"Bubbling up in our own good time-- online."
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Volume 1 Issue 3
Page 12
Page 12
"Mom, I've got a shark in my throat," Riley cried. He and his mom were sitting on high
white stools at the counter of their breakfast bar; he reading an I Spy book and she
reading the paper. "A shark?" His mother was curious. "Does he hurt? Is he
swimming?" She put down the paper. "I think I can almost see this sharky character.
Your throat looks kind of bumpy, and a little red. Maybe there is a shark in there."
"Yeah, he's in there, he's swimmin' around, he's scratchy and he hurts!" Riley said
excitedly. He pointed to the book with his magnifying glass. "See? Right here. It says
sharks are scratchy. You told me. You told me!" His mom thought for a minute. "That's
right, we read that book a few days ago. It's all about the sea creatures. Tell me more
about the shark in your throat."
Riley was right. He felt important. He wanted to have his mom understand how he felt.
"Well," he sat back down on his stool, "The shark made a BIG mess in my throat.
When it first started to hurt I asked him to stop, but Mama he wouldn't follow directions.
He just swam and swam. You know how in my book there's a piece of how his skin
feels? That's how my throat is now that he's done." Riley nodded, "That's how I knew it
was him."
With a smile on her face, his Mama said, "That's very smart of you to know that. Is that
the only thing that hurts?" She took a big drink of her tea. Riley wrinkled his forehead to
help him concentrate. "Mama, you know my tummy?" She agreed. "It's like the ocean.
There's a big wave in there. And LOTS of fish too." His Mama looked confused. "Fish?
What kind? How do they look?"
"They're silver, and gray, and blue, and green, and purple, and yellow. They're
swimmin' around ALL OVER." He rubbed his belly. "And it's splashy-splashy. "
"Oh, I see." Mama was concerned. "Feel your forehead, baby. Are you hot?" Riley put
his palm on his head and said, "It's REALLY hot! The hot puffer fish must have got in
my head." His blond hair was a little damp and his big blue eyes were wide with
surprise. "Let me check," His Mama said. She smelled sweet like flowers to Riley and
he lifted his face to her touch.
"Wow! You are pretty warm," Mama said, "Let me look at where the shark is." Riley
opened his mouth and said "Aahh." Mama gave Riley a quick hug and dropped a kiss
on the top of his head. "Let me get you some medicine," Mama said. "I have the best
thing for sharks."
Mama returned with a dropper full of a thick purple liquid. "What we have here," Mama
said, "Is what sharks hate most: grape jelly-fish. All you have to do is take the jellyfish
medicine, and the sharks will calm down, because jellyfish are scary to sharks. I don't
know about in the ocean, but sharks in your throat are afraid of jellyfish because their
medicine will make the shark bites not hurt as much."
"Really?" Riley didn't quite believe it.
"Yes," Mama said, "and after you take the jellyfish medicine-- see? It's thick and purple
and sort-of see through, just like real jellyfish. After you take it, we'll go to get your
jammies on and I'll take your temperature." The small boy opened his mouth wide and
allowed her to put the medicine dropper inside his cheek. He looked up at his Mama
and smiled after the obedient swallow, and trust emanated from the love in his face.
"We'll get that sharkie," Mama said, and gave the boy a hug. "Now pajamas, my boy,
and off to bed with you."
Riley squirmed. "I don't wanna go to bed!" he said, sleepy. He couldn't contain the
yawn that escaped froil1 his throat. Mama met his eyes and they both laughed. "I know
you don't, you silly boy, but your mouth just told me something else. Let's go." The
mock stem tone of her command was enough to get the boy moving.
"Wait, wait. What about the sharks?" Riley was stalling, and he knew it, but it was a
question that could escalate unless he was answered, and his mom knew that. She
paused in the hallway to his bedroom and bounced him a little on her hip. Casting
about for an explanation that would satisfy a three-year-old, she said, "The sharks were
scared off by the grape jellyfish medicine, remember? It might take a few days, but
they really, really don't like the jellyfish. It scares those big nasty sharks. So you just
have to be patient. Think of your throat as a big ocean, and the sharks are getting
chased down your throat by the jellyfish, and into your tummy and out your body, they'll
go." Mama looked so confident, Riley decided to believe her when she firmly nodded
and pointed to his stomach with the tip of her finger and a knowing look. "Trust me.
They'll go. You just be a big brave boy and read in your bed and be quiet, okay?"
Riley snuggled up against her, warm, as she tucked him in and arranged his shark and
fish books around him. "Hey, Mama?" he asked. His face was so innocent but sly at
the same time. "Do you think sharks are scared away by grape Popsicles, too?"
