ADAMS FABLES
Mark Adams
Copyright 2014 Mark Adams
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Dedicated to the small children within
Judeline, Adam and everyone else ages 4 to 104.
MARK ADAMS
JOURNEY OF A STORY TELLER
Late at night on December 11, 1928, Ole Doc Pollock plowed through the driving snow storm in his brand new Model A Ford to the northern Ohio farmhouse of the immigrant Markowski family to deliver their fifth child. The scrawny boy was named Adam Frank after his dziadzius’ (Polish grandfather and pronounced jä deuce”)
Adam’s first five years were spent in bed as the result of every known childhood disease and TB so his older sister read to him to help keep him entertained. His world was that of fantasy and telling Teddy, his appropriately named Teddy Bear, all about Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn. During the Great Depression and at the age of ten his dream was to be a storyteller like Mark Twain. Adam had learned he could help the family budget earning five cents a word by writing a short story for the Saturday Evening Post. A kindly editor took the time to write a very personal letter, none of the usual form letters, encouraging “Mark” to be a storyteller; but, to get more experience.
Fast forward: Adam and his high school sweetheart Phyllis were married. He legally changed his name to Mark Adams and earned a doctorate. After 26 years rearing five great kids and both having successful careers as Educators they went their separate ways. Mark set out to get more experience: traveling in more than fifty counties worldwide and working in Peru, Liberia and South Africa.
In 1983 Mark and Judy were married and they decided she would pursue her career in medicine so Mark could retire to follow his dream as a storyteller. In writing COLLAGE, an extensive historical fiction, the young German Protagonist Lisa fell in love with an American Doughboy in Paris during World War One. Lisa literally took over the story line! It was as if Mark became the scribe instead of the storyteller.
Since then all of Mark’s fiction, nonfiction, fables, poetry and illustrated cartoons seem to be collaborations with ghost writers --- more than likely Adam F. Markowski and dziadzius’.
CONTENTS
Whatever Happened To Little Boy Blue’s Sister?
Whatever Happened To Humpty Dumpty’s Son?
How French Fries Were Named
How Bumblebees Fly
Why Coyotes Howl
Why Penguins Wear Tuxedoes
Why Hummingbirds Hum
Why Polar Bears Are White
Why Polar Bears Live In Alaska
Why Cheetahs Cry
Why Giraffes Have Long Necks
Why River Horse Is Called Hippopotamus
Why Parrots Are Green
Why Lions Roar
Why Flamingos Are Pink and Stand On One Leg
Why Basenjis Yodel
Why Bobcats Have Short Tails
The Small Child Within
End of Tales
Whatever Happened
To Little Boy Blue’s Sister?
A long time ago before Potato Head, very few boys and girls had ever heard of Little Boy Blue’s twin sister, Little Girl Pink.
Little Boy Blue kept tooting his own horn and taking naps under the haystack while Little Girl Pink worked at home on the Mashed Tater farm in Spudville, Idaho.
Their mother and father spent what little money they had to give Little Boy Blue music lessons with the famous Captain Hornblower. Little Girl Pink wanted to learn to play the violin but her parents said they didn’t have money for her to fiddle away.
One day Little Boy Blue was to play for the Lamb Chop Hop at Meadowland High School. Instead he was fast asleep under the haystack. An udder time he had a gig to play for the Holstein Jazz Festival at the Cornflake Bowl in Battle Creek. Again he hit the hay and took a nap under the haystack.
Little Boy Blue was plain lazy and didn’t give a toot for work. All Little Boy Blue ever wanted to do was sleep under the haystack all day. While he was sleeping Little Girl Pink took a hoe and skipped off to the potato field singing,
“Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to hoe I go.”
After a very rainy day Little Girl Pink changed her tune to, “I’d a hoed potatoes yesterday but it rained.” Any other sister would have been upset if her lazy brother slept under the haystack all day while she did all the work but not Little Girl Pink.
Little Girl Pink loved to sing and dreamed of someday being able to play the violin. She so wanted to play the violin and make music.
Less Minor from the We-Can-Make-You-A-Star Agency heard Little Girl Pink singing as she skipped along the yellow brick road on her way to a hoe down. He came to buy potatoes and found a gem instead. Less Minor changed her name to Pink Flowing and Little Girl Pink became a rock singer.
A dream may come true even if you never dreamed it.
Whatever Happened
To Humpty Dumpty’s Son?
Humphrey Dumpty was just a yolk of an egg when his father Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. “All the King’s horses and all the King’s men couldn’t put Humpty Dumpty back together again.” Mrs. Dumpty didn’t know what to do and wrote to her brother Eggsactly Wright in New York City. He was an egghead and would know what to do with Humphrey.
Uncle Eggsactly Wright told Mrs. Dumpty to put Humphrey Dumpty in an egg carton to sail to New York.
Eggsactly, Wright known as Eggs Benedict by everyone, gave Humphrey a room in the rectory. Eggs Benedict was liked by everyone and played an important egg roll in Chinatown. Since he had no children of his own Humphrey was the sunny side of the Dumpty family.
