That Summer Day...

Once upon a time there was sunshine in Seattle.

Wait, wait, wait. I know this sounds far-fetched but stay with me. It's true. In fact, everything I'm about to tell you is true. And if you can believe it, this story is about to take an even more unbelievable turn.

There was a dad, and a little guy named ... Let's call him E for the duration of this story.

So the Dad and E decided they needed to take advantage of the sun so they packed a bag and headed out to the forest nearby.

Something you should know about E before we get into this story much more is that he loves leaves. And in a forest, there are a lot of leaves. So he was pretty happy. And when E is happy the Dad is happy.

As they were walking through the dense, lush forest they came upon a magical creature...

Oh wait. Nope. That's just E again.

Well, E decided it was time to stop for a snack. But he doesn't eat the same things other humans eat so he thought the tastiest thing within in reach was his baby throne (aka his carrier)! And no matter what the Dad tried to do, there was no stopping E from chomping down.

So after E finished his snack and they started back on their way through the forest they..

Oh look! There's that magical creature I was talking about.

So E stopped and watched the magical creature studying its habits, trying to learn its secrets. But the Dad got tired of watching it inch along and so they went on their way before the creature even had a chance to perform one great magical act.

Soon they came to a long, dark (okay, not that dark or long) tunnel and they hesitantly stepped inside.

But before any of the evil creatures lurking in the tunnel could get to them they made it out the other side! 

And were greeted by the sounds of the waves lapping at the shore and a beautiful sunny day. 

  As soon as they made it to the ocean shore (aka the Puget Sound) a scary lady (aka the Mom) appeared out of nowhere and dipped the little E in the ocean waves. At first he was confused but the longer the scary lady kept him there the more he realized it was much too cold for his refined tastes. Despite the adventurer he was becoming, he still preferred hot baths in the confines of his own home, and who can blame him because that water was indeed cold.

The scary lady demanded one picture with E so he appeased her so she'd leave him alone and he could continue on his way with the Dad.

 

Back in his throne, E and the Dad, stared contemplatively at water. No. No this was no place for someone like E to be raised. They'd leave this place to the crabs and the seagulls. 

 So they waded out and said goodbye to the ocean and promised to come again another day.

 And then the Dad stood unaware that a train was about to hit him in the head while E still stared wistfully at the incoming waves.

 Luckily, it was just an optical illusion and the train cruised on by without incident. (See .. everyone's still okay!)

As the Dad and E made their way back to the shore they discovered something wonderful. The water was warmer in this place, where the tide brought it in and then it sat heated by the sun.

 And E wasn't quite yet ready to say goodbye to the waves

 

so the Dad slowly extracted him from his throne and dipped his feet in the ocean one last time (or so he thought). 

 And even though he was ecstatic to be in this warm water, he was getting tired from a long day of exploring and seeing new things.

So they continued back toward the shore until they came across an ugly octupus. But E saved the day and slew the foul beast where it stood.

 And then E and the Dad climbed up a rocky mountain face ...

Oh wait, nope. They just hung out on a log for awhile and played in the sand.

 And when it was finally time to go, the Dad took E down to the water one last time (for reals this time) to rinse his feet before returning him back to his rightful place in his throne.

And as they walked, E yawned and cuddled with the Dad. 

 

But he kept his eyes open because there was so much to see in this great big world.

Until he just couldn't keep them open any longer. And then he fell asleep.

And he dreamed about an adventure in a forest where he met a magical creature and he slayed an evil foul beast and he contemplated living in the ocean but he decided it was no place for a boy like him...

because he was happy with the Dad and the Scary Lady at home where he could take warm baths and play on the ground without getting sand in his toes.

The End

(I guess I lied, not all of that story was completely true)