Ouiji Needs
on his fifth birthday, 1952
**************
Prelude:
Once upon a time, when the world was almost young, when boys & girls had not yet grown
into woman and man...children ruled, and it was always Spring. Always sun.
Enter the moon.
________
*****************
When Ouiji turned four years old on the 10th of June, the year was 1951, and his parents had just volunteered to attend the Korean War. The soldiers needed Doctors & Nurses, and this Mr. & Mrs. Needs were.
An only child, Ouiji missed them dearly; but he had the company of his twenty-five teddy bears, a very large library, and the neat going away gift of a 1946 version of
The New Winston Dictionary for Children,
the contents of which he was encouraged to learn within the year they would be parted.It had
1100 Pictorial Illustrations
and was published by
The John C. Winston Company
Chicago Philadelphia TorontoThe dark green covered dictionary was to be a one year primer,630 pages of learning paced over 364 days--one year until his parents return.
<><><>
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His Mom & Dad entered The Service on June the 11th,
when he was a day past four. Barring transportation problems;
they promised to return to Ouiji and their lovely
Landover, Maryland home by birthday number five.
It was intimated that the celebration would be enormous;
candles lit, cakes and accoutrements.Until then,
Ouiji was to reside in Baltimore,
and be cared for by his only relative, Zara LaBroome.Aunt Zara did not believe in celebrating birthdays,
and she never would approve of Teddy Bears.Once his parents waved goodbye, and the black car took them away, Ouiji looked solemnly at his bears, and they looked back.
Everyone seemed to think it would not be an easy year.
<><><>
Mere moments after her guardianship began,
Zara too, looked forward to Mr. & Mrs. Needs return.She was not fond of children,
especially if they resided in the same house as her.
Ouiji's big soft eyes were blue, or brown, and always spilling with life; but that did not count for Aunt Zara liking him one whit.
<><><>
Zara's angularity held hard curves;
and while her eyes were set wide apart,
Zara had a way of keeping them close.
Her eyes were colourless cold, and only saw an unwanted child and his bothersome bears.Thrice divorced, Aunt Zara had never taken any of her husbands surnames; but this slight was not why each was to sever their Zara ways.
Having few emotions, and bearing no middle name,
Ouiji's aunt was always and only known as
Zara LaBroome.A skinflint with lovings,
her kisses were shallow pretend;
Zara's busses were takings without given,
acts meant only for her own lips.
[Upon seeking confessional absolution,
Zara's final husband stated that she tried too hard at love;
her heart was not soft enough to nestle husband or child.]________
As a young woman, Zara had inherited a
twin sized baby buggy:
it's owner barren of womb; the buggy was doomed to never-use.
$$$$$$$
The only thing his aunt cared for nowadays was silverware;
her collection of sterling patterns.
Mainly she loved tablespoons, soup spoons & tureens.
She loved the range of scoop & contain.
Temporarily, this was to be his 'new mother.'
Zara, a sere woman of forty-three.
Still, the boy had the company of his bears,
and the trusty prescence of his Winston Dictionary
--the first ten months passed fairly swiftly.
Just a few more new and old moons would mark his fifth birthday, and parents return.
***
June 10th, 1952
Their part in the war over,
Mr. & Mrs. Needs return was to have been on Ouiji's birthday's eve."Perhaps their train was delayed," Aunt Zara's
reasoning was not very helpful, her manner vague.
"Say your prayers, perhaps tomorrow will explain."Ouiji fell asleep
fully expecting his parents to be there, when he awoke.They would not miss his big day, would be right there!
--after all,
breakfast was the time his parties always began.
A party at dawn meant that he, his parents & the bears
would be free to savour and celebrate the many
after teas and leftover treats...
all the way throughout the day
...and right up until the time he was tucked into bed.<><>
Mr. & Mrs. Needs were not there when he awoke.
"--but things always begin at dawn," Ouiji whispered
outside his sleeping guardian's door.
"The Lighting of the Candles is to be at eight AM sharp."
"Why aren't they here for their promise?"
