Lindalee Brownstein

King of the Log

While I grew up, my favorite place was a creek in our backyard. Summer days would find me on the banks, silently waiting for the little dramas of creek life to unfold before me.

My watery kingdom, full of salamanders and snakes and turtles.

Wading down the creek with my white bucket in hand, I would survey my realm. Ah, there are the small silvery fish moving in unison. Here is a sleek Leopard frog jumping into the water and then peeking out rather too quickly. Under that stone is a little crawdad backing up, tiny claws raised.

Running into the house, wet and muddy again, I would show off the salamander with the red belly or the snake with the yellow stripes.

My friends and brothers were blind to the bright, shiny royal light shimmering across my kingdom. It was only a creek to them.

But my royal court, Rita and Eddie, oh, yes, they did see the magic. They did remark positively about my giant snapping turtles. They did stock my library with the best reptile and amphibian books in the land. They did install an upside down helicopter cockpit into the ground for my royal frog pond. They did wash my muddy queenly garments without comment.

This mailbox log and its frog are a reminder of my royal childhood court, Rita and Eddie Wilson, a.k.a. Mom and Dad, the ones who connected me to the enchantment of this earth.

Go ahead and kiss the frog. It just might be a prince. You just might live happily ever after. And see some of the magic of your own little kingdom, whatever it may be.

Linda Brownstein

The Kingdom of Westerville, Ohio