Summer Bird Stories

Family-Friendly Short Stories, Cartoons, and Illustrations

Novel Problems

“Mama, I did it,” Micah said. He closed the door and dropped a pile of papers onto the kitchen table. “I finished my latest novel.   I brought you a copy.”

His mother came over and gave him a hug. “Micah, I am so proud of you! That was a lot of work.   I’ll start reading it tonight, and we can talk about it next week. Let me put it out of the way so that nothing will spill on it during dinner.”

A week later, Micah’s mother greeted him with a hug.   Then she narrowed her eyes.   “Micah, why did you give that awful character my name?”

“Mama, she’s a strong woman. I thought you’d be flattered,” Micah said.

“She’s always drinking, and it ruined her marriage.   I’ve never even tasted alcohol.”   Micah’s mother waved a finger at him.   “And take off your coat. You can’t eat dinner with your coat on.”

Micah began to unbutton his coat. “She raised her children on her own and they went on to do great things. And I said she was pretty. Just like you.”

Micah’s mother rolled her eyes. “She burned her own house down.”

Micah put his coat on the back of a chair and gave his mother another hug. “Mama, don’t be like that. She didn’t do it on purpose. And it doesn’t really matter. No one is going to publish it anyways. It will come right back. They always do.” He sighed.

“Oh Micah, someday you will write a bestseller, and everyone will want to read it.” She patted his back and smiled. “It just better not be that one. Now go hang up your coat in the closet, and I’ll start putting dinner on the table.”

“I love you, mama.” Micah picked up his coat.

“I love you too, Micah.”

A year later, the novel had not only been published, it was doing remarkably well. Which was occasionally unfortunate. Micah came late to family dinner one week after an interview went longer than expected.

“I’m here, mama. I brought you flowers,” Micah said.

“I made noodle soup,” his mother said, “and it’s cold.”

“I’m sorry,” Micah said. “Shall I put the flowers in a vase?”

“I’ll do it. Thank you, Micah. Take off your coat.” Micah’s mother took a vase from the cupboard and started filling it with water.

Micah took his coat off and put it on the back of a chair. “How did your week go?”

“I had another friend ask me about my drinking problem, Micah.” She put the flowers in the vase and set them in the middle of the table. “She asked how many years I’d been sober.”

“At least she doesn’t think you’re still drinking, right?” Micah laughed a little, nervous laugh.

“Micah! I’ve never even tasted alcohol. And hang your coat up in the closet.” Micah’s mother turned the stove back on.   “I’ll heat up the soup.”

“Just tell them it’s fiction, and it has nothing to do with you,” Micah said. He picked up his coat.

“It doesn’t matter. They don’t believe me.”   She smiled. “It’s all right Micah.   I’m proud of you and how successful you are. I always knew you’d do well.”

“I love you, mama,” Micah said.

“I love you too, Micah.”

Five years later, Micah had published two more novels.   He started another round of interviews.   The latest one was running a little long.

“Last question,” the interviewer said. “I read your first novel and it’s stunning.   What was it like growing up with an alcoholic mother?”

Micah laughed. “It’s fiction. It’s not about me. My mother has never even tasted alcohol. She’s a wonderful mother. I love her, and she loves me.”

“Then why did you name the character after your mother?” The interviewer asked.

“Because my mother has a beautiful name,” Micah said.

Cat Problems

Mrs. Jones nearly tripped over the cat again. She clutched at the counter to stop her fall.   “Frank,” she said loudly, “We need to talk about the cat.”

There was a creak from the other room as Frank stood up.   He shuffled into the room. “I thought you loved the cat, Mary?”

Mary Jones huffed and poured a glass of lemonade for her husband. She set it down at his place on the table. “Sit,” she said. “This isn’t about whether or not I like the cat. It has problems. We need to take it in to get it looked at.”

Frank sat. “But it has a lifetime guarantee and we’ve only had it for two months.” He gulped his lemonade.

Mary poured herself some lemonade and sat down in her chair. She stood up, moved the cat, and sat down again. “I love the idea of a lifelike robot cat. I’ve always wanted a cat, but my allergies prevented it. It was a very thoughtful gift.”

Frank smiled. “I’m glad you like it. I knew you would. Can I have some more lemonade?”

