Red Umbrella Man

Red Umbrella Man

On my way to walk with some friends, I see a man with a red umbrella. Curious. It is about 20° and cloudy. I wouldn’t think an umbrella is required today.

“Say, there, why are you carrying an umbrella?” I asked the man.

The red umbrella dips behind him. He grins, then walks away, the red umbrella back over his head.

As I meet my friends for our walk, I tell them about the red umbrella man.

“Oh, you just met the umbrella man,” states Meg.

“He’s harmless and carries that umbrella every time he’s outside. Summer, winter, spring, fall. Always that red umbrella,” says Shelley.

“But why?”

Shelley, Meg and Joy looked at each other.

Then Joy spoke. “We forgot you’re new here. So, as the legend goes, one day umbrella man was walking along.”

“Pardon me, but does he have a name?” I needed to get all the facts.

“Shelley, what’s his name?” Joy asked.

“I think it’s Al. But maybe George. Perhaps Mike…” Joy gave her a look.

“Anyway, one summer’s day umbrella man was walking along a back road to Winnett when suddenly a rock hit him. Out of the blue. A rock hit him on the head. Ever since he’s carried a red umbrella. I think one this is number five.”

“He thinks an alien threw that rock, and that an umbrella will deflect an alien’s radar,” stated Meg. “Plus they can’t see red.”

“I thought it was green we couldn’t see,” stated Shelley.

W/C 249