My brother Don was in his late teens when my Mother’s fish pond emptied overnight, leaving the gold fish flopping around in a few inches of mud and water. Don knew why, but no one listened to a kid! He dutifully scooped out the fish, took the black heavy plastic liner out of the pond hole, laid new plastic, filled the pond with water, treated it and put back the critters.
We all went fishing and a few hours later returned home and the pond was empty again. And again no one listened to Don’s crazy idea so he emptied the pond of its remaining water, repeating all steps, and assured us the pond would empty again within hours.
It did! Don emptied and refilled while “muttering” loud enough to be heard around the block and cautioned the pond would drain out again.
It did! Again! Two conversations ensued. Don claiming he’d been right all along while my mom condemned Don of sneakily causing havoc to prove his point. Don was not the one to cause trouble, or play bad jokes, he certainly COMPLAINED during his three lengthy pond jobs: it wasn’t logical that he had done it, but we couldn’t think of any other explanation!
Don angrily relayed the pond plastic a fourth time and as he predicted, the pond emptied again. This time my mother, angry too, but finally was ready to listen as a last resort. Don was right, when Mom moved her new plant away from the water’s edge, its drooping sword like leaves no longer SIPHONED THE WATER OUT!
I talk about this same disbelief, in my book Leafman Attacks #2 A Plethora of Monsters. Little Anna dropped off at her Grandmother’s house and frantically tells tall tales of secret tunnels and dragons. We can see Grandmother doesn’t believe her. Grandmother has her own tale of tiny monsters. Are these bugbears or exaggerated problems ? We can’t determine whether Anna believes in Grandmother’s story or not. Read the book and let me know what you think.nancymauerman.com