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Kyle's Mabon Lesson
by Lori Dake, 2002
Kyle's Beltane Lesson, by Lori Dake, 2002
Kyle is a little boy who lives in a big city. He lives in big apartment building with 12 other families, and every family is very different, but they all get along. Kyle has a mom and a dad and a big orange cat named Sneaky. Like every other family in the big apartment building, Kyle's family is different, too.The last two weeks have given Kyle some very mixed feelings. He liked being back in school and was excited to be in a new classroom. Some of the kids were new, but some were not. Alejandro, Kyle's best friend, was in the same class with him, and they sat next to each other.
All of these things were good, but one of the new kids wasn't very nice. Anthony was bigger and older than anyone else, and mant times he was very mean to kids smaller than he. In fact, Anthony was so mean that he sometimes made the other kids cry!
A week before Mabon, Mr. Collins gave everyone a permission slip to take home to their parents. As Kyle read the form, he became very excited. "it's an apple pick!" he exclaimed. Alejandro smiled, because both of the boys heard about how much fun apple picks were. Mr. Collins was happy to hear Kyle's interest. "That's correct, Kyle," he stated. "Allow me to explain what we'll be doing, since not everyone has gone to one before."
Mr. Collins then began to discuss all of the fun things the class would be doing. "There's a hay ride, a tour, and all the apples you can carry," he began. All of the children became very excited, but for some reason, Anthony didn't. "Bah!" he grunted. "That's baby stuff!" He crumpled his permission slip into a ball and threw it onto the floor, right in front of Mr. Collins' feet!
Mr. Collins looked very disappointed, because he thought everyone would like the trip. "Anthony," he said in a calm yet stern voice. "Pick that form up off the floor and straighten it out. You need to take this home to your parents and have them read it." Anthony gave Mr. Collins a very sour look, sat up from his desk and picked up the wadded piece of paper. As he sat back down, he glared at both Kyle and Alejandro!
Kyle gulped! "I don't know why," he whispered to his friend, "but I think Anthony is mad at us!" Alejandro slowly looked over his shoulder. Just as Kyle suspected. Anthony was glaring at him as well, mouthing some very unpleasant things to Alejandro! "You're right, Kyle!" Alejandro whispered back. "We better run to our bus today!" And shortly thereafter when the dismissal bell rang, that is exactly what the boys did!
Later, while Kyle ate his dinner with his mom and dad, he began to explain what was happening at school. "Why haven't you told us sooner?" his dad asked in a concerned voice. "Because I thought if I left him alone, he would stop being so mean," Kyle replied. His mom rested her fork on her plate and thought a moment. "Dannie," she said, "that is what we always say is the best thing to do - to ignore people like that." Kyle's dad bore a crooked smile. "True," he replied, "but this is a lot different - he's dealing with a bully here!" Kyle and his mom both agreed and nodded their heads. "Would you like me to speak to your teacher?" his mom asked. Kyle shook his head. "Then Anthony will know and I'll be a tattle-tale!" he said. His mom and dad both shrugged their shoulders in agreement. "Kids can be cruel," she replied. "Well then how about a lift tomorrow?" his dad asked. "Plenty of room for a co-pilot! I'll just leave a little earlier." Kyle again shook his head. His mom and dad looked at each other and sighed. They wanted to help him, but they also wanted Kyle to manage his own problems. Of course, they did feel terriblebecause of all of Kyle's worries. "I'll see what happens tomorrow," Kyle concluded. "Okay?" His mom sighed heavily, but they both agreed.
The next morning, Kyle was very slow getting ready for school. He ate his cereal slowly, he drank his juice slowly, and he brushed his teeth slowly. Kyle was very afraid of what Anthony would do next! As he slowly opened his backpack, out fell the permission slip Mr. Collins had given him. He had completely forgotten about the trip! "Oh, here mom," he said as he handed her the form. "I'm sorry I forgot to give this to you." As she read the form, Kyle's mom noticed he needed five dollars and a bagged lunch in order to go. She also saw a request for parent volunteers to help chaperone the trip. "Kyle," she asked, "would you like your dad and I to go with you to this trip?" Kyle shrugged his shoulders. "Would Anthony call me a baby?" he thought to himself. "I don't care," he said under his breath. "Dad and I will talk about it tonight," his mom replied. "Okay?" She then removed a five dollar bill from her purse and sealed it in an envelope along with the form she had signed. She then handed it to Kyle, and he stuffed it in his backpack as he headed out the door.
