The Ugly Grasshopper

A Story by Willys Watson

THE UGLY GRASSHOPPER: A Childhood Memory

The four children playing on the sidewalk grew up on the same block and were best friends. Three of them were eight years old and had already finished their first year of elementary school. The other had turned nine last month and would be starting the second grade with the others when school starts.

Although they teased each other a lot is was accepted as something long time friends did and each supported the interests the other kids had. Mindy had musical skills beyond her age. Doug showed an early interest in science and history and had learned to read quickly. Though he was called the group nerd by the others he never seemed to mind the nickname. Tony was the neighborhood clown, but secretly wanted to become a writer and showed early writing skills. Katie, the oldest, showed an early talent for drawing and watercolors, her parents encouraged her and bought her the art supplies she wanted.

While Katie was using three different colors of chalk to draw a Hopscotch diagram on the sidewalk Mindy was trying to master a Hula-Hoop her mother had bought at a yard sale and Doug and Tony were skate-boarding.

When Katie was almost finished with the Hopscotch diagram Tony, to pester her, skated very close to the horizontal line she was drawing.

“Don’t be mean or I’ll tell your Daddy!” Katie scolded him.

“No you won’t, because snitching is against our club rules.”

“Well, you better be nice or I’ll tell everyone you love Cindy,” Mindy joked because she knew their family moved onto the street two weeks ago and none of them have talked to her yet.

The boys laughed and skated away, leaving Katie to finish her Hopscotch design.

When she had finished the diagram, Katie stood up to see if she was pleased enough with her efforts and, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed something moving on the street, just a few inches from the curb. She kneeled to look closer and saw it was a large, brown Grasshopper and it appeared that one of it’s wings was crooked. After standing up she called to her friends.

“Come see what I found and don’t step on my chalk lines.”

Tony and Doug stepped off their skateboards and walked towards the asphalt while Mindy came to stand besides Kay.

“That’s got to be the ugliest Grasshopper I’ve ever seen,” Tony snickered.

“It’s not ugly to other Grasshoppers, I bet, and it’s not ugly. It just looks hurt!” Mindy replied.

“We just can’t let it stay there where a dog may eat it or a car may run over it,” Katie told them.

“Well, I’m not touching that nasty thing cause it might have rabies,” Tony giggled.

“You already know Grasshoppers don’t get rabies, dummy head, ” Doug lectured playfully.

“So, just leave it there. It’s got a broken wing and will die anyway and become ant food,” Tony declared.

“I could probably fix it’s wing and add it to my collection even though it’s just a common Grasshopper,” Doug offered.

“No, no, no, no! You’re not going to bug bomb it and stick a pin through it’s back. You can’t do that to bugs that are still alive.” Mindy sternly said.

“Maybe I can keep it in a box until it’s wing gets better?” Katie wondered.

“And give him a name and get him his own little doggie collar so you can take him for a walk!” Tony suggested jokingly.

“Just go away and go visit Cindy so you can give Cindy her first kiss and see it she throws up on you afterwards. Katie and me will take care of the Grasshopper,” Mindy assured Tony.

Tony and Doug laughed, then grabbed their skateboards and walked away.

“That’s still the ugliest Grasshopper I’ve ever seen,” Tony announced, as they were walking, repeating his first observation.

“And that red hair on your head makes you know what’s ugly?” Doug jokingly wondered.

“I can’t change my hair color, dude, but you don’t have to have that big hair on your head, It’s too cool, Doug, and too cool for a nerd like you, you nerd,” Tony answered back as he playfully pocked his friend on the arm.

“And don’t be mean to Cindy, guys, we don’t know why she acts like she does,” Katie called out, adding, “Wait until we become friends before we tease her.”

“When your Momma gets back from the store do you think she would go on the computer and find out what Grasshoppers eat?” Mindy asked when the boys were walking away..

“Of course she will. And for now we find a big box with a lid we can poke holes in so it can get air. And I think my Daddy still has an old fish tank in the garage that has a wire screen as a cover. If he does we’ll clean that out and use it. Till then try to find a box with a lid,” Mindy suggested. “And I’ll stay here to make sure nothing bothers the Grasshopper.”

Katie grinned and nodded, then ran towards her house.

“Okay, maybe we’ll go ask Cindy if she wants watch, Motor Mouth” Tony suggested to her, as he turned around, while using the nickname they gave because talks faster when excited.

After the Grasshopper was in the Fish Tank, they went outside to talk to Tony and Doug, finding them sitting on the sidewalk, with Cindy.

“This is Cindy, but her real name is Lucinda and her mother told us they just moved here from Portugal to work for the Army here, but Lucinda was too shy to talk until she was introduced.”

Then Lucinda listened quietly as Katie told what had happened,

“Cet insecte sera-t-il le petit ami de Doug?” Lucinda asked.

“It that Portugese?” Tony asked.

“No, you nerd, she’s teasing Doug, She’s asking hin, in French, if the bug is going to be his girlfriend.”

“But?”

“Me and Tony sat that up, and she’s not shy. She just had a cold last week, Mindy. And she’s funny.

“But the French?”

“Her father was stationed there for three years.”

“Let’s let’s go see how ugly the Grasshopper really is,” Lucinda suggested.