Quietly, he rubbed the door's brown surface;
as if, perhaps, to awaken a sleeping genie,
or an adult who might answer a boy's wish."They said they would, be here. And their hearts don't lie.
Mom & Dad promised
we would gather together to use
the magic wands he carved.
We are going to light enough birthday wishes to last a whole 'nother year!
They are never late."Aunt Zara, won't they be here, in an hour or two?"
The slumbering woman did not hear a boy's soft words
...would not have understood, even if she had.
<><>
"Perhaps they will arrive this evening,"
Aunt Zara yawningly said,
when she finally rousted herself from bed at ten in the morning.
"Here, have a birthday," she handed him a plain white envelope. "Open it once your wish has been made."
And she left.
"Perhaps...they aren't coming home at all,"
The Teddy Devil silently supposed.
"Not coming home, forever..."
the bear named Cocomo Faux was the first toy,
perhaps the only bear,
to catch Aunt Zara's drift.
<><><>
Cocomo Faux
The Teddy Devil><><><
Lunch was over; supper passed.
*
His birthday lingered toward evening.
*
Dusk approached; the anticipations fruitless.
*
Ouiji's only birthday card lay on the table in front of him.
He rather doubted it was a present, or even a well wishing.
The boy really did not want to open it;
before or after wishes had been made.Some of the bears were worried too.
After a year's acquaintance, they felt they almost knew Aunt Zara too;
inklings gained had been mostly scary.
()
Ouiji poked the card a bit.
A birthday party was so much nicer
when each guest and every presence
was welcome.
His only relative's note seemed ominous; especially as it read:especially as the cover said:
Oujii Needs
from
Aunt Zara
____
She had spelled his name wrong.
Stuffed together; two i's on one side of the j.
<><><>
Ouiji Needs stared steadily ahead. Untouched, a dozen wooden wands lay nestled in the silver cup. --within his grasp if he moved just a bit; Ouiji waited for the ripe moment when he would be just old enough.
Before his father went away,
Ouiji had watche him carefully split and carve each
long thin ironwood stick,
and stick them in his silver babies cup.
This is your cup, your fork and spoon.
When you enter kindergarden at five years of age,
you shall have earned the knife.The cup symbolizes your birth.
Weaned at one year of age;
that's when you got your spoon;
the fork earned at three.
'When you are five years of age,
you graduate to knife and flame.'
The magical wands were meant to be for his fifth birthday,
his father's deep and true voice had deemed:
when the boy would be old enough to hold one end of a stick and
carefully light each cakes' candle.
His father had vowed to ignite the initial match of their reunion party:
that flame to light the tip of Ouiji's first 'big boy' wand.
Between Dad & himself,
the next birthday was to be somewhat like the American Indians blood bond he had seen performed on TV that Sunday night
he had been allowed to stay up late.
...a mixing of intents and generations;
father & son;
and his mother always made the most and best tiny kinds
of all cakes...and they would take his picture,
and clap when he blew the candles out;
would watch him another way toward part grown up.
The vision was more than splendid, and already real.
The day they left, the day after his fourth birthday
he promised, 'Only three hundred days, and sixty-four more,
make a full year...when someone's left,
the day before.'
Ouiji so looked forward to a fifth birthday's wishes.
<><><
Twilight was closing in.
He would have to light the candles on his own,
or this birthday would be over without even
a single wish.
(But what five year old
who was all alone, could be trusted with matches?)
[Wouldn't it be a foolish sin to play with flame?]
<>
Twilight came.
Arrayed about the low table that was just their height;
twenty-five bears sat upon the carpet,
in waiting for the party's begin.
Honeybee Destiny;
the bear he had gotten on his First BreathDay, his Zero BirthDay;
was the guest of honour,
and sat to his immediate left.
Ouiji patted Honeybee's knee.
He looked at each of his pets for a few moments;
his gaze circling 'round the table,
while he thought of what to do.
The bears were mostly old, and very different.
There were black, white,
brown,
soft charcoal and honey ones.The one which was oldest had jointed arms, legs and head,
and was from 1909.Others were made of felt, real fur,
mohair, satin & lace,
velvet and pigs ear.
