Jarful of Stories - The Day After April Fool's Day

this week's story

Broadcast: March 27, 2011

My family suffered through my jokes and tricks each April Fool's Day. For that I'm sorry. But I still like to pull tricks on April Fool's Day because it is the one day each year that Foolishness reigns! And thank goodness! Here's is a family of armadillos who experienced a rather special April Fool's Day. See if you agree.

THE DAY AFTER APRIL FOOL'S DAY

One day his mother told him the truth.
    "Joey," she said lovingly as she dumped the salt from the sugar bowl and replaced the sugar. "Armadillos don't like foolery. We're the most serious animals out here on the plains of Texas. Ask anyone. Your father doesn't like it when you fill his shoes with sand. Lucy doesn't like it when you put black paint on her glasses while she was asleep so when she wakes up she can't tell if she's asleep or not. I don't like it when you dig a hole and bury your school books. No, I don't. And your jokes — well, let me just say that they are very painful, dear."
    "Aw, mom," said little Joey. "Who says armadillos can't have fun?"
    "Joey, what you don't understand is that we live like animals. We never know from one minute to the next what will happen. One of us might wander onto the highway or a flood could come roaring by and sweep us away. You need to be more serious."
    "Ok, Mom," Joey said. "I'll be a serious armadillo for a change. But can't there be one day a year when I can have fun? Just one day?"
    "No," his mother said. "Armadillos don't' like foolery."
    Because Joey loved his mother he agreed to do as she asked. And because he was just a young armadillo pup, he thought she might know better. If his mother wanted Joey to be more serious he would at least give it a try.
    And then it rained.
    Now, rain isn't unheard of in the plains of west Texas. Joey knew all about clouds and he understood the idea of water but when both of those things combined and the rain tumbled from the sky, the entire Armadillo family rejoiced. Just because it didn't happen very often.
    So on that day they were all out of their den playing in the wet dirt. The rain brought out other creatures, too, including one that nobody in the Armadillo family noticed, lurking along the creosote bushes next to the highway.
    "Psst, kid," Joey heard a voice say.
    "Who's there?"
    "Come over here for a minute and I'll tell you," the voice said.
    "Uh, I don't know about that," Joey said. "What if you're a coyote or something?"
    "A coyote?" the creature asked. "Are coyotes bad?"
    "Well, yes, they are. They have sharp teeth and quick paws and they are not our friends."
    "Then send your sister over here so she can find out who I am."
    "My young sister? You mean Lucy?"
    When Lucy heard her named called she waddled through the wet dirt towards Joey.
    "What's going on?" she asked.
    "Lucy," Joey warned.
    But it was too late. In a flash the coyote snatched up Lucy his mouth and started trotting away.
    Since Lucy was still young her shell had not fully formed so even rolling up in a ball wouldn't help.
    Joey had to think fast. He caught up with the coyote and said, "Before you eat my sister I'd like to tell you something. Did you hear about the truck that came down this road a week ago? It was a refrigerator truck and it was delivering a load of penguins to the Austin City Zoo."
    "What?" the coyote asked while still holding the young armadillo in his mouth.
    "The truck broke down right here in front of where we live," Joey said. "It was a hot day and the driver was worried about the penguins. They like it cold, you know."
    By this time the coyote had stopped and sat down on his haunches to listen.
    "Well, a rancher who lived down the road came along in his cattle truck and stopped to see if he could help," Joey continued. "‘These penguins need to get to the zoo in Austin right away where its cool,' the truck driver said. ‘I'll give you $25, ok?' So the rancher took the penguins and sped off for Austin. A while later the truck driver sees the cattle truck heading back the other way and flags him down. ‘What are you doing?' the driver asks the rancher.'I thought I told you to take these penguins to the zoo.' Well, the rancher was hurt by the truck driver's tone of his voice. He said, ‘We've been to the zoo and since we had some money left over we thought we'd drive to San Antonio and go to a movie.'"
    The coyote couldn't help but laugh at Joey's joke and as soon as he did, Lucy scrambled free and hurried under a thorn bush where the coyote dare not go.
    "You tricked me!" the coyote barked. "That was a good joke but it wasn't fair that you tricked me. Now I'm going to eat you!"
    Well, Joey rolled up in a ball to protect himself and tickled the coyote when the creature came close.
    "Oh, for goodness sake," the coyote snapped. "You armadillos are looney. I'm going to find something more serious to eat."
    Just like that he was gone. Joey's mother saw what happened and came over to hug her son just as Lucy emerged from the safety of the thorn bush.
    "Joey," she said, "you saved your sister! I'm so proud of you. And I heard what that coyote said about finding more serious things to eat. We're so lucky to have you to help us stay safe."
    "Thanks, Mom," Joey said. "Does that mean I can pull tricks on the family now?"
    "Uh, no, Joey," his mother said.
    "But mom, I just saved Lucy. Isn't that worth something?"
    "Well," she thought, "I guess you can do some foolishness once a year, on April Fool's Day, and that's all. Unless, of course, you're saving our lives."
    She gave her son a kiss and looked forward to the day after April Fool's Day.

The End

I like the end of this story. As I wrote it I thought, poor Joey, he deserves to have a little fun now and then — but so many people are so serious these days. Joey's mother included. But anyway, she gave in because she loved him. The most telling part of the story comes in the last line when she admits that she is looking forward to his foolishness being over!