Humphrey had everything an egg could ever want but he fell into the company of bad eggs. Wanting to show off for the bad eggs Humphrey became eggcentric and a very tough egg.
No matter what Eggs Benedict tried to say about the bad eggs Humphrey turned a deaf shell. Eggs Benedict said if Humphrey didn’t change his ways he could have a great fall and be a scrambled egg.
Humphrey was showing-off for the bad eggs and had a great fall. All the mayor’s policemen and all the mayor’s paramedics didn’t put Humphrey back together again. They didn’t have to put Humphrey Dumpty back together again because he was a hard-boiled egg.
No matter how bad an egg you may be
it’s never too late to change and be a good egg.
How French Fries
Were Named*
(*ed. An updated version of a story by nine-year-old Adam Markowski sent to the Saturday Evening Post during the Great Depression.)
Some people think the first French fries were cooked in Greece. Now for the real story.
Freddy French and his funny little dog Curly helped his father grow potatoes. Curly dug a hole and Freddy would put a potato into the hole and a potato plant would grow.
In the land of Burger all the king’s men grew grapes, red grapes, blue grapes, green grapes and even purple grapes!
“We must take a potato plant to the Burger King,” said Freddy French to his funny little dog. Curly jumped, barked and wagged his tail. He always did when he was very happy.
And so it was Freddy French and his funny little dog Curly sailed across the sea to take a potato plant to the Burger King and Queen Wendy. Burger King and Queen Wendy lived in the castle with the golden arches.
The Burger King was very happy when Freddy French and his funny little dog Curly gave him a potato plant
fit for a king.
Queen Wendy exclaimed, “What pretty green leaves and tiny white flowers.
“Potatoes are good to eat and food fit for a king,” said Freddy French. Curly jumped, barked and wagged his tail. Never before had Burger King or Queen Wendy ever, ever seen a potato plant in the castle with the golden arches.
Burger King called for his cooks. “Cook this new food so I may eat food fit for a king.” They boiled the green leaves and little white flowers for they had never ever seen a potato plant in the castle with the golden arches. Even well-cooked green leaves and little white flowers of a potato plant are quite horrid!
The Burger king took one bite and shouted at Freddy French and his funny little dog Curly. “The green leaves and little white flowers are horrid! Boil them in oil!” In those days kings had to talk that way because there was no TV for the king to say, “Go to your room and no TV for a week!”
The cooks heard the king shout but had no more green leaves and little white flowers to boil in oil. That is what they thought they heard the king shout. The cooks washed and cut up the big funny roots of the potato plant and boiled them in oil.
Potatoes boiled in oil smell great and Burger King said, “Now that’s food fit for a king!” Burger King proclaimed the new food should be called French fries but children who know the real story like to call them Curly fries. To this day everyone loves to eat them, whatever they’re called.
Good things may happen
even when everything seems bad.
How Bumblebees Fly
A long time ago before airplanes and school buses, brothers Wilbur and Orville Bumblebee had to walk to Colony School. Honey Bee and the Wasp kids from England were able to fly to school.
Walking to school Mother Goose, Kitty Hawk, asked why they didn’t fly. “The wise guys at MIT* think we can’t fly,” said Wil and Orv. “Aerodynamics rule 3033 states, ‘Bumblebees cannot fly because the wings are too small for the fat bodies.’”
(*Many Inaccurate Thoughts)
Kitty Hawk said, “You have wings and I’ll teach you to fly. Climb on my back and I’ll help you learn to fly.” Every day Kitty Hawk would fly very low along the beach with Wilbur and Orville on her back. They took turns jumping off flapping their wings and every time fell kaplunk on the soft sand.
Kitty Hawk kept telling Wilbur and Orville to flap their tiny wings faster and faster. They soon believed they would be the first Bumblebees to fly. Kitty Hawk knew Wilbur and Orville were Wright.* (* Beijing’s phonebook has more Wong numbers than Wright numbers.)
After many, many, days trying over and over, Wilbur flew for twelve seconds. Soon all Bumblebees were flying, too.
Things wise men dare not dream
may come true for dreamers.
Why Coyotes Howl
A long time ago before the Smoky Mountains and Smokey Bear lived Colin Coyote in a big meadow. His best friend, Roberta Bighorn, was called Bobby.
Colin and Bobby liked to play in the meadow when her family came each winter to eat grass and drink water in the little lake. There was Daddy Bighorn, Mommy Bighorn and old Grandfather Bighorn.
Mommy, Daddy and Grandfather Bighorn licked the salt that came out of the rocks by the lake. Bobby did not like salt but her Mommy said she must lick the salt to grow up with beautiful horns.
A lady, wearing a silly hat and looking like Smokey the Bear, came to the meadow. With the lady were boys, girls, mothers, fathers and very, very old people. They saw a man forty years old!
The boys and girls shouted when they saw
Colin and Bobby. The lady in the silly hat put her finger to her lips and made the funny noise of Sylister Snake. The funny noise went sssshh.
