The A-Z Challenge Day 6 "F" = Friendship of the wonderful kind.

Friendship...how do you define it? My idea of true friends is reflected in my short story below. This story was written by me in response to a dear little girl. She was only 7 at the time, and asked me why people were mean to her, because her skin was a different color.

 "What do different means Charlie?"

“Charlie, why is them's saying me maybe gots to go away? What do--away--means, Charlie?”

“Well, Casper, away, um—away, be someplace where me isn’t with you. Me be not too sure about the why—but me thinks maybe they is a little, afraid.”

“What do they be afraids of, Charlie?”

“Well, me thinks maybe they’s scared because we is sort of ...  different?”

“Me don’t understoods. What do--different, means?"

“Um, different be … like you is small … and me is bigger.”

“Oh … me still don’t understoods. We be buddies, doesn’t we?”

“Yeeeeeees—we sure is; we be the bestest buddies. But you will gets a whole lot bigger.”

“Bigger? Like … um, like my daddy is bigger?”

“Yes—like your daddy is bigger, that be different.”

“But, Charlie, you will just gets bigger—like me do. Wont you?”

“Well—no ... me don’t think so, me is already big as me can gets.”

“Charlie? Me, don’t understoods. Why … why they be afraid of that? Does them thinks me will squishes you—when me sits on your tummy?”

“Weeell—maybe you might squishes me a little bit.”

“So—um, we can fixes that, Charlie. You cans sits on my tummy—cause you won’ts squishes me when me be big like daddy.”

“I …I … Well--me be not sure if that would be okay.”

“Why, Charlie? Me, don’t understoods.”

“Well, maybe—maybe it be, cause—um--we be different in some other ways.”

“Okay--so we makes the different go away—and we makes everything the sames.”

“I doesn’t think we can do that, Casper!"    

“Me--don’t understoods. You be my friend; you makes me laugh, and you lets me sleep on your tummy. Why be they afraid of that?”

“Maybe—the sames stuff--ain’t as scary as the different stuff do be.”

“Charlie—me sorry—but me still don’t understoods it. What be sooooo … different?”

“Well—maybe it are cause me eats green stuff … an you eats, um … meat stuff.”

“Oh, okay—me see. Um … no me don’t. Why do that be scary?”

“Well, maybe them thinks, maybe them thinks—um—that you might wanna eats me.”

“Oh—you makes me laugh, and laugh, and laugh, Charlie, you is so funny.”

“Me wasn’t doing funny-funny, small one.”

“You means thems really--really thinks that me would eats you?”

“Me think so.”

“Does thems eats meat, Charlie?”

“Yep, me thinks some of ‘em do.”

“Does thems eats … does thems eats theys friends, Charlie?”

“No, me don’t think so?”

“Then me don’t understoods it. If thems doesn’t eat thems friends what be different; why is they silly-scared that me would eats you?”

“Me not be sure, Casper.”

“So—what else’s be so different, Charlie?”

“Well—me looks different than you does.”

“Does—all thems friends look just like thems do.”

“Noooooo—me doesn’t thinks so. Well maybe—maybe, thems just have friends who am all the same. So no one can be silly-scared of being more differents--than the sames.”

“Me don’t understoods—can me only have me friends that be exackerly sames as me?”

“Me thinks maybe … yes, Casper.”

“Me don’t likes that … me think that be silly-silly, Charlie. How else do we be different?”

“Well—mmm—me don’t be sure?”

“Me cant’s thinks of differents—but me can thinks of sames.”

“What sames cans you thinks of Casper?”

“Well, Charlie--If you gets hurt, you cry, and go tells your momma … just like me does. Doesn’t you?”

“Yes, me do.”

“And if you cuts yourself you gots that red stuff what comes out … just like me do. Doesn’t you?”

“Well … yes, Casper, yes me do.”

“So, more sames—than differents—hey, Charlie?”

“Differents, be more scary for thems, Casper.”

“Why doesn’t them just close thems eyes--cause then--thems wouldn’t see, no differents?”

“Casper … that be a good idea … buts--me donts thinks it would work.”