Mary rolled her eyes and got up to get him another glass.   She handed it to him and sat down again. “I like the idea of the cat.   The cat itself has problems. It keeps chewing on the bars of soap in the bathroom.”

“So those were bite marks! I thought they were, but they were too small to be your teeth marks,” Frank said. “Your jaw is a little bigger than that.”

“You thought I was eating soap?” Mary asked.   “And you didn’t say anything?”

“Well, I knew it wasn’t me. And I was pretty sure it wasn’t you, jaw size and all, so I thought I was mistaken. I didn’t think about the cat. Pretty funny, right?” Frank laughed.

“Frank, the cat shouldn’t be chewing on the soap at all.   It will mess up its insides,” Mary said.

“You’re probably right. I’ll go look that up in the user manual, and we’ll see if we need to take it in. I’m glad we had this talk,” Frank said. He started to stand up.

“Wait, that’s not all,” Mary said, holding up a hand.   Frank sat down again. “It keeps hiding under the dirty clothes. When I walk past the basket, it jumps out and the laundry goes all over the place.”

Frank laughed again. “That’s great! I need to see this. Where is the cat now?” He looked around. “Here, kitty kitty.”

They waited a moment. Nothing happened. “Is it supposed to come when you call?” Mary asked. “I don’t think that real cats do.”

“Of course they do. I had a cat growing up that would show up whenever we started opening a can, just in case it was something for her to eat,” Frank said.

“That’s not calling her at all,” Mary said.

“Same idea,” Frank said. “Maybe you should unwrap another bar of soap.”

Mary laughed. “Be serious Frank, I bruised my elbow when I jumped back the last time the cat exploded out of the laundry. It’s not safe. Besides, what if it shut down for sleep and I accidentally put it in the washing machine?”

“That would void the warranty,” Frank said. He looked a little worried. “Make sure to check the washing machine before you use it. And the dishwasher too. And maybe the bathtubs and sinks.”

“I think sometimes it’s trying to trip me,” Mary said.   “I know it sounds a little paranoid, but it just happens so often that it appears where I’m not expecting it, just in front of my feet.”

“Maybe it’s lonely and you need to cuddle it more,” Frank said. Just then, the cat ran through the room, dragging a blue silk necktie. “That’s my new tie!” Frank frowned. “Maybe there is something wrong with that cat.”

“It’s been eyeing your baseball card collection,” Mary said. “I’ve had to chase it out of your study and shut the door several times.”

“My baseball cards?” Frank scowled. “That’s it.   I’m taking the cat in tomorrow to get it fixed.”

“I think that’s a good idea,” Mary said. “Would you like some more lemonade?” Frank handed her his glass. She got up and nearly tripped over the cat again, catching herself on the table with her elbow. The cat ran off again. Mary sighed.

 

Preparing for Emergencies

Jacob looked around. Where did mom go? She’d been right here with her shopping cart, but now the aisle was empty. He ran around the corner. She wasn’t there either. This was bad.

No panicking. He’s a big boy now. He’ll just look in the other aisles. Walking slowly, and then a little more quickly, he checked the other aisles.   She wasn’t there. She wouldn’t go home without him, would she?

Of course not. So, she was probably looking for him too. Right. He needed to sit still so she could find him. Should he find a grown up and ask for help? Maybe not yet. She’d find him soon.

So, he needed to sit and wait. He should gather supplies, in case there was an emergency.   What should he find first? Water was important, but there was a water fountain by the restrooms.

Food? That was important. If he set up a base in the bakery, there would be lots of food in case aliens came or dinosaurs came back to life or a volcano erupted in the parking lot or something.

Maybe he should find a first aid kit. Dinosaurs had sharp teeth and claws. He wandered around and found them next to the shampoo. He tucked it under his arm and kept walking.

What if a blizzard came and it got extra cold? He needed a blanket. He wandered through the aisles and found a nice looking tablecloth. That would work. He had to stand on the first aid kit to reach it, but soon he was tucking it under his other arm.

Was there anything else? Oh, without any fruits or vegetables, he might get scurvy. He needed some oranges. He went back to the produce section. But his arms were to full to pick up the oranges. He went back to the bakery and hid the tablecloth and first aid kit under a table.