At school, Anthony had seemed to have found new ways of becoming even meaner than the day before! He began to steal other people's lunches, he put his foot out to make people trip, and he always said very hurtful things. Of course, he always got into trouble when he was caught doing things like that, but that didn't seem to happen very often. Kyle and Alejandro stuck close together and tried to avoid Anthony as much as they could.
A couple days before the trip, Kyle again spoke to his mom and dad about Anthony. "No matter what I do, no matter what I say, no matter how many times he gets into trouble, Anthony is always there - and being very mean!!" Kyle's mom was very unhappy to hear of the boy's behavior. "There must be a reason he acts that way, and probably no one even knows why," she said. Then she came up with an idea. "I think I better come along with you and pick apples," she said with a soft smile. "Just to make sure you and your classmates enjoy yourselves." Kyle's dad winked at her. "Oh sure hon," he teased. "Don't you mean so that you will enjoy yourself?" Kyle's mom huffed as she put her hands on her hips. "Just kidding," he said and kissed her on the cheek. "I think it's a great idea - as long as Kyle don't mind a couple of us old folks tagging along," his dad said. Kyle laughed and nodded. "Okay," he replied happily. "And mom can pick alot of apples to bake us a big pie," he added. Kyle's dad smiled. "Sure!" she said. "Looks like we're going to have a wonderful family Mabon celebration this year!"
Kyle's dad called Jack, his friend at work, and asked him to take over on the following Friday. "That's right," he said over the phone, "I'm going with my son at his school." A moment later he spoke again. "I'll have the phone on me - call if you need anything." After another short pause, he said good-bye and hung up. "Okay," he said to Kyle, "I'm off the hook!" Kyle then looked at his mom. "I have a few days left at the office," she said, "and Dave owes me a favor, so I'm sure everything will be fine - don't worry." Kyle smiled, because now he knew that everyone was for sure going to go!
On the morning of the trip, Kyle's mom was up very early packing their picnic basket. She needed to be sure there would be enough for everyone to eat. "Better make a couple more sandwiches," she thought to herself. "Dannie gets awful hungry during the day!" Suddenly, she began to recall the time he ate a ten-foot submarine sandwich on a dare in less than an hour! She giggled to herself and started making more sandwiches.
Soon, Kyle woke up as well. He stumbled into the kitchen, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He walked right past his mom and into the pantry, looking for bags. He came across three large plastic bags with strong handles on them and folded them up. "These will be perfect!" he said as stuffed them into his backpack. His mom smiled and fished packing their lunch. Then she went to wake up Kyle's dad so everyone could get dressed for their special day.
Just before they walked out the door, Kyle remembered to give Sneaky a big hug good-bye. He opened a can of food for him and gave him a new dish of water. "Meoooowwww," Sneaky cried as the food came down to him. "Don't worry, Sneaky," Kyle said as he stroked his fur. "We'll be back later with lots and lots of apples!" Kyle petted Sneaky on the head and they headed out the door.
When they arrived at Kyle's school, Alejandro was already there, waiting for them in the playground. "Hey, Kyle!" Alejandro cried as he waved his friend over. "Check out the bag I brought!" Alejandro opened his bookbag and produced a very large paper and plastic bag with thin handles. "I'm going to pick the most apples today!" Kyle nodded. "That's a good bag alright," he replied, "but my mom and dad are here, too, and we all have big bags like that!" Alejandro sneered jokingly at his friend. "You cheater!" he pouted with a laugh. "Well, come on then!" he continued. "We need to go inside!" He waved his friend and his parents into the building, and they went inside.
