Little Spook

When I was four years old my brothers and sisters attended school. I was kind of lonely, but now I look back and think I should have been thankful for the reprieve from being aggravated by my brothers. Some days Mama would let me walk to the Wheeler’s house. She would watch me walk to the corner and turn down the street. I’m sure she placed a call to Mrs. Wheeler to make sure I got there okay. Cookies and milk would be waiting for me when I went inside the house. Mr. Wheeler would take me outside and let me play on the tractor. I would pretend I was on all kinds of adventures. After visiting for a while, I would walk back home.

• 

Mama was always busy. She made the best bread in the world, and she made a lot of it, six loaves at a time. I guess she made a batch at least once a week, sometimes more. Bread baking day was one of my favorites because sometimes Mama would make us fried bread before shaping her loaves. Mama kept the flour in an aluminum flour can. Whenever the lid was off, I would lick my finger, stick it in the flour and then lick it off. The can was just the right height for me to sit on or to use as a stool. One day Mama was making bread. She had mixed it up, beating the mixture with a slotted spoon that whipped air into the dough, scraped the dough onto the floured countertop and kneaded the dough for twelve minutes. After covering it with a towel to rise, she gathered up the freshly washed laundry and headed to the clothesline. 

• 

I peeked out the window and then looked at the flour can. The peanut butter was stored in the cabinet above the counter. I slid the flour can up against the cabinet and climbed aboard. I jumped up on the counter, opened the cabinet, retrieved the peanut butter and started my descent. Stretching out my toes, my foot found the top of the flour can, then the second foot. About that time the lid flipped. Swoosh! I landed IN the flour can. Flour shot out everywhere. I was covered from head to toe, and flour was scattered all over the floor. Boy, was Mama surprised to see a little spook when she walked through the door. Boy, was I in trouble! 

I wonder if I got a piece of fried bread that day. Hmmm…maybe not.

•