The Lake Chronicles of Sean Mcdougal

Sean McDougal is eight years old and has a special 'something' about him that is so endearing it's very difficult for me to deny him anything... well, anything within reason. He came up with the idea that he and his friends were old enough to walk home from school without a mother watching over them. I nixed that pretty quickly. After some negotiations, I said he and his buddies could stop off at the lake and take a quick swim after school, but I'd be right behind them. They ARE only eight. I stay far enough behind so he and his friends, his little accomplices in these afternoon adventures, never get embarrassed by having a 'mom' walk them home. They take a quick dip in the shallow end of the lake and in their eyes Sean is one cool kid with a really neat Mom. The other mothers have wee ones at home, so I've appointed myself to be the invisible lifeguard. Sean gets all the benefits from our 'deal' (he thinks it was his idea). What makes this little game we play so much fun is this: He gets to swim every day, and he also gets to play his favorite game... story telling, and let me tell you, Sean McDougal can come up with some tall tales that make me wonder where his imaginative powers originate. He calls them his "Lake Chronicles." Yep, we've read the entire collection of Narnia Chronicles so now he thinks he's going to be the next C. S. Lewis. I'm surprised he hasn't told a story about how Aslan saved his butt. Maybe he's saving that one, or maybe he'll be the one to save the mighty lion from a giant squid who's been lurking in the deep end of the lake for the past hundred years. Here's one that I'll share with you as an example of his far-fetched inventiveness. * * * "Hi, Mom. I wanted to bring you something today jus' cuz I love ya. See, I was walking by the lake and saw this pretty flower waving at me. It seemed like it was saying, 'Sean, take me home to your Mom.' It kept calling me so I just HAD to swim out and get it for you. I even had to fight off an alligator when he tried to eat me. He pulled me so deep under the water that I thought I was gonna drown, but I punched him in the nose and he swam away." "Wow, Sean, I didn't know you were so strong! Show me those big muscles." "Oh, Mom." He blushed but then continued. "But then this big ole snake hissed at me. He had teeth as big as a tiger! I'm not kidding. I was so scared, but I wanted to get that flower for you so I stared him in the eye and was just about to grab him and throw on the bank when something really great happened!" "You're so brave, son, but I'd never want you to be eaten by any of those mean old creatures." I wore a very serious scowl. He rolled his eyes at me and grinned. "Well, just then, Mom, this HUGE bird came flying out of a tree, you know the one that grows out over the lake? This bird was screamin' and flappin' his red wings...ummm...maybe it was a dragon. Anyway, he screamed real loud, so loud that it hurt my ears. That dragon bird grabbed the snake with it's long claws just as he was gonna eat me. I think that bird breathed fire and the snake burned all up. Yeah, that's what happened." "Oh, thank goodness! I'm so glad you weren't eaten, but where is the flower you tried so hard to pick for me?" "Oh yeah, I was gettin' to that part. I reached for it but a whole bunch of giant bees flew out of it, so I had to swim underwater to shore. I didn't actually get to pick the flower.... but next time I swear I'll get it for you. I promise." "I'm sure you will, Sean. Just be careful because you never know who or what will be waitin' for you at the lake." He sent me another eye roll. "Don't ya be rollin' those big green eyes at me again, Sean McDougal, or I'll be sendin' Nessie a message to leave Loch Ness and move to a nice lake near here." I heard his laughter as he raced up the stairs; no doubt to plan his next big adventure... how to get me to believe he found Nessie in our lake.