When they entered Kyle and Alejandro's classroom, Kyle began to give his mom and dad a tour of the room. He pointed out an art project, a math quiz and a spelling test, all with excellect grades, all with his name on them. Kyle was very proud of the hard work he had done, and so were his mom and dad. Mr. Collins saw Kyle and his parents and went to greet them. "Thank you for coming today," he said and extended his hand. Kyle's mom and dad took turns shaking his hand and introduced themselves. "It's really not a problem," Kyle's mom said. "It's nice to see such active parents," Mr. Collins replied. "Really," his mom said, "it's no trouble. I think this is a wonderful way to welcome the season," she continued. Mr. Collins smiled and began to introduce them to the other three chaperones who would be going along.
When the first bell rang, Mr. Collins gathered everyone together and guided them down the stairs. A large yellow school bus was waiting for them, and the children boarded, while the adults followed. Kyle and Alejandro hurried to the back of the bus - their favorite place to sit.
As Kyle's mom boarded, she noticed a large boy fighting with two others. She became very angry! She saw where Kyle and Alejandro decided to sit, so she found a place for her and Kyle's dad in the back near the boys. She also ushered the boy who was fighting to sit in front of where she sat, in order to keep an eye on him. Kyle motioned to his mom that the boy was none other than Anthony! Kyle's mom winked at him knowingly with a soft smile, assuring the boys they would be alright.
Anthony was obviously unhappy with being forced to sit someplace he didn't want to be! And since none of the other children wanted to sit next to him, Anthony sat alone, and pouted the entire ride to the orchard. He was very upset with Kyle's mom, and he glared at her as he had done to Kyle and Alejandro before. She acted as if she didn't even notice, and led the group on the bus with many funny songs.
When they finally arrived, there were a few men sitting on tractors waiting for them. On teh backs of the tractors were large trailors filled with bales of hay. The group was led off by Mr. Collins and ushered to the trailors. The adults had the children climb aboard the trailors, and asked the children to find places to sit. One of the farmers asked everyone to sit down at all times, and to keep their heads and arms inside the trailors. "Is everyone ready?" one of the men asked. A loud chorus of "Yes!" came as teh reply, and the engines were started.
During the hay ride, Kyle looked all along the fields. He noticed that the farmers grew more than apples there. He saw green and orange pumpkins, tall stalks of corn, and lots and lots of green, leafy vegetables in neat rows. The crisp air had a funny smell to it, so Kyle guessed that there must also be animals living there.
When they arrived at a large shed near the orchard, the ride had ended. Everyone carefully climbed off the trailors and huddled together at the main entrance. The three men then opened the large doors and led everyone inside.
The farmers then began a tour of all the ways apples are used for. There was a very large machine that turned apples into cider and juice. Kyle knew the difference; cider is brown and tangy, while juice is more sweet and sort of clear. He loved it when his mom made hot apple cider with a cinnamon stick in his favorite mug!
During the tour, Kyle's mom and dad noticed Anthony seemed rather bored, even though all of the other children really loved it. Mr. Collins saw this as well, so all three of them kept an eye on Anthony to make sure he didn't cause any trouble out of his boredom. This gave Kyle's mom an idea she shared with Mr. Collins. He agreed with her idea, so she walked over to Anthony to quietly speak to him. "Would you be happier doing something else?" she asked. Anthony looked up at her, rather surprised. It seemed as though no one had ever asked his opinion before. "I'm bored," he replied and kicked a small stone near his foot. Kyle's mom smiled. "Okay," she answered back. "Want to take a walk then?" Anthony nodded, and they quietly left the group.
They walked around te side of the shed, crunching dried leaves beneath their feet. As they walked, Anthony's typical grumpiness seemed to lift. Kyle's mom pointed to one of the beautiful apple trees above them. "Did you know unicorns call them home?" she asked. Anthony gave her a very funny look. "There's no such thing!" he replied bluntly. She then smiled and began to tell a story.
