grandma's chuckles - Stuck in the Mud!

One day several years ago when the boys were at my house we were enjoying a fun story . . . which went like this . . . 

Once upon a time there was a little monster with lots of blue hair and brown eyes. One day this monster went out to play after a rainstorm. As the monster ran around the yard it became stuck in the mud!!! The monster tried to get out of the mud, but it was stuck, stuck, stuck! The monster began to call for help; "Help! Help! Help!", but nobody heard him. The monster began to feel afraid and called louder; "HELP! HELP! HELP!", but still nobody heard. The monster was stuck, stuck, stuck and very, very, very afraid. It was sure it would not only be stuck forever, but it would sink through the mud all the way to China!!!!

This is where Josiah interrupted and said, "It could not really sink all the way to China because there is hot lava in the middle of the earth, so the monster can not sink through to the other side. It would actually burn up in the lava!" I love the intelligence of an almost six-year old!!!! I'm not sure the monster in our story would feel less afraid if it knew it would not sink all the way to China, but instead would actually burn up in the lava first, but, I told Josiah the monster did not know this and went on with the story!

The monster was afraid and crying, but it's monster tears made more mud, so it became even more stuck, so he said; "I'm stuck, stuck, stuck and will sink all the way to China! I want to go home and see my daddy!!!" All of a sudden a two boys named Caleb and Shane walked up and saw the monster was stuck in the mud. They picked up a stick and said, "We'll help you; grab this stick!" The monster grabbed the stick and held tight while Caleb and Shane pulled and pulled and pulled; but the stick broke and the monster sunk deeper into the mud. The monster cried and said; "I'm stuck, stuck, stuck and I'm sinking all the way to China! I want to go home!"

Josiah, once again, said the monster could not sink all the way to China, because there is lava in the middle of the earth. I told him the monster did not know this and went on with the story.

Just then another boy named Josiah walked up and saw Caleb and Shane trying to help the monster out of the mud. Josiah, Caleb and Shane tossed the monster a rope and they began to pull and pull and pull. The rope broke and the monster was even more stuck! The monster cried and said; "I'm stuck, stuck, stuck and I'm sinking all the way to China! I want to go home!" Josiah looked at the monster and noticed something important; the monster was wearing boots! Josiah asked the monster if it could take it's boots off, but the monster said they were new boots and the best boots ever for splashing in puddles! Josiah said if the monster took the boots off, he, Caleb, and Shane would be able to pull it from the mud . . . or it could keep the boots on and be stuck in the mud . . . and sink all the way to China! The monster unfastened its boots and Josiah, Caleb and Shane put a board over the mud. Josiah walked on the board and grabbed the monster, then Caleb grabbed Josiah, and and Shane grabbed Caleb. All three boys pulled and pulled and pulled the monster until it was no longer stuck! Then Josiah walked back on the board and pulled out the boots which he gave to the monster! The monster was so happy!

Josiah laughed and said, "Of course the monster could not have sunk all the way to China since there is lava in the middle of the earth!" I told him he was right, but this story was partly true, too because when I was very little, I got stuck in the mud in my yard. I called for help, but nobody heard me! I cried and cried, because I was sure I would be stuck forever and sink all the way to China . . . until a neighbor saw me and pulled me out of the mud. To which Josiah said; "Apparently you did not know there is lava in the middle of the Earth!"

He was right and I've been laughing about it for ten years, and still laugh about it today!

What kind of stories do you make up with your grandchildren? Since my grandchildren are boys, we always had monsters or aliens or robots in our stories! This one will probably end up as a storybook, so, stay tuned . . .