Here we are for another Three Word Wednesday. I deviated from my regular sonnet writing and wrote a piece of flash fiction instead. The words today are occur, ragged, and tidy.
Jane was delighted to have found a large digital library of antiquated children's literature. Homeschooling the children was a challenge on their budget, and the internet could be such a goldmine. She smiled at her discovery of this archive of fully scanned books, illustrations and all.
It was such a perfect resource for her 7 year old. His early mastery of language and reading had earned him the nickname Little Professor among the family. The book "Bambi" looked wonderful. This wasn't the diluted Disney version of the story, but a 223 page and 25 chapter English translation of the original 1920's Austrian novel by Felix Salten.
Her eyes widened as she came to the last book in the library index. It had never occurred to Jane that there was ever a book titled "Ragged Dick". It certainly stopped her in her tracks.
Of course there was a tidy explanation. Like "Moby Dick", it had been written in the mid 1800's and apparently the word dick had not yet acquired its prevalent euphemistic status. Despite this realization, she still couldn't help raising another eyebrow when she read the book's byline - "Street Life in New York".
Her amusement built into peals of laughter. She read several of the chapter titles such as "Dick Makes A Proposition", "Chatham Street and Broadway", "A Scene in a Third Avenue Car", and "Dick's First Appearance in Society".
It only got worse. She doubled over in tears when she saw the chapter titled "9 Months Later".
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
My sides hurt from laughing....
You told this story well...
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
Thanks for the laugh today.
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
And we say kids grow up too fast nowadays!
Never judge a book by its cover.
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
it is the modern age but perhaps Ragged Dick is just a bit too much
sounds like a real story. are those books real?
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
@Lissa This book was actually written in the mid 1800's. I don't think that would be a widely distributed book title in our times, no. But it is a real book title, and the chapter names are real too!
@Stan ski..yes, some grow up too fast, and others don't grow up at all.
@Thom, you're very welcome :)
@Mark, I'm glad I could give you a good laugh today.
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
This was fun. So many words have different meanings nowadays.
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
I loved this - hilarious! How language changes. I love that you brought digital books into the mix. I'm a recent kindle owner and fascinated by the future of reading, writing, and publishing. Dee
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
Never judge a book by its cover, but read the Title :) Wonderful piece. Thank you for sharing.
-TIm
my 3ww:
http://timremp.blogspot.com/
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
That's funny. Words acquiring new meanings can really make old literature sound hilarious. We frequently search through old plays to find suitable dramas for high school students. Sometimes we have to edit what was once harmless conversation because it is now so racy. Thanks for sharing.
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
oh, here's mine http://gildorianne.blogspot.com/2010/02/occur-tidy-ragged.html
6/03/2011 10:11 AM
Sounds like you had fun writing this. Which reminds me, there was a boy at my school called Richard Head.
6/03/2011 10:12 AM
Laughing. Clever, clever!
6/03/2011 10:12 AM
As long as there wasn't a chapter titled, "That's What She Said,"
This was fun!
6/03/2011 10:12 AM
If they only knew what "dick" would come to mean. My father Richard still goes by that and I think is still oblivious to the phallic reference. Oh the differences between generations...
This was fun, thanks for sharing!
6/03/2011 10:12 AM
PMSL...needed a good laugh, thanks for this one!