One dark and busy night, Mrs. Westfall and her son were happily enjoying the warmth and comfort of their home. However, it soon came to Mrs. Westfall’s attention that they were out of milk, bread and eggs.
She told her twelve-year-old son Alex that she would be gone for a couple hours to go grocery shopping, leaving him at home by himself. Alex looked at his mother proudly, as if the very idea of him being scared was a preposterous one.
“What makes you think I’ll be scared?” he asked. “I’m twelve years old! I can take care of myself.”
So without further discussion, Alex’s mother left the house.
At first it felt pretty good to be home alone and in charge of the house. In fact, he felt wonderful. He was finally being treated like the mature individual he was.
As time went on, however, Alex became increasingly uncomfortable and frequently checked the clock in the kitchen to see how much time had gone by.
Then a very unpleasant thought entered his mind. Aliens may have abducted his mother while she was out.
“I might never see her again,” Alex worried. He bolted into the kitchen, pulled the phone off of the receiver, and dialed her cell phone number.
“Mother,” said Alex,” Please tell me you haven’t been abducted by aliens.”
“Of course not,” said Mrs. Westfall. “I’m still shopping though, so it’ll be a little longer before I get back.
Hearing his mother’s voice gave Alex more than enough relief. He said goodbye in a calm, respectful manner before going straight back to watching TV.
Everything ran smoothly for a while and Alex felt that there was no longer any need to worry.
However, about an hour later, Alex imagined another negative outcome.
“Maybe she accidentally drove through a portal into another dimension,” he said. “I’d have to take care of myself for the rest of my life!”
Once again, Alex ran to the phone and called his mother.
Much to Alex’s relief, Mrs. Westfall was not in another dimension. She was still shopping and sounded very busy.
“Don’t worry about me,” Mrs. Westfall told her son. “I know a way that will make waiting for me much easier. Do you see the clock hanging on the wall? Wait until six O’ clock before calling me again.”
Alex willfully agreed to try out her idea and the plan ended up working very well, as he was able to finish his entire movie without experiencing any negative thoughts related to his mother.
After the movie ended, Alex ran over to the kitchen so that he could check the time to find out how much longer it would be before his mother returned.
“Oh no!” cried Alex. “It’s seven-fifteen!”
“I’ve got to call her!” shouted Alex. “There’s no telling what may have happened to her. For all I know, she could have accidentally driven into the lake!”
It wasn’t long before the scenario in Alex’s head had become more and more real.
Somehow, Alex had come to the conclusion that his mother had driven into the lake, discovered Atlantis, and trained a dragon all at once.
Alex was about to dial his mother’s phone number when a familiar sound quickly put an end to his growing anxiety, the sound of the front door opening. His mother had returned.
Feeling happier than he’d ever been in his life, Alex rocketed through the hall to give her a great big hug.
Mrs. Westfall took his unusually warm welcome by surprise and smiled.
“See?” she said. “I told you it wouldn’t be so bad.”
“True,” Alex mumbled, “but next time do you think I could come along? You’ll need a bodyguard if aliens try to abduct you.”
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