Jennifer Chambers is a student and writer who lives in Veneta. She and her husband, Ryan,
expect their second child in August.
white stools at the counter of their breakfast bar; he reading an I Spy book and she
reading the paper. "A shark?" His mother was curious. "Does he hurt? Is he
swimming?" She put down the paper. "I think I can almost see this sharky character.
Your throat looks kind of bumpy, and a little red. Maybe there is a shark in there."
"Yeah, he's in there, he's swimmin' around, he's scratchy and he hurts!" Riley said
excitedly. He pointed to the book with his magnifying glass. "See? Right here. It says
sharks are scratchy. You told me. You told me!" His mom thought for a minute. "That's
right, we read that book a few days ago. It's all about the sea creatures. Tell me more
about the shark in your throat."
Riley was right. He felt important. He wanted to have his mom understand how he felt.
"Well," he sat back down on his stool, "The shark made a BIG mess in my throat.
When it first started to hurt I asked him to stop, but Mama he wouldn't follow directions.
He just swam and swam. You know how in my book there's a piece of how his skin
feels? That's how my throat is now that he's done." Riley nodded, "That's how I knew it
was him."
With a smile on her face, his Mama said, "That's very smart of you to know that. Is that
the only thing that hurts?" She took a big drink of her tea. Riley wrinkled his forehead to
help him concentrate. "Mama, you know my tummy?" She agreed. "It's like the ocean.
There's a big wave in there. And LOTS of fish too." His Mama looked confused. "Fish?
What kind? How do they look?"
"They're silver, and gray, and blue, and green, and purple, and yellow. They're
swimmin' around ALL OVER." He rubbed his belly. "And it's splashy-splashy. "
"Oh, I see." Mama was concerned. "Feel your forehead, baby. Are you hot?" Riley put
his palm on his head and said, "It's REALLY hot! The hot puffer fish must have got in
my head." His blond hair was a little damp and his big blue eyes were wide with
surprise. "Let me check," His Mama said. She smelled sweet like flowers to Riley and
he lifted his face to her touch.
"Wow! You are pretty warm," Mama said, "Let me look at where the shark is." Riley
opened his mouth and said "Aahh." Mama gave Riley a quick hug and dropped a kiss
on the top of his head. "Let me get you some medicine," Mama said. "I have the best
thing for sharks."
Mama returned with a dropper full of a thick purple liquid. "What we have here," Mama
said, "Is what sharks hate most: grape jelly-fish. All you have to do is take the jellyfish
medicine, and the sharks will calm down, because jellyfish are scary to sharks. I don't
know about in the ocean, but sharks in your throat are afraid of jellyfish because their
medicine will make the shark bites not hurt as much."
"Really?" Riley didn't quite believe it.
"Yes," Mama said, "and after you take the jellyfish medicine-- see? It's thick and purple
and sort-of see through, just like real jellyfish. After you take it, we'll go to get your
jammies on and I'll take your temperature." The small boy opened his mouth wide and
allowed her to put the medicine dropper inside his cheek. He looked up at his Mama
and smiled after the obedient swallow, and trust emanated from the love in his face.
"We'll get that sharkie," Mama said, and gave the boy a hug. "Now pajamas, my boy,
and off to bed with you."
Riley squirmed. "I don't wanna go to bed!" he said, sleepy. He couldn't contain the
yawn that escaped froil1 his throat. Mama met his eyes and they both laughed. "I know
you don't, you silly boy, but your mouth just told me something else. Let's go." The
mock stem tone of her command was enough to get the boy moving.
"Wait, wait. What about the sharks?" Riley was stalling, and he knew it, but it was a
question that could escalate unless he was answered, and his mom knew that. She
paused in the hallway to his bedroom and bounced him a little on her hip. Casting
about for an explanation that would satisfy a three-year-old, she said, "The sharks were
scared off by the grape jellyfish medicine, remember? It might take a few days, but
they really, really don't like the jellyfish. It scares those big nasty sharks. So you just
have to be patient. Think of your throat as a big ocean, and the sharks are getting
chased down your throat by the jellyfish, and into your tummy and out your body, they'll
go." Mama looked so confident, Riley decided to believe her when she firmly nodded
and pointed to his stomach with the tip of her finger and a knowing look. "Trust me.
They'll go. You just be a big brave boy and read in your bed and be quiet, okay?"
Riley snuggled up against her, warm, as she tucked him in and arranged his shark and
fish books around him. "Hey, Mama?" he asked. His face was so innocent but sly at
the same time. "Do you think sharks are scared away by grape Popsicles, too?"
Jennifer Chambers is a student and writer who lives in Veneta. She and her husband, Ryan,
expect their second child in August.
| Shark By Jennifer Chambers |