Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Day In the Life of the Family

The day was young when the house woke its own residents. Yawns sounded from the father, mother, and two children. Stumbling from their respective beds, they washed their faces, with specially treated water to promote healthy skin, brushed their teeth with toothpaste guaranteed to strengthen enamel and cause blindingly white shiners. Of course all the family had perfect, fair skin, and gorgeous paper white teeth. But they could never be too careful could they? What would happen to their reputation should their skin dry and flake or if their teeth were not superbly bright? Everything would be destroyed! Their family would be shamed forever; to have any physical difference that could mean sickness was abhorrent.

The flawless house cooked a delicious meal, two eggs, two pieces of toast, and four slices of bacon, per family member. Coffee for the adults, milk for the children. A wholesome family eating breakfast together in their warm kitchen. In fact, the kitchen was perhaps a tad too warm for their liking, so upon mutual agreement the Father called out to the house, “Will you turn down the heat, please? All four of us find this temperature hot.”

Of course, of course! The house jumped to do it’s masters’ bidding. As the children marched out the door like little soldiers, the husband turned to his lovely wife. “I’ll see you tonight, honey. Everything is just wonderful today isn’t it?”

“Lovely dear, lovely! Good luck today at work, I know that doing taxes for the government is a tough job and you’ve had a large case recently, haven’t you? Everyone must do his or her selected job though; it helps us stay happy and healthy! I’ll ask the house to make something special for you for dinner,” she told him happily.

“That sounds marvelous, you really are a sweetie,” the man replied looking suitably choking with love.

They pecked each others cheek and the husband and children went on their way.

Tickity tock, Two O’clock! The house announced, the children will be arriving in fifteen minutes from school. A snack will be on the table for them, Juice and Granola Bars today.

The woman awoke from her nap with a start. She had been dreaming a ghastly nightmare. In this horrible fantasy she was unmarried, had no children, and was actually working in a work place, instead of working on her novel about how best to prune rose bushes. “House, cook my husband’s most favorite meal tonight. The one with lots of meat and potatoes,” she told the house.

Gladly! Replied the house.

A door swung open and was shut softly, in a very proper manner. A young boy’s voice called through the house, “Mother, would you like to come play ball with Sister and I? We are going to through it around some and wondered if you would like to join.”

“I would love to, dears. Let us all change into different clothing though, we wouldn't want to get our nice clothes dirty would we?”

“Of course not! Who would want to get dirt in anything, let alone good clothes,” the boy softly yelled back.

Neither the boy nor the mother asked themselves why they play outside, if dirt was the enemy.

1 comment:

  1. I really like the dream that the mother has. You also keep true to the timeline of the day in the original story.

    ReplyDelete