Friday, November 2, 2012

i AM looking ...

Ben launches himself across his bed, bounces and lands sprawled over the rumpled comforter.  He flips on the radio and rummages around the nightstand.  Lifting up a library book and an empty water bottle, he retrieves his most recent LEGO catalogue.  He taps his foot and mumbles the lines he knows.

"How's it going?"

"Fine."

"Did you find it yet?"

"Nope."

"Well ... keep looking.  I'll check up on the bookshelf, you dig around down here."

"Okay."  Ben sighs and rolls off the end of the bed, landing on his knees in a pile of clothes.  He lifts up the corner of the bedskirt and peers into the darkness.  Sweeping his hands under the bed, he drags out a lone sock, wadded in a ball, and battle weary LEGO ship.  Gingerly he sets the plastic creation on his dresser and crawls around the end of his bed.

"The clock is counting down.  The crowd is on its feet.  Number 24 fakes and then shoots ..." Ben lobs the sock toward the hamper.  "It banks off the board!  He rebounds and shoots again.  It's at the buzzer and ..." Ben tosses it up again, "it's good!   Aaaahhh!"  Ben celebrates from his position on the carpet.

"Way to go champ."  Mom appears at the door with a laundry basket.  "Any luck with the math book?"

"I'm looking."  Ben lifts up his beanbag, looking beneath the red behemoth.

"Sure you are."  Mom begins filling the basket with Ben's clothing.  "This is a song from when I was your age.  And it's just a little ironic for you to be singing it right now."

"Huh?  What's ironic?"

"This song and your missing math book."  Mom joins chorus, "And I still haven't found what I'm looking for..."

"Mom!  I said, I'll find it."

"Okey dokey.  Let me know if you need an extra set of eyes."

As Mom closes the door, Ben groans and flops into the beanbag.  He reaches toward the nightstand and rustles up another magazine.  Stretching his legs, he kicks the text book further under his bed.

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Linking up with The Red Dress Club.  This week's prompt:  350 words inspired by a song.  U2 could play this particular song on a regular basis in our home as my children "look" for their belongings.  The boy's name in my story has been changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

4 comments:

  1. What a funny take on this song! It's always brought such reflection and seriousness to me when I hear it, so it was refreshing and entertaining to hear it associated with a missing textbook.

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  2. Loving the "battle weary lego ship"! Nice imagry there!

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  3. This is such an entertaining piece. It just made me smile. It is so spot on with how most kids/young adults act. I loved the dialogue between the two characters and Ben's ball play voice over. Well done, you should be proud of this effort.

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  4. Oh this is exactly what it is like when you tell them to go find something.

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