Story Samples - "A Toy Train"
(This is a sample of this story. You must purchase "Kid Tales" to read the entire story.)
Jimmy’s grandpa was a very silly old man. His favorite thing to do was laugh. But not
regular laughing. No, Grandpa Thomas liked knee slapping, belly grabbing, laugh
so hard you can barely breathe type of laughing. He was always making Jimmy
laugh, too. Sometimes he would make funny faces or strange noises behind
peoples’ backs. Other times he would sit Jimmy down and tell him long tales of
crazy adventures he had been on when he was a younger man.
“When I was a young man,” he would always start. And that was usually
followed by a tale of wrestling tigers in the jungle, or scaling a mountainside
with a donkey strapped to his back. One of his favorite stories, and Jimmy’s
favorite, too, was about the time that Grandpa Thomas had snuck onto a train and
rode all the way across the country. He would tell Jimmy about all the sites he
had seen and all the interesting people he met. Jimmy thought that traveling on
a train was about the most fun thing anyone could do, and he loved anything
having to do with trains.
A few months before his birthday, Jimmy had seen a bright red and black
toy train in a toy catalogue. It was such a beautiful train that Jimmy couldn’t
stop staring at it.
“Mom,” he said. “Can you buy me that toy train? I’d really love to have
it.”
“Not today, Jimmy,” she said. “You’ll have to wait for your
birthday.”
“My birthday?!!” Jimmy shrieked.
That seemed like it would take an eternity to arrive. Jimmy wasn’t sure
how he would be able to wait that long. He tore the picture out of the catalogue
and went to find his Grandpa Thomas.
Jimmy found Grandpa Thomas out in the garage dancing to the radio. That
was the other thing he liked to do, dance. He would dance by himself, or with
Jimmy’s mom, or with anyone else who was standing near by. Sometimes he would
even dance with a broom!
“Jimmy boy, what can I do for you?” Grandpa Thomas yelled over the music.
He continued to dance around Jimmy’s father’s car.
“I want to show you something, Grandpa!” Jimmy
yelled.
“What was that, Jimmy boy?” he yelled
back.
Jimmy was very intent on showing his grandfather the picture of the toy
train, so he walked over to the radio and turned the volume down.
“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Grandpa Thomas said.
“I want to show you what I want for my birthday. Take a look at this
picture,” Jimmy responded.
“Why didn’t you say so my boy? Let me have a look at that.” Jimmy handed
the picture to Grandpa Thomas who examined it very closely.
“Wooh! She’s a beaut!” Grandpa yelled. “Boy, that’s got to be the finest
looking train I’ve ever seen. Reminds me of the Mississippi Madam. I
conducted that train for three years while I was training to be a rodeo clown.
Had to make a little extra money, so I sold coal
to…”
“Grandpa!” Jimmy interrupted.
“What, what?” he said.
“The picture. Isn’t it a great train? Will you get it for me for my
birthday?” Jimmy looked at his grandfather
hopefully.
“A birthday present, huh? Well, I don’t know. Where will you keep it?”
Grandpa Thomas asked.
“I, um, in my bedroom I guess,” Jimmy
replied.
“Bedroom, huh? What about the coal? Where will you keep that? Very dirty
stuff that coal,” Grandpa Thomas said.
“I don’t know…” Jimmy said, very confused. “I…I guess in the
garage?”
“Ah, yes. A perfect place the garage would be. Well then, you seem to
have all the answers. I see no reason why I shouldn’t get you said train. Are
you sure you want to wait until your birthday though?” Grandpa
asked.
“Wait? No, I don’t want to wait, but Mom said…” Jimmy nearly shouted,
very excited at the prospect of getting the toy train sooner.
(Story Continues)