The bag of oranges was a little heavy. He was happy to finally hide it under the table with the other things. He paused to admire the stash. This was going pretty well. So what did he need next?

What if there was a terrible storm? The lights might go out. He found a flashlight next to the laundry soap. That made no sense. He picked up an umbrella too just in case a hole opened up in the roof during the storm and the rain came in.

Was he ready now? What if he got sick? He couldn’t take medicine without mom here. That was a safety rule. But sometimes when he was sick, his mom gave him crackers and ginger ale.

Finding crackers was easy. They were next to the cookies. Did he need cookies too? No, his base was next to the doughnuts. But maybe he’d need a toothbrush after eating all that sugar?

He took the crackers with him back to the shampoo aisle. The toothbrushes were right across the aisle. He picked a puppy toothbrush and some toothpaste covered in stars. He stacked them on the cracker box and felt a little accomplished when he managed to balance all three on his way back to his base.

He needed to go back for the ginger ale. That was on the candy and juice aisle. Chocolate was good for emergencies right? His mom said so and mom knew best. He picked up three bars of chocolate and found a bottle of ginger ale.

Wow, the bottle was heavy. He left the chocolate on the floor. He’d come back for it. He shoved it to the side and hugged the bottle close and waddled over to his table in the bakery.

Jacob went back for the chocolate bars and then looked at his base under the table in the bakery. It would need some rearranging, but it was almost perfect. He’d need something to do if he was hiding from dinosaurs or aliens or stuck in the dark with a flashlight.

It was time to look at the toys that were over by the greeting cards. He’d always wanted to look at them more closely anyway. He rushed over and tried to decide which toys would be best in the case of volcanoes, tornados, blizzards, and dinosaurs.

That’s when mom found him. “Jacob! I was so worried. I’ve been looking for you all over the store.” Mom hugged him tight. It was nice for a moment, and then he squirmed free.

“I looked for you all over, too,” Jacob said.

“You were supposed to stay in one spot or ask for help,” mom said.

“I was going to do that, after I got a base all ready,” Jacob said.

Mom smiled. “Of course you were. Let’s go Jacob.”
Jacob tangled his fingers into the side of the cart and walked alongside it to the checkout stands. It was good not to be lost, but it’s too bad he never got a chance to hide in his base for even a little bit. Oh well.   It would be here the next time he got lost. Or aliens and dinosaurs attacked. Or lightning exploded the parking lot. Or something.

Vegetable Ghosts

Alice’s mom had been working out with exercise tapes and walking a lot more since the new year started. Every day she stepped on the scale in the bathroom and frowned.   “What’s wrong?” Alice asked one day.

“It’s not working. I’m working out six days a week and nothing’s changed,” mom said.

“It’s because of the vegetable ghosts,” Alice said.

“What do you mean?” Mom asked.

“In class we learned that unhealthy food doesn’t have all the right nutrients,” Alice said.

“That’s right,” Mom said. “There are a lot more vitamins and enzymes and antioxidants and such in vegetables.”

“I know what vitamins are,” Alice said. “What’s that other stuff?”

“I couldn’t tell you exactly. Maybe we should look it up later. Tell me more about vegetable ghosts,” Mom said. “Did you learn about them in school?”

“Of course not,” Alice said. “Teachers don’t know about ghosts.”

“Of course not,” Mom said. “I don’t think I know about ghosts either.”

Alice sighed. “That’s because you don’t pay attention. Vegetables like to help people. After they die, they leave vitamins and stuff behind to make people healthy.”

“I guess that’s true,” Mom said.

“Here, let me draw you a picture,” Alice said. She went up the stairs to her room, and then dashed back down, skipping every other step. She sat down at the kitchen table and drew two tall triangle carrots and then a cupcake shape.

“Now I need to color it,” she said. She colored one carrot orange and then she colored the cupcake.

“You forgot that carrot,” Mom said.

“That’s the ghost carrot,” Alice said.

“Of course,” Mom said.

Alice drew an arrow from the ghost carrot to the cupcake. “Vegetable ghosts hold onto unhealthy food and try to add nutrients,” Alice said. “If you eat the unhealthy food, they sit in your body holding a place for the vitamins that you were supposed to eat.”

“So if I eat a cupcake, I eat a carrot ghost too?” Mom asked, pointing to the drawing. “And the ghost doesn’t go away?”

