Thing and Billy

Sometimes Thing had so much fun on his own that he forgot that he was alone. He’d race the spiders to the front of the cave or he’d dance around the fire just because he wanted to. Some days while dancing he would shout out, ‘what do you think of this?’ to his family and then he’d remember they were gone.

One day a new kid came to school, a kid by the name of Billy McGuire and he was everything that a popular kid should be. He was good at everything, and the girls swarmed around him and the boys all wanted to be his friend. You see Billy was a good-looking kid and at school that meant everything.

He soon became the Captain of just about every sport except the girls’ netball. People came to him for advice, even the teachers would let him off with work, usually with the cry:

“Sure Billy, you take as much time as you want.”

Thing, on the other hand was considered the complete opposite of Billy. It was assumed that he was no good at sports, but then again no one would let him try.

“I ain’t showering with that freak,” they would say.

But Thing knew that he could throw things farther and that he could jump higher than anyone else in his school. Yet because of the way he looked, folks tended to think that he was simple, and stupid, and lame. 

One day Billy McGuire passed Thing and said 'hello' and everyone thought that Billy was a great guy for spending some of his day saying 'hello' to a thing like Thing. 

But Thing read and he read real good. Billy McGuire didn’t have to try too hard so reading wasn’t a requirement in his life. Now I’m not saying that Billy was wrong, if life comes at you on a plate, well you just got to eat it.

But Thing watched people and Thing could see that some folks were good and some folks were bad and most folks were always going between one or the other.

Thing always made it a plan, that no matter how bad he felt on any day, he would do something good for someone and never let any one know about it.

Then one afternoon while Thing was walking down by the stream that led back home, he saw Billy McGuire put a little animal in a bag and throw it into the stream. Billy walked off whistling to himself and as soon as he had disappeared, Thing rescued the little critter and after making sure it was all right, he set it free.

And right there and then, Thing realised that sometimes good looking people are considered to be something they’re not, just because of their looks and that people who look different are considered bad at doing stuff just because folks don’t like the way they are.

Thing knew that even though he looked different that he was kind and would always help people without telling anyone. 



bobby stevenson 2013