"You see," she began, "unicorns rest beneath the branches of apple trees in winter." Anthony still didn't seem to believe her. "You know, just because you've never seen a unicorn doesn't mean they aren't real," she assured him as she continued her story. "Anyway, unicorns rest under the branches in winter, using the snow as a blanket. When they awake in spring, the apple trees become very happy - they're good friends, you see. The trees become so happy in fact that they grow sweet-smelling flowers all over! Throughout the summer, the unicorns play and dance in the nearby meadows, keeping a watchful eye on their winter homes. And in the autumn, like it is now, the unicorns have worked up a huge appetite, so the trees offer their fruit as food for them. The unicorns eat and eat, and when they are full, they lie down, beneath the branches, and begin their long winter's nap. The snow covers them up, and there they sleep, until the trees bloom once more."
Anthony was absolutely delighted with the story! He then wondered if there were any more grown-ups as nice and as kind as she. "I wish my mom had time to tell me stories like that," he said, "but she's always busy at work." Kyle's mom donned her usual smile, but she didn't let him know that she understood why he behaved so poorly. "Anthony just needs a little attention," she thought to herself. She continued to smile as they headed back to rejoin the group.
When they arrives, Kyle's mom felt Anthony was probably feeling better and would enjoy the field trip more. They both listened intently to the farmers discussing the apples themselves. Kyle's mom spoke to Mr. Collins and told him what Anthony's special needs were. He seemed to understand, so she felt she had done a good thing. Even Kyle noticed Anthony looked like he was happier. He was smiling - which Anthony never did! Kyle was happy to see his mom was able to fix things again.
When the tour was over, it became time to actually go out on the apple pick! Kyle and Alejandro asked Anthony to join them, and Anthony happily accepted. Everyone had their bags ready, even the adults, though their most important job was to make sure everyone was safe. Soon, everyone had picked as many apples as they could carry, and since they had all worked up such a hearty appetite, it was definitely time to break for lunch.
"I'm starving!" Kyle exclaimed, and he wasn't the only one who felt very hungry. Kyle, his mom and dad, Alejandro and Anthony sat together in a sunny spot over a large blanket, and began to set up their picnic. Soon, Kyle and his parents dug into their picnic basket, and Alejandro ripped open his lunch bag.
Anthony, however, wasn't eating from a lunch bag. He nibbled on one of the apples he had picked. Kyle thought that was kind of strange, so he sat next to him to ask why. "Mom forgot again," Anthony mumbled under his breath as he stared at his feet. Everyone felt bad for him. "Anthony," Kyle's mom said, "in our family, this is our Thanksgiving, and we'd be more than happy if you would join us and share our food." Anthony looked very surprised. "You guys get two Thanksgivings?" he said. "Why do you have two?" Kyle's mom passed him a sandwich and began to explain. "This time of year is what some call Harvest Home," she began. "We are thanking and celebrating all of the good food that is available to us now, like the apples." Anthony hadn't thought of it that way! He took a bite of his sandwich, and it had made him think of another question. "So do you have a turkey, too?" Kyle smiled. "If we want to, right dad?" Kyle's dad laughed. "We're not hunters, but the butcher at the grocery store makes them available to us, so sure," he answered. "Like your sandwich there," he finished. Anthony took another bite. "Mostly it's just a harvesting celebration for the crops," Kyle's dad added, "but many people celebrate things many different ways."
After everyone ate, the children were asked to be careful of how they dispose of their garbage. One of the farmers showed everyone how they use the compost pile as fertilizer. "Every little bit helps," he said, and stirred the large bin with a crank. "There's probably alot more than you all would use at home," he added, "but that's because we have lots more organics than you!" Kyle understood that very easily.
When everyone finished cleaning up, they all formed a large circle on the dry grass and leaves and sat down. The farmers shared in telling the story of Johnny Appleseed, and led the class in a few different songs. And then, when it was time to go, they once again rode in the trailors back to their school bus. On the bus ride back to school, Anthony, Kyle and Alejandro became very good friends. They had all learned lots of different things that day!