August 3, 2013

When I walk Nathaniel and Ilan to camp, Ilan gets to sit in the orange stroller while Nathaniel has to walk. Nathaniel likes me to tell him a story as we walk to pass the time, and so that he won’t think about how tired he gets by walking.

All stories are about some combination of sheep, fish, trains, busses and/or airplanes. Sometimes he’ll want a car, too.  Cars, trains and busses are always big, and they’re always fast.

Yesterday, Nathaniel asked me to tell him a story involving a fish, a sheep, a bus and a train. It went like this:

Papa: There was a fish in a fish tank on a bus. The fish was going to see its mother, who lived far away in the ocean. But the bus broke and the fish wondered how he would get to the ocean. There was no one around, but there was a big farm and a very friendly sheep came up to the bus and offered to (pull the bus to the nearest train station)…

Nathaniel: …and the bus was right by the train station…What was wrong with the bus, papa?

Papa: It was broken.

Nathaniel: So the engine wouldn’t make any sound?

Papa: Right. The engine wouldn’t make any sound and the wheels wouldn’t turn so the bus couldn’t go anywhere.

Nathaniel: Oh.

Papa: So the very nice sheep got on the bus and talked to the fish and the fish said that he needed to get onto the train so that he could travel to the ocean to visit his mother. So the nice sheep picked up the fish in his fish tank and took him off of the bus and onto the train.  Nathaniel, was it a big train or a little train?

Nathaniel: It was a BIG train!

Papa: Was it a slow train or a fast train?

Nathaniel: It was a FAST train!

Papa: So they got on the train and the train started going.  What sound did the train make, Natushkin?

Nathaniel: Chuga chuga choo choo! Papa I’m so tired!  This hill is too heavy.

Papa: Nathaniel, we’re almost to school.  You’re doing very well, we’ve almost made it. Chuga chuga!  (over and over, faster and faster). So the train travelled really fast and really far.  At night they slept on the train.

Nathaniel: The train had a bed…

Papa: It had a very comfortable bed and the sheep slept in it, and the fish slept in his fish tank. They had to travel so very far. They traveled through the night and into the next day, and they traveled through another night and the sheep slept in his bed on the train. Then, the next day, the train arrived at the ocean.

Nathaniel: And the fish got off the bus.

Papa: And the sheep picked up the fish tank and took the fish to the ocean and the fish jumped in the ocean and saw him mama. His mama gave him a big hug! And that’s the end of the story.

Nathaniel: That story is so long. You have to finish the story.

Papa: That is the end of the story.

Nathaniel: No, papa, you have to finish it.

Papa: Okay, so the nice sheep said goodbye to the fish and got back on the bus and traveled soo far, over two nights, back to the train station near the farm where his friends and family lived. He got off the train and walked back to the farm and saw everyone and they were so happy that he was back home.  Nathaniel, we’re at school now. See, you made it!  

Ilan, mom and Nathaniel near Strasburg, PA. Memorial Day weekend 2013.