If you liked Rainy Day Cindy, Part 1, I hope you’re ready! She’s about to take life to a whole new level.
One day Cindy got a cold! "Achoo!" she sneezed!
In case you’re wondering, I was never bedridden due to a cold as a child. Also, I did not spell as well as this. There are many more spelling mistakes in the rough copy; my mom (also my homeschooling teacher) edited all my work.
Her mother came in with a cup of hot juice. "Thank - achoo! - you," she said.
Just so you know, that is the absolute spitting image of my mom. And I seem to remember she sometimes offered us hot juice when our throats hurt.
Daddy came running in. "Achoo" She sneezed again! Daddy gave her a handkerchief just as she said "Achoo!" Then she coughed and sputtered!
Coughing and sputtering! This is serious stuff! No wonder Daddy didn’t want to go past the quarantine line.
Then mother said "achoo!" too!
And her scar-faced doppelganger lurked in the corner. I can’t remember how this unfortunate, unerasable illustration came to be, but my frustration shows through in the shoddy colouring job on this page – and the fact that I couldn’t even be bothered to give the bed four legs, much less five or six (as on some pages).
What a commotion!
Have you EVER SEEN such a commotion?!
Mother went to bed. "The more sleep the better" she muttered.
My use of the word “muttered” is indicative of the beginning of my love affair with expressive words. It wasn’t long after this that I started using my special red writing notebook, in which I had a whole long list of “good words”, ones I just liked the sound of, ones around which I would engineer sentences so I could use them.
Next day there was a circus! But Cindy was too sick to go! Poor Cindy!
You may remember that I really liked exclamation points as a child.
The next was brite and sunny. Cindy knew it was her birthday and she wrote a letter. I would like you to come to my party! Cindy. J. Miller - Next day was Cindy's birthday! But Cindy was still sick!
Cindy J. Miller. That sounded like the coolest name ever, to me.
But Daddy had an idia! He'd do a circus. He would be a clown.
His pants do look a bit idiatic. Not to mention his freakish arms. [Please don't take it personally, Mini-Di. I do love your drawings.]
Daddy invited some people to the house. That day they practesed doing things that circus people do.
Are you wondering what are the “things that circus people do”? Me too. [Side note: I totally wanted one of those mirrors with lights all around it.]
July fith was the birthday.
The days are abbreviated as Mon., Tuse., Wend., Thers., Fri., Sater., and Sun.
Cindy looked out the window on her birthday. It was raining again! "I don't like this!" she said.
Ah, back to five legs on the bed. Whew. (Still half-assed colouring, though. I remember how much bigger a project this turned out to be than I’d anticipated – it was hard work and I was getting tired by this point.)
At last it was time for the circus! Henry was a jugiler.
Don’t worry – all these kids have phenomenal immune systems. Their parents are fine with them going to the birthday party of an germ-infested invalid.
Lee was a clown like Daddy.
Scary clown. Don’t get on Lee’s bad side.
Will was a trapeze artist.
And the trapeze was… strapped to the light fixture in Cindy’s bedroom.
Ann was a doll that did tricks!
Like that crazy thing with her knee! And her shoulder… I think she was actually a triple-jointed break-dancer.
When Cindy saw the circus parading in, oh! How she did burst with excitement!
Unfortunately, it appears her face did actually burst.
Afterwards they all sang happy birthday! Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Cindy, happy birthday to you! Cindy blushed
I remember well how much trouble it was writing “birthday” that many times. That’s a long word. But I was steadfast and I persisted.
"Now let's have the presents!" Mommy called. "Yes" said Cindy First Cindy opened the one with the pink wrapping paper. It was from Ann. They cheered when they saw it! It was a stuffed dog with a collar that said DO NOT FEED IT! IT'S ALREDY STUFFED!
I’m afraid I cannot take credit for that joke – the funniest joke ever, to my six-year-old self. I’m pretty sure I saw a dog like this at someone else’s birthday party, and logged it away for future use.
Then she opened the one with the blue and white stripes. It was a book called: SAM HAS AN ADVENTURE.
As we found out in Part 1, Cindy knows all about adventures.
Then she opened the shiny glossy black one. It was from Lee, and it was a new pillow! Lee said "I heard you were needing one!" "Yes" said Cindy
“Glossy” also falls into the “good words” category. I know a pillow seems like a nerdy gift (as in, “Who invited that kid?”) but I remember thinking that a brand-new, super-fluffy pillow would be a most fantastic item possible.
Mother gave Will's present to her. It had red paper. Inside there were chocolates! "Thank you all! Achoo!" Everybody laughed, even Cindy laughed!
Sneezing is SO FUNNY!
Then Mommy said "Now let's have the cake!" When they had finished the cake it was time to say Good-by. Good-by all!
[That's her tongue on her face, by the way.]
What a relief that was, to be finished! You can tell I rushed the ending, since I didn’t even say what kind of cake it was, even after describing the wrapping paper on every present. I’m pretty sure I was getting close to my seventh birthday by the time I completed this – so it seemed to me to have taken years, especially if you take into account that the rough copy included a storyboard of the whole book.
Although I wrote several more stories, I never illustrated another one. (Too much work!) This one is my chef-d’oeuvre. I hope you liked it!
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Designed by Tim Sainburg from Brambling Design
Oh, I totally LOL!! AGAIN!
That was awesome! And as for liking exclamation points…who doesn’t?! They’re not just for kids any more!!
(and a few more, just for fun…!!!) I also really like ellipses… also known as dot, dot, dot… although I probably misuse them!!
oh, me, this has been great for my laughter quotient! all the parts – the illustrations, the text, the contemporary commentary – bliss! but i am truly shocked at the laxness of the colouring standards, especially from an artist later known and celebrated for her exceptional colouring skills!
Thanks, Auntie CL! It makes me happy that you got a belly laugh or two. And you’re so right… how did I go from this to colouring-contest queen??