The people had all kinds of funny boxes hanging around their necks. They put the funny little boxes to their eyes and the boxes went click, snap and pop. Colin and Bobby didn’t know why the funny boxes went click, snap and pop. Two boxes made a bright light like the light before it rains. They covered their ears but there was no loud noise or rain.
The funny boxes clicked, snapped and popped and Grandfather Bighorn walked to the big rock by the lake and put his front feet on the rock and held his horns high in the air. The boxes clicked, snapped and popped faster! The people said, “ooohhh.
Every Spring Bighorns returned to their mountain home leaving Colin very sad. To cheer him up his mother took him to the supermarket and said he must be a good coyote but he ran around. Cans, bottles and boxes fell everywhere
The store manager said, “Get out, Colin Coyote!” You may never see a coyote in a supermarket but Colin Coyote howls every night, “There’ll never be another ewe.”
A good friend may go far, far away
but a good friend is a forever friend
Why Penguins Wear Tuxedoes
A long time ago all penguins had plain brown feathers and the famous King Albert Batross invited flying birds to his annual Snow Ball at the South Pole.
(The U. S. Air Force’s Aero L-39 trainer was called the “Albatross” in his honor.)
The Snow Ball was the event of the year. Albatross, gulls and terns put on their finest feathers and flew to the Ice Palace. Ohio’s Snow Birds even attended one year instead of their annual trip to Florida.
Little Fountain Penguin wanted to go to the ball. His father, Sean Penguin, said the dance was for flying birds and penguins can’t fly.
Fountain’s mom Adelie said, “Penguins were never invited because we are poor and don’t have pretty colored feathers like T.V. Peacock to wear to the Snow Ball.”
Fountain Penguin still dreamed of going to the Ball and if bumblebees learned to fly he was determined to fly, too. But no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t fly.
Fountain’s Uncle Oscar Ostrich said he, too, tried to fly but gave up. He told Fountain there was no use trying to fly.
Fountain Penguin gave up trying but still dreamed of going to the Snow Ball. He worked hard at the Penguin Fish Market and saved enough money to buy a tuxedo.
“Big Al” on seeing Fountain invited him but he declined, not wanting to lose the dream.
Going to Yellowstone Park was a dream of Adam’s father. When he retired and could go he decided not to go and to keep the dream.
(German sage, Charlie Weiss, once said,“There’s no harm in a little fantasy.”)
Best part of a dream
may be the dream itself.
Why Hummingbirds Hum
A long time ago before Barney and Big Bird, little Ruby Hummingbird lived with her parents in the Village of Birdland at Clarks Pond.
The Hummingbird’s nest was in the same tree as Baby Blue Bird and her family. Ruby played with all the Bird children. There was Red Bird, Black Bird and big Larry Bird. Baby Blue Bird and Ruby were very good friends.
Ruby and Baby Blue wanted to chirp all the songs of the other birds in Birdland Village. Ruby and Baby Blue couldn’t wait to go to elementary flock and be in Miss Crossbill’s class to learn to chirp, sing and warble.
Young children living near Bird Land went to school to learn to read, write and add while little birds went to elementary flock to learn to chirp, sing and warble
Jim Crow, Walter Pigeon and Ruddy Duck used to go to elementary flock in the big oak tree. Now they went to special flock under the old pine tree to learn to caw, coo and quack because they didn’t learn to chirp, sing and warble.
On the first day of elementary flock Ruby and Baby Blue were very happy until they met Miss Crossbill. She told the new little birds they must learn to chirp, sing and warble or be sent to special flock under the old pine tree to learn to caw, coo and quack.
Principal Eagle flew into Miss Crossbill’s class to tell her she had a new pupil, Benny Seagull. The Seagulls of Miami Beach had arrived from Las Vegas. Mr. Eagle told the new little birds they must work hard or they would be sent to his office nest at the top of the old oak tree. Ruby was afraid of Mr. Eagle who was called ole Baldy by the older birds in elementary flock. (Elementary floc
k was okay it was just the principle of it.)
Ruby did not like her first day in Miss Crossbill’s class and wanted to go home. At the bird feeder for lunch, she never let out a peep but Baby Blue Bird talked with Myrtle Warbler and Scarlet Tanager who were in second year flock and sang with the Tree Top Singers,
Tree Top Singers, who chirped, sang and warbled very well and were picked by Miss Crossbill to sing for the Mud Hens, old coots and buzzards hanging out at the Deadwood Tree Home for Senior Birds.
Everyone knew Bobby White would be picked for the Tree Top Singers because his mother had taught him to sing before he came to elementary flock. Bobby knew all the words to the song about his uncle Robert White.
Baby Blue Bird was picked for the Tree Top Singers but Miss Crossbill told Ruby Hummingbird her chirping was terrible and her singing awful.
Miss Crossbill told Ruby just to hum along.
Ruby simply gave up trying to learn to chirp, sing or warble.
Words can hurt for a long, long time.
Why Polar Bears Are White*
(*Story told by twelve-year-old Adam at a Boy Scout campfire in 1941)
A long time ago black bears Grin N. Bear and Honey Bear lived in a log cabin near Sylvania, Ohio. Their son Polo R. Bear wondered if bears lived in Alaska.