Gossamer Wings
She was a fanciful thing, flitting around the room like she owned it ... 'Yes indeed', she thought to herself. I know exactly what I want to do with this colour, my god who thought peach and puce would be a combination. Intolerable really! She wouldn't stand it another minute and started screaming and screaming. Nurse came running and so did brother and sister. No matter what they did, nothing worked. The screaming simply got louder. Then everyone except baby turned their heads to the sound of clomp, clomp, clomp which meant only one thing. Daddy was coming and when daddy came it meant big trouble. Daddy was big and busy and he didn't like being disturbed. Big busy daddy riled up was a sight to see. Oh my. The door to the nursery opened with a crack and a bang and the clomp, clomp, clomp was so loud across the floor that I held my ears and the wind was so strong from daddy going past me that I jostled and the tip of my scarf found its way into my eye. Through my closed eyes I heard and through my finger plugged ears I saw an angry daddy and an angry baby go by in a huff and a puff and I was jostled once more. Clomp, clomp, clomp went daddy's shoes on the floor and the stairs and out onto the patio. We all ran to the windows facing the garden. Daddy held screaming baby in his outstretched arms. Baby's gossamer fairy wings all akimbo. Baby was getting the one last chance to stop her baby business before a full body dunking in the fishpond. I heard the screaming and the dunk gurgle, gurgle ... splutter, splutter, scream screaming, SCREAMING, ... louder, Louder LOUDER. We all ducked as the windowpanes shattered and glass started dripping and falling and flying all around. After some quiet, we peeked our heads up over the sill to see what was happening and were surprised to see baby sitting on the lounge chair by the pool and daddy writhing on the ground his hands on his ears. We all looked at each other. Nurse got up and straightened her clothes and dusted herself off and marched down to collect baby. Nurse walked most resolutely past daddy who had fallen asleep by this time, and picked up baby with her gossamer wings all shining in the sun after the dip. Baby came back into the nursery cooing and gurgling and her little wings flitting. Nurse let her go and she started flitting about the room.
Daddy was not quite the same since that day. He never clomped again and he always took a post noontime nap. To shake out the cobwebs was how he put it. Baby somehow communicated to nurse that she wanted her room repainted and that was accomplished, the two of them working side by side. Baby doing all the delicate filigree work out of nurse's reach. My it has been a long time since. I don't recollect much of my childhood but that day certainly stands out. Now where is my tobacco, a nice pipe full would hit the spot right about now.

Howard Beye 2013