The little boy walked alone on the trail home. Shadows lengthened as the sun fell lower and lower in the sky. Even the long shadow of the little boy made him seem like a giant monster. Something lurked behind the trees. Large glowing yellow eyes peered between low hanging branches in the looming evening light. The boy’s pace hastened. No matter how fast he walked, he imagined a monstrous mountain lion matching his stride step for step.
A knot of fear rose in the little boy’s throat. He began to run. Swish. Swish. The noise got louder and louder. Something was after him. The little boy ran as fast as he could. The faster he ran, the faster and louder the noise of the chase. He didn’t dare look behind him, but only kept his eyes focused ahead. Soon he saw smoke from the chimney. He knew home was just over the rise.
He ran through the gate that clanged and clanked as it bounced shut. Just a few more steps and he would be safe. The screen door slammed behind him. He leaned against the wall to catch his breath. Perspiration beaded up on his forehead. He no longer heard the sound of the mountain lion that chased him. There was his mom, apron on, as she prepared supper for a hungry little imaginative boy. He knew he was safe!
The little boy & his Daddy
As he walked to the table, he heard a faint swishing noise. He stopped. Nothing. He took a few more steps. There was that sound again. The noise seemed to come from him. He looked down and realized that with every step he took, his corduroy britches rubbed together. His Daddy wore corduroy britches that went “Swosh, Swosh,” when he walked, but corduroy britches on a little boy sounded like a mountain lion ready to pounce.