Midge paced back
and forth on the front porch and was talking to herself..
"Once upon
a time," said Midge as she walked. "There lived this
beautiful princess in a big brick house on a hill. She loved to sit outside on the front porch and play with friends."
Jake and
Booker-T walked up and sat there watching her for a few minutes.
"What are you doing, Midge?" asked Jake.
"Oh hi,"
smiled Midge. "I'm practicing."
"Practicing
what?" asked Booker-T.
"I'm going
to be in the movies," said Midge. "I'm going to be one of them actresses."
"How are
you going to be in the movies?" laughed Booker-T. "You wanted to do that before and I thought you knew you couldn't act because the humans wouldn't know what you were saying. What kind of movie do you want to do?"
"About a
talking Princess," said Midge. "She is so beautiful and everyone just loves her."
"Don't all
Princesses talk?" asked Jake.
"Yes they
do," agreed Midge. "And this Princess, no one heard speak
before and now she spoke up and started talking to everyone and they
all clapped and shouted and were so happy to hear her talk."
"Why
didn't she talk before?" asked Booker-T.
"She did
talk before," said Midge. "But no one heard her."
"Why?"
asked Booker-T. "Did no one want to listen to her?"
"Where
does the Princess live?' asked Jake.
"She lives
in a really nice brick house," said Midge. "She loves her
home and friends."
"Does she
talk to her friends?" asked Jake.
"Oh yes,"
said Midge. "She loves talking to her friends. They like to
talk to her too."
"Don't she
talk to anyone else?" asked Booker-T.
"No,"
said Midge. "She wants to."
"Why don't
she?" asked Jake.
"No one
else wants to talk to her," sighed Midge. "She talks to
them and they don't listen. They say things to her but they never
listen to anything she says."
"They
sound mean," said Booker-T. "Are they they like the
wicked step sisters in Cinderella?'
"Oh no,"
said Midge. "They are so nice."
"Why don't
they listen to this princess?" asked Jake. "I think I'm
starting to figure out why."
"Why?"
asked Booker-T.
"Because
this princess is Midge," laughed Jake. "Right Midge?"
"Yes,"
smiled Midge blinking her eyes at them.
"You can't
be in a movie about a princess that talks to people," said Jake.
"Who will hire you?"
"I don't
know yet," said Midge. "I want to be like the dogs in the
movie about the life of pets."
"That is a
cartoon," laughed Jake. "The people in the movie are the
same as our owners. They don't understand what their pets are talking
about. The animals understand each other but the humans don't
understand them. But Midge, it is a cartoon."
"Don't
you think that some human somewhere maybe can understand what we
say?" asked Midge.
"I heard
about a dog whisperer somewhere," said Booker-T. "I saw it
on the news one night. The man could communicate with dogs and
cats."
"Wow,"
said Midge. "We need to find him. Where was he Booker-T?"
"Not in
our city," laughed Booker-T. "I think you will have to
settle for your owner not understanding what you say."
"You will
just have to be the Princess that no one can talk with.", said
Jake. "But that's okay. We all can talk to you."
"I know,"
sighed Midge. "Why can't animals talk to humans so they can
understand what we say?"
"I don't
know," said Jake. "I guess God didn't make us that way."
"But why
not?" asked Midge. "I want to talk to my owner sometimes."
"Me too,"
said Booker-T. "Maybe some day in the future, they will figure
out how they can understand each other."
"That
would be nice," said Midge. "We have our own language that
the humans hear. When I talk to you guys, my owner hears me barking."
"And
humans hear my talking as a meow," said Booker-T.
"Isn't that
funny how that works?" laughed Jake. "We hear each other
talking just like the humans talk but the humans hear us as barking
and meowing."
"They do
pretty good at knowing what we want," said Midge. "I think
it is little sad that we know what they are saying but they don't
know what we are saying to them."
"It's
sad," agreed Jake. "But I guess it will be okay."
"I guess I
will just have to bark when I want to go outside," said Midge.
"But you
don't have to bark to go outside," laughed Jake. "Just go
out your doggie door."
"You are
silly," laughed Booker-T.
"I guess
my movie will never be," said Midge.
"You can
tell us a story sometimes," said Booker-T. "You are a good
story teller."
"I will
think up a good story to tell you," smiled Midge.
"Ok,"
said Jake. "Can we go to the park now and swim in the pond?"
"Lets
go," said Booker-T.
"The
three ran out the gate and along the sidewalk to the park to swim.
