Nobody Cared

  "Mommy and Daddy are so mean," cried Sarah.  "They sent me to my room.  All I did was make Mommy's walls pretty with my new crayons."

  Sarah sniffled her nose and wiped the tears from her eyes. "I know Ralph!  We'll run away!  Then they'll be sorry!"

  Ralph, a blue, flop ear, stuffed rabbit listened quietly as Sarah planned their trip.  She even got past the problem of crossing the street alone using all the logic of her four and a half years.  "You will be with me, so I won't be alone."  Sarah hugged Ralph tightly.  "We can cross the street together." 

  Having settled that problem Sarah fell asleep on her bed.

 
  "Good morning Sarah."

  Rubbing the sleep from her eyes, Sarah sat up and looked around.  Her dolls were all in their crib and Ralph was sitting in the rocking chair.  Her voice trembled a bit as Sarah asked, "Who said that?"

  "I did," said a voice over by Ralph.

  Just a little scared, Sarah looked at Ralph.  "Did you say that Ralph?"

  "I sure did," said Ralph as he hopped out of the rocking chair.  "Hurry.  We have to go."

  Relieved, now that she knew who was talking, Sarah pushed her blond hair out of her face.  "Where are we going Ralph... and how come you never talked to me before?"

  "Don't you remember?"  Ralph led her to the door.  We're running away."

  "Oh yeah.  But I didn't know you could talk," said Sarah as she walked along.  "Oh well." She shrugged her shoulders.  "I'm glad you can talk now."

  Ralph reached for the doorknob and Sarah giggled.  "That's the wrong door Ralph.  That's my closet."  Sarah was very surprised though when the door opened.  It was not her closet after all.  She followed the rabbit through the door, then looked back.  She had been so sure that was her closet.  Still looking back at the door Sarah asked, "Where are we going Ralph?"

  "We're going to a place where you can do anything you want to.  No one there will send you to your room; not even if you color all the walls," said Ralph as he led her along.

  That sounded just fine to Sarah who was busy looking around.

  Birds were flying and squirrels were playing tag in the branches of storybook trees.  The grass was soft like carpet under her feet.  A colorful butterfly landed on her arm and then flew away.  There were rainbows and fluffy cottonball clouds spread across a sky of the palest blue.

  It was such a pretty place.  It reminded Sarah of the picture books on her shelf at home.

  "It's just over this hill Sarah."  Ralph's eyes twinkled in the sunlight.

  Sarah had been so caught up in everything around her that Ralph's voice startled her.

  Ralph smiled at Sarah's squeal of delight as they came at last to the top of the hill.

  Below her stood the most amazing town she had ever seen!  There were houses lined up neat in rows, each one a different color, like a wooden rainbow of squares.  White picket fences lined each yard and there were parks full of children playing.

  The smell of gingerbread and cookies was in the air.  Sarah remembered that she hadn't eaten and was hungry.  "Can I go down and eat some cookies Ralph?"

  "Sure," laughed Ralph.  "You can do anything you want to.  Nobody will care."  Sarah barely heard him say, as she ran down the hill toward those wonderful smells, "If you need me, just call and I will come."

  When Sarah reached the bottom of the hill she found a cart loaded with cookies, candies, and sweetbreads.  Sarah reached for a gingerbread cookie the size of both her hands.  After a quick look around, to make sure nobody was going to scold her, she began to eat.


  Sarah spent the rest of the day having a wonderful time.  When she was hungry, she ate all the candy and cookies she wanted.  Nobody cared. 

  When she wanted to watch television she just went into any house, it didn't matter which one, and watched cartoons until her eyes got tired.  Nobody cared.

  When she wanted to make mudpies in the kitchen, nobody told her she couldn't, and nobody stopped her from coloring the walls with crayons either.

  As Sarah lay in a bed that night caked in mud, sticky with cotton candy and cookies, she wondered what would happen tomorrow.

  Sarah was just about to fall asleep when she realized she hadn't gotten any goodnight hugs or kisses from anyone.  Although she'd had such a wonderful day, it didn't feel right going to sleep without hugs.  Sarah fell asleep wondering if Mommy and Daddy missed her goodnight hugs too.


  The next morning Sarah was still sleepy as she went downstairs to get some cereal.  When she reached the kitchen, she stopped.  This... was not her kitchen.  This... was not her house.  Where was Mommy with her breakfast? 

  She was a little scared.  Then, Sarah remembered where she was, and feeling only a little better, went outside to get her own breakfast.

  At the park, Sarah found a cart and ate cookies, candy, and ice-cream for breakfast.  Her tummy didn't feel so well.  She looked around for someone to make it feel better.  Nobody cared.

  When she fell down and skinned her knee, nobody came to hold her and wipe away her tears because nobody cared.

  Now... crying with a tummy ache and a skinned knee, Sarah remembered Ralph's words.  "Just call and I will come."

  "Ralph!  Where are you?", Sarah cried.

  "Right here Sarah.  Is something wrong?", Ralph said as he walked to where Sarah was sitting.

  "Oh Ralph," Sarah cried.  "I want to go home.  I have a tummy ache and I hurt my knee.  See."  She held her knee up for him to inspect.  "Nobody here cares... but Mommy would."

  Tenderly, Ralph wiped the tears from Sarah's face.  "Okay Sarah.  If that's what you want to do, I'll take you home."


  As they left the rainbow colored town, Ralph smiled as he listened to Sarah tell him of her adventures.  His eyes twinkled as she told him what a good girl she was going to be from now on.

  Knowing she was leaving made Sarah feel much better.  Excited to be going home to see Mommy and Daddy, Sarah ran ahead.

  It felt as though she had been running for a long long time.  "How much farther Ralph?"

  When Ralph didn't answer her question, Sarah looked around.  "Ralph? Ralph!  Where are you?"  Frantically, Sarah searched, but the blue stuffed rabbit was nowhere in sight.


  "Sarah.  Sarah.  Honey, wake up."

  Confused, Sarah sat up in her bed.  She looked around.  There she was, in her own room.  There was Mommy sitting beside her on the bed.

  Sarah flung herself into Mommy's arms.  "Oh Mommy!  I love you.  I missed you.  I promise I'll be a good girl from now on!"  Sarah squeezed her mother tightly.

  Surprised, Mommy hugged her back.  "I love you too Sweetie, but what are you talking about?  You haven't gone anywhere.  You've only been asleep."  She smoothed Sarah's hair.  "You must have had a bad dream.  Everything is okay Sweetie.  Nothing is going to happen to you.  Mommy and Daddy are here."

  Sarah looked at her mother.  "But Mommy, it was real.  There was candy and cookies and rainbow houses."  Sarah pointed to the chair where Ralph was sitting.  "Ralph was with me!"

  Again, her mother stroked her hair.  "Sometimes dreams can seem very real Sarah, but it was only a dream.  Ralph is only a toy and he can't really walk or talk."  She gave Sarah another hug, stood and walked to the door.  "Now come down to lunch and tell Mommy and Daddy all about your dream."

  After Mommy left her room, Sarah looked at the blue rabbit.  "Was it just a dream Ralph?"  She walked to the rocking chair and looked closely at Ralph.  "Oh well.  I guess it doesn't matter.  I have to go downstairs for lunch now.  See you later Ralph," said Sarah with a wave.

    Sarah left the room and there, in the chair, sat Ralph.  A blue, flop ear, stuffed rabbit with a twinkle in his eye.