Some had eyes of glass--some buttons or coins.
There were grizzly, black, polar and panda bears;
but no Winnie the Poohs,
'cause he wasn't a real teddy.But each bear had one thing in common:
left over from lost childhoods,
they had all been abandoned by 'Growing Ups'.
Relics of left childhoods,
all of the teddys had been found by his parents
at yard sales, thrift stores,
Salvation Armies or St. Vincents.Gathered throughout the birthday to birthday year,
the bears were wrapped in colorful papers & ribbons;
then stored away in cubbyholes
until his birthday came
&
the stuffed toys were to a boy presented.
__________
He had gotten one on his first day of life,
a second bear at age one:
bothe very especial,
Honeybee Destiny,
then
Candy And.
_______
His next three birthdays brought five,
seven, then eleven bears:
gifts in lively wrappings & presented bows.
That is how he had gotten
twenty-five teddys.
Ouiji had expected many more.
As early as this morning.
He could not wait for Mother & Father Needs return.
*****
Ouiji Needs had always believed...
'If the boy is true, the bear will be too,'
'Therefore,'
thought the boy who had studied
The New Winston Childrens Dictionary for
more than
three hundred and sixty days:
'No matter what a teddy bears' age, color or nation of manufacture:
teddys are born anew...
when given with love.'
***
Since June the 10th was his birthday,
it became each bears' day of birth too!!
______
Cake, candle & wish!
(at least once a year)
each and all of them deserved their own sweet favorites:
prophetic flames and hopeful dreams.
*****
Chocolate Marshmallow
an essence of cake
=========
<><>
It was twilight,
June the 10th of 1952,
and up to the boy himself to fire the candles,
if wishes were to be.He slipped the thin white envelope
an aunt's gift;
under the table,
and forgot she existed.
888
Gracing the party,
twenty-six small colorfully cupped cakes
provided a very festive setting.Each bear's favourite wish had been honoured; duly catered.
Covered with frostings of many shades,
there were desserts of
chocolate marshmallow and coconut;
spice raisin, & walnut pecan;
white vanilla, lemon, and cherry chunk--
lay arrayed about the table.Exquisite cakes of fudge macaroon:
chocolates both dark rich
&
light brown;
cinnamon apple, pumpkin and bundt;
german chocolate
white vanilla
& carrot cake;
almond & angel and more
--the enfolding cupcake papers so gay,
tho' each candle was pure white."Petite fours. Little cakes, they look so good,"
the French Bear cooed.
"How sweet they shall taste."
A stick match was lit,
one end of his father's wand was now aflame
&
a boy began walking about the table
in a counter clockwise direction,
lighting candles as he went."A white wish for the wisest of Teddy Bears, Ageless Sea!"
Ouiji said.
"Dear Ageless, who loves to ride comets & rainbows
as he hunts for golden cherubims
on his horsie-dinosaur Pegasaurous."And who do we have here?
Bookends Closing! the Librarian Bear
--a white wish for her.
"...and another for the scribe Dusty Tabloids,
who hopes to become a true Journalist,
should his fluent compassion continue to grow."Here is one clean-white-wish for Cocomo Faux,
tho' his soul be dark as interior coal."Freshly fired & fullyflare,
my Father's Wand delivers
a white wish for Warp Steady, The Space Pilot,
and another for his girl copilot
Superhero's Space Gun!"
He wiggled her paw.
"And then, there must be,
'cause he is so deserving of the luxury he provides,
the comfit of a comfortable
wish come true
for the Butler Deluxe, HOMEWINTER
NIGHT."
As Ouiji paused to tip a long glowing ashen stem into an extra
soup spoon neither he nor the teddys were using; he thought about
how naturally the bears names had come to him.
like Cookie Sugars, the French girl who looked
as if she were a gingerbread bear
ready to run on two hind legs;
and the round bear Penny Copper--
who was merely a stray head
his mother had restuffed and sewn together;
yet Ouiji thought she was cute,
and not at all scary.
