Hangers
Once upon a time there was a very tall young boy named Hangers. They called him Hangers because he was so skinny, and the skin wrapped around his bones in awkward directions like twisted up clothes hangers. He was from a big, beautiful city, but he had no time to hang out.
You must understand, Hangers had a dream. He had always wanted to use his height to play a game the other boys in the neighborhood called Bouncy Ball. In the game of Bouncy Ball, one needed both skill and charm. Skill to throw the ball as high as possible, and charm to make sure the other boys were so scared of you they wouldn’t try to grab the ball away. The goal of Bouncy Ball, was, of course, to touch the sky.
Hangers would wake up early in the morning and bounce the ball all by himself in the street. He would stay out way past dark and try to make the ball kiss the moon. Some days his Mama would call him in for dinner, but Hangers wasn’t hungry. His dream was to push the ball higher than anyone had ever gone. He wanted the ball to orbit the Earth.
But it never worked.
One night, after a particularly tough day of Bouncy Ball, Hangers decided he would train harder. He did push ups and sit ups and refused to play with the other boys. He was so dedicated to his quest, he forgot to sleep. One early morning, as he was bouncing the ball higher than he had ever done, but not high enough in his opinion, an old man came to him.
“What are you doing Flaco?” He asked. The boy was pretty skinny.
“I am trying to bounce the ball to the Heavens.” Hangers answered, annoyed. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Hmm. And where are your friends?”
“They’re sleeping.”
“And your family?”
“Ya, sleeping, I guess.”
“Maybe you should rest too.”
Hangers WAS pretty tired. He’d been up for weeks, trying nonstop to get the ball to circle the globe.
“Go home, young one. Here, I’ll take the ball and see you out here tomorrow.”
Then, just like that, the man disappeared with the ball. Hangers looked and looked but couldn’t find the ball anywhere! Where had the man gone? Impossible! Hangers figured he was just tired, he was seeing things, so he walked back to his house and fell asleep with all his clothes on. It was tiring trying to float on air and reach for the stars.
As soon as he was asleep, he felt himself catapulted up out of his bed, out his window, over his beautiful city and into the dark, star-studded sky. He was flying, and it felt amazing! He could still see his house, and Sugar Loaf and the Christ. It was beautiful, and he felt free. Then, as his city got smaller and smaller below him, he worried. How would he get home? What would his family say if he went missing? Would they think he ran away from home? He realized as good as it felt to fly so high, and be the King of the Bouncy Ball he would miss everyone down below.
Suddenly he saw the orange Bouncy Ball hurling toward him.
“Catch it!” He heard the old man scream.
It was coming at him so fast it pushed him all the way back down to his hometown, and right into his bedroom! Hangers woke up with a start. He was still in his shorts and his kicks, and the Bouncy Ball was in his arms like a teddy bear. It was only a dream, he realized.
Except the Bouncy Ball was covered with stars.
You must understand, Hangers had a dream. He had always wanted to use his height to play a game the other boys in the neighborhood called Bouncy Ball. In the game of Bouncy Ball, one needed both skill and charm. Skill to throw the ball as high as possible, and charm to make sure the other boys were so scared of you they wouldn’t try to grab the ball away. The goal of Bouncy Ball, was, of course, to touch the sky.
Hangers would wake up early in the morning and bounce the ball all by himself in the street. He would stay out way past dark and try to make the ball kiss the moon. Some days his Mama would call him in for dinner, but Hangers wasn’t hungry. His dream was to push the ball higher than anyone had ever gone. He wanted the ball to orbit the Earth.
But it never worked.
One night, after a particularly tough day of Bouncy Ball, Hangers decided he would train harder. He did push ups and sit ups and refused to play with the other boys. He was so dedicated to his quest, he forgot to sleep. One early morning, as he was bouncing the ball higher than he had ever done, but not high enough in his opinion, an old man came to him.
“What are you doing Flaco?” He asked. The boy was pretty skinny.
“I am trying to bounce the ball to the Heavens.” Hangers answered, annoyed. Wasn’t it obvious?
“Hmm. And where are your friends?”
“They’re sleeping.”
“And your family?”
“Ya, sleeping, I guess.”
“Maybe you should rest too.”
Hangers WAS pretty tired. He’d been up for weeks, trying nonstop to get the ball to circle the globe.
“Go home, young one. Here, I’ll take the ball and see you out here tomorrow.”
Then, just like that, the man disappeared with the ball. Hangers looked and looked but couldn’t find the ball anywhere! Where had the man gone? Impossible! Hangers figured he was just tired, he was seeing things, so he walked back to his house and fell asleep with all his clothes on. It was tiring trying to float on air and reach for the stars.
As soon as he was asleep, he felt himself catapulted up out of his bed, out his window, over his beautiful city and into the dark, star-studded sky. He was flying, and it felt amazing! He could still see his house, and Sugar Loaf and the Christ. It was beautiful, and he felt free. Then, as his city got smaller and smaller below him, he worried. How would he get home? What would his family say if he went missing? Would they think he ran away from home? He realized as good as it felt to fly so high, and be the King of the Bouncy Ball he would miss everyone down below.
Suddenly he saw the orange Bouncy Ball hurling toward him.
“Catch it!” He heard the old man scream.
It was coming at him so fast it pushed him all the way back down to his hometown, and right into his bedroom! Hangers woke up with a start. He was still in his shorts and his kicks, and the Bouncy Ball was in his arms like a teddy bear. It was only a dream, he realized.
Except the Bouncy Ball was covered with stars.
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