“Unless you eat healthy food,” Alice said. “That’s why junk food makes people gain weight. It’s all the vegetable ghosts.”

“I thought ghosts don’t weigh anything,” Mom said.

“Vegetable ghosts do, if you eat them,” Alice said.   “I don’t think you can eat any other ghosts.”

“So, how do you get rid of the vegetable ghosts?” Mom asked. She picked up the picture and her finger traced the arrow from the carrot to the cupcake.

“The vegetable ghosts are just there saving a place for the vitamins,” Alice said. “I’ll draw a picture.” She drew two more carrots and colored on in. She drew an arrow from the colored carrot to the blank one.

Alice pointed to the colored carrot. “If you eat healthy food, you get the vitamins you need and the vegetable ghosts go away because you don’t need them any more.   Then they go find more unhealthy food to hold onto.”

“I suppose that makes sense,” Mom said. “But how do you know which vitamins you need?”

“If you eat lots of healthy food, eventually you’ll figure it out,” Alice said.

Mom stood up. “I think that sounds like a great plan. I’ll put your pictures on the fridge to remind me. Would you like a carrot?”

“Of course I would,” Alice said.

Charlie’s Room: The Marble

Isaac came in to check Charlie’s homework. “You did really well, Charlie,” he said. “I think you just need to look at this one again and you’ll be done.”

“Thanks Dad,” Charlie said. He took the paper back. “Which one?   Oh. Right. I knew that.” He fixed the problem.

“Great job.” Isaac smiled. “Now go put it in your bag, and then please help your mom set the table.”

Charlie started stacking up his papers. A marble rolled to the center of the desk. It was pretty, clear on the outside and blue and white and green in the middle. “Where did that come from?” Isaac asked.

“The marble? I found it on my way home,” Charlie said.

Isaac picked it up. “It’s a nice one. Have you ever played marbles?”

“No.” Charlie put the papers in his backpack. “Do you want it? I don’t need it.”

“Thank you, Charlie.” Isaac smiled. He’d raised such a nice boy.   It was probably mostly Marianne’s influence. But maybe he’d helped a bit too.   He hoped so.

“After I set the table can I play a game on the computer?” Charlie asked.

“Of course you can,” Isaac said.

Charlie rushed out of the room. Isaac looked at his new marble. “Hello?” said a soft, high-pitched voice. Was it coming from the marble?

“Are you a who?” Isaac asked. He looked at the marble closely, trying to see their tiny civilization. Was there a speck? How would it cling to the side of a marble? Maybe it was inside the marble. But how would he hear it?

“A what? Stop turning me around.   I’m starting to feel sick,” the voice said.

“Oh sorry,” Isaac said. “How many of you are there?”

“I don’t feel comfortable telling you that, tall person,” the voice said.   “But I do need your help.”

“How can I help?” Isaac asked.

“I’ve been separated from my family. We weren’t planning on staying long on your planet, and I’m not sure how much longer this environmental suit will last.”

Isaac looked at the marble. It was an environmental suit? Was the white and blue and green center an alien? “You need me to get you back to your ship,” Isaac said.

“That’s right. We landed in a hole next to a rock,” the voice said. “It was by an area with tall grass.”

“How big was the hole? How big was the rock?”

“Bigger than me,” the voice said.

This was going to be difficult. He needed more information. He went into the kitchen. The table was already set. Marianne was stirring something on the stove. “Is that lentil soup?” He leaned in. “Smells great!”

Marianne smiled. “Thanks.   It’ll be ready soon.”

Isaac gave her a hug and a kiss on the cheek and left to find Charlie.   Charlie was in the living room on the computer. It looked like he was playing that game where everything was built out of blocks.   “Look out for that spider,” he said.   The spiders in the game were big and a little scary.

“They don’t do anything in the daytime,” Charlie said. That sounded a little ominous.

“Where did you find the marble, Charlie?” Isaac asked.

“It was in the gutter two houses away. On this side of the street,” Charlie said.

“Thank you,” Isaac said.

He went outside and started walking towards Charlie’s school. Two houses away, he held out the marble. “Does this look familiar?” he asked. “Which direction did you travel?”

“It doesn’t look the same from this high up,” the voice said. “Could you take me closer to the tall grass?”