“Why, Charlie?”

“Cause—um—they would has to keep thems eyes shuts all the time … and that would silly-scary them more?”

“Cause … them would falls off a cliffs or something’s, Charlie?”

“Uh—huh, that woulds be bad, Casper.”

“Charlie? Will the sun still wakes up over the trees, if we be friends?”

“Me ... thinks so.”

“Will it still go to sleeps, behind the big hills, if we be friends?”

“Me thinks so.”

“Wills us still has a mommy and daddy, Charlie?”

“Yes, Casper.”

“Will we still has other friends, Charlie?”

“Charlie? Wills ... we still has other friends?”

“Me ... just don’t knows about that exacleys for sure, Casper.”

“Oh—that be sad, Charlie, it be water in my eyes sad. Me likes mys other friends too.”

“Me knows, it be makings me sad-sad too.”

“Charlie, me be silly-scared nows—what does we gonna do?”

“Me doesn’t be sures exackley, Casper. Me am thinkin' abouts it much.”

“Charlie, me don’ts wants to be your unfriend. Maybes we can runs aways, someplace where’s they be nots carin’ about thems differents ... where thems be carin' just abouts the sames. Does you thinks us cans, Charlie? Where be a place we cans go?”

“Me has never, ever heared ofs a place likes that, Casper.”

“Never … ever?”

“Not ever, Casper.”

“Charlie? Charlie … you thinks maybe we cans finds one, if we looks, and looks ... and looks some mores?”

“We cans try. Is you for sure you wants to go looking and looking?”

“Me be surely-sure, Charlie. Me thinks if we looks long and looks real good … wes gonna find us a place, where the sames be more specials than than different.”

“Casper, my little friend. When dids you gets to be so smarts?”

“When I decideds to be yours friend, Charlie.”

“Charlie?”

“Uh—huh, Casper?’

“Charlie, why is the sky--up?”

“Go sleepy-time nows Casper, we talks about why the sky’s is up, when the sun wakes up some more.”

“Charlie—Charlie--is you sleeps yet?”

“Me tryings real hard to sleeps, Casper.”

“Oh … me be sorry.”

“Charlie? Charlie, if me talks real ...  real, soft, can you talks and not wakes up?”

“Me don’t thinks so Casper, me feels waked up now.”

“Oh—Charlie, nows that you be waked up, cans me asks you something’s?”

“Hmm—me thinks you maybe going too, even if me not waked up, Casper.”

“Charlie?”

“Uh—huh.”

“Do you be a boy, monkeys ... or a girls, monkeys?”

“Me am a boy monkeys, Casper.”

“Oh … that be goods Charlie, me be boy tiger, so that be one more same thing, huh, Charlie?”

“Me guess so.”

“Charlie?”

“Yes.”

“Charlie, what be different about boys and girls?”

“Go to sleeps, Casper.”

“Okay—goodnights, Charlie.”

“G’night, Casper.”

“Charlie? Me--cants go to sleeps.”

“Will you go to sleeps if me tells you a story?”

“Oh—yes, me thinks so.”

“Promise.”

“Me promise.”

“Once upon a times …!

“What times was it, Charlie?”

“No questions--just listen, okay?”

“Okay, Charlie.”

“Once upon a times there was a little white Tiger—who eated meat—and asked lots and lots of questions. He was a funny-funny Tiger and he was goods to hims friends.

“His bestest friend was a Chimpanzee and that be a different kind of friends than white Tigers has. But theys was more sames than different so different didn’t matters…!

“Oh—Charlie, Charlie … me likes this story muchly. How does it finishes ... Charlie?"

“Me don’t knows, Casper—me just don’t knows.”


"Charlie ... that makes me water in the eyes sad."


"Me be sad-sad too, Casper. Me try and makes a happy forever finishes ... thens you be happy-happy."


"Me loves you big as the sky, Charlie."


"Me too ... my bestest buddy ... me too."

I hope you enjoyed my small journey into Love and loyalty.

Here is a more recent picture of the lovable Charlie and Casper.