A Family of Opportunists

 

Although it was a beautiful Christmas tree—tiny white lights sparkled between bright colored balls and various decorations—Susie, the Elf on the Shelf, was happy she was sitting comfortably between books, more or less in the shadows of the top shelf. The atmosphere was festive, with jingle bells and music in the background.

Yes, for sure the holidays had begun.  The children ran around excitedly, sometimes running over furniture and pushing each other—until they caught sight of Susie, or Moshe, the mensch on the bench.  Then the children walked gently, talked politely, and acted more like little angels are supposed to act.

Moshe winked at Susie.  Moshe is a mensch which means he’s a nice guy.  And he is sweet but his unkempt beard was a turn-off to Susie.  She hated facial hair. She preferred a clean cut look, much like Stanley, who lived in the book on the bottom shelf of Susie’s bookcase.

Even though Stanley was flat, OK, extremely flat, Susie was infatuated with him.  Of course he was flat, he lived in a book.  But he was handsome, literate, and well-traveled.

Susie knew all this because her vocation was to listen and observe.  She was an  expert on not only her families’ lives but also on the lives of all the characters in the books in the book case, the children’s stuffed animals, and dolls.  This was her world.

Moshe is a good listener, too.  He’s good at everything, because, well just because he’s a good guy, a mensch.  He sits under the menoraeh on a bench and watches and listens.  You should see his eyebrows go up when the children get rowdy.  When the children remember that Susie and Moshe are watching and listening, they get quiet and behave better.

When the children quiet down, Moshe winks at Susie. This is what Susie doesn’t like.  That wink is too familiar.  She doesn’t want to be rude to the mensch but she doesn’t want to be rude to a mensch, but she doesn’t want to give him the impression that she wants to have more than a working relationship with him.

Why can’t Stanley wink at her? Flat Stanley lives in the children’s book, Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown. And the idea of Stanley traveling the globe to promote reading, writing, and good will was the idea of Dale Hubert. Children mail Stanley to relatives and friends and ask them to take a picture with Stanley, write a letter and send him back.

Stanley tells the most interesting stories of places he has visited and the friends he has met. I’d introduce you to him, but (sigh) he’s traveling again.

And so the holiday festivities continued with the children dancing around Susie and Moshe. Hanukah and Christmas came and went. Susie had hoped Stanley would have come back home for the holidays, but he didn’t.  He must have been delayed. The mail around the holidays is notoriously slow.

Still.

Then came the day when the father was reading the newspaper and he read some devastating news.  He told the family to gather around and listen while he read an obituary:

Flat Stanley died suddenly after hiking the Warner Trail in Wrentham, MA.  He was born in a book by Jeff Brown and was a proud friend to all and enjoyed being mailed all around the globe. He will be missed by everyone, especially by young readers in the first grade.
         A funeral Mass will be held at St. Mary’s.  His internment will be private.  In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Literacy Project.

Susie was distraught!  She fell off the shelf!  No one noticed.  

The children took the opportunity to express the wish that they wanted the sequel to the book, Flat Stanley—Pancake Patti, as a Hanukah or Christmas gift.

Moshe, ever the mensch, was already making room on the bench for the new book.

Susie was on the floor, having been pulled off the shelf by a heavy heart.  Moshe’s heart went out to Susie and when all was quiet, he went over to Susie and helped her up to his bench.

And that’s how the family found them in the morning.  Susie’s head was resting on Moshe’s shoulder and his arm was around her.

They made the perfect couple.