Isaac crouched next to the lawn. The marble directed him right, left, left, right, right, left, forward. Eventually they found a small pebble next to a fist-sized hole. “That’s it!” the voice said.

Just then, the neighbor drove up. He got out of his car. “What are you doing?” he asked.

Isaac dropped the marble down the hole. “I dropped something,” he said.

“What did you drop? Do you need any help?” the man asked.

“No, I’ve got it,” Isaac said. “Thanks.”

“No problem,” the man said. He went inside. Isaac sat back. A few minutes later, a little metal disk the size of a tuna can floated out of the hole and hovered a few inches above the grass. Then it shot into the air, up up up.

“Safe travels,” Isaac said softly. Then he went home.

A Strange Family

Shawn opened his lunch bag and took out a sandwich and an apple. “Thank goodness,” he said.

Mandy was sitting across from him. “Is there not a lot of food at your house?” she asked.

“No, my foster brother is a goat and sometimes I get his lunch,” Shawn said.   He bit into his sandwich and smiled.   “This is really good.”

Mandy stared, her spoon frozen in the air. The pudding fell off and back into the container. Mandy put her spoon down. “A goat? Where does he sleep? What does he eat?”

Shawn finished chewing. He was already halfway through his sandwich. “Yeah, a goat. He has a big pile of straw in the corner of his room. He likes hay. Mom sends him to his school with a big lunch bag full of hay. Except when he gets my lunch.”

“Does that happen often?” Mandy asked.

Shawn sighed. “At least twice a week. George doesn’t mind. He just eats my lunch. But I don’t have the right kind of stomach for hay.”

“How do they get mixed up?” Mandy asked. “You have your name on your bag.”

“I think it’s Arnold. He’s my other foster brother. He’s a monkey and he’s always doing stuff like that.” Shawn scowled, then took another bite of his sandwich. He smiled again.

“A monkey?”

“Yeah. He has a sleeping shelf and he makes a nest on it out of straw and leaves and stuff. He likes salads. They both like to destroy my homework.” Shawn finished his sandwich and started eating his apple.

Mandy started unpacking her lunch. “Why do they do that?”

Shawn shrugged. “I think George just likes to chew on things. The teacher wouldn’t believe my brother ate my homework until mom sent a note.   I still had to redo it. He chews on my clothes if I don’t hide my laundry basket. He got in my room once and chewed up my teddy bear.”

Mandy gasped. “That’s terrible!”

“I know. Mom said that it’s not easy when you get new brothers, but that I need to be understanding, because it’s hard for them, too.” Shawn finished his apple and opened his lunch bag again.

Mandy unwrapped her sandwich and took a bite. “What did the monkey do to your homework?”

“Arnold?” Shawn started unwrapping a granola bar. “He ripped it in shreds and put it in the toaster. It started on fire. He’s not so bad though. He likes to brush my hair. It’s really relaxing.”

“Hmmmm.” Mandy ate some more of her sandwich. “Where do they go to school?”

“They take classes at the zoo. They don’t get any homework. It must be nice.” Shawn was looking through his lunch bag again. He’d already finished the granola bar.

Mandy ate another bite of her sandwich and then put it down with a frown.   “Why don’t they live at the zoo?”

Shawn brushed the cookie crumbs off his shirt. “No room. It’s okay though. I always wanted brothers.”

Mandy picked up her sandwich again. “So how long will they stay with your family?”

“Probably two years, until the zoo finishes its expansion. Mom says that we can still visit when they go.” Shawn tipped his bag upside down, but it was empty.   He sighed and started stuffing his trash inside.

“Here, have my pudding. I won’t eat it,” Mandy said.

Shawn grinned and took the pudding and plastic spoon. “Really? That’s awesome. Maybe I should have wished for sisters. You don’t chew holes in things or throw food at people for fun, right?”

Mandy laughed. “No, of course not! Do you?”

Shawn scraped the inside of the pudding up with his spoon and then reluctantly set it aside. “Well, no, but mom says I eat too fast.”

Mandy ate another bite of her sandwich. “I suppose we all have our good points and bad points.”

Shawn smiled and put the pudding cup and spoon into his bag. He stood up. “You’re probably right. Thanks Mandy. I’ll see you in class!”