=16044"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/egophobia.ro\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=16044"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}