#134 ‘Mazing

by Cheri L. Roman

“Mom, Mom! Look what I caught!”

Jeannie peered into the open oven at the roast. “Stay back Joey, this is hot. Go wash up for supper.”

“But Mom!” The sturdy blonde boy clutched his prize tighter and hopped from toe to toe.

Brown eyes sparkling, she closed the oven and looked at her son. “Ok, ok, what is it?”

The boy danced to the table, beckoning her closer with a jerk of his head. “The most ‘mazing thing, I think! I never saw nothing like it!”

She grinned at him and followed. He had a way of investing all of his “treasures” with magic: bits of pine cone were shrunken pirate ships; feathers were fairy wings and once, a gold coin he insisted came from a leprechaun’s stash.

No-handed, he crawled into a kitchen chair, knelt against the table with cupped hands and reverent face, some bits of blue fluff sticking out between his fingers.

Seeing movement between his palms, Jeannie frowned. “A bird is it, Sport? Don’t crush it.”

He opened his hands. Jeannie’s eyes widened. There on her table stood a tiny, blue man, covered in soft down, smoothing out his crumpled wings.

“Ye ought keep better control o’ yer kinder, Woman!” piped the indignant voice. The creature leapt and flew, punching through the front door in a fine spray of stained glass. Jeannie stared from the small hole to her grinning son.

“‘Mazing, right Mom?”

She nodded and sank into a chair. “Amazing,” she agreed.