The Music in the Can

(The greatest story ever told for kids and adults alike)

   A victim of cancer, the last thing Grandma told me before she died was, out of all her grandkids, I was the greatest. If someone told you that you are great, you will most likely ask yourself, “What is great?” Does being great mean that I am bigger, smarter, better-looking, or born with a big dipper in my mouth; with everything I want given to me, never knowing how it feels to go without food or shelter? In fact, I learned the hard way that most people who are great do not know they are. It takes some kind of catastrophe, or a very favorable event to point out that they are indeed a great person. In my case it took both, and it all started in the midst of a blistering hot summer afternoon, during a wonderful game of, “red light, green light.”

Since I was the youngest, as you can guess, one of my older brothers or sisters usually won, but once in a while, I would get lucky and feel the thrill of my life. By sneaking up and touching the leader, I became the, “the big dog, roof, roof,” and then it would be me, ”yes, me,” turning around and yelling at the top of my lungs, “One, two, three, green light, One, two, three green light, One, two, three, red light STOP!” Surprisingly, there I was, just ten feet away from the finish line, with my brothers and sisters far behind me. Me, ”yes, me,” on the verge of capturing another long-awaited victory, with both feet firmly planted to the ground, waiting to hear, “One, two, three, green light;” the signal for me to leap like a leopard going after its prey, and once again win my crown of glory.

Who would have ever guessed what happened next! At the forefront of my becoming the, “the big dog,” our mom stepped outside to the backyard and asked,” Who wants to come to the store with me?”

Simultaneously all my brothers and sisters answered, “We are playing a game, Mom.” As for myself, I was speechless, caught like a deer in the middle of the road, late at night, gazing into oncoming headlights.

I looked behind me and saw big, fat grins on all the faces of my brothers and sisters. Then I turned around and saw that same dumb grin on the leader’s face. Once again, they all spoke simultaneously, but this time, they asked, “What *are you going to do, Alterick, finish the game or forfeit by going to the store with Mom?” I instinctively reflected on finally being, “the big dog,” and finally having the bragging rights, at least until the next game. Then I became overwhelmed with the thought of going to the store with Mom and picking out all kinds of goodies, like gummy bears, bananas, and Oreo cookies.

You know, with a glass of milk, Oreos are a lot like M&Ms, because they melt in your mouth, and not in your hands. Reluctantly, I took one last look at the victory line and said, “I am going to the store with Mom.” Then I went inside the house got ready, and off to the store we went.