19 November 2024, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2561: professor of what

Image by Petra from Pixabay

“You're going to be professor of what, Amanda?”

“Snuggleology, with an ... uh ... emphasis ... yeah ... emphasis on snugglecouragement!”

Mrs. Maggie Lee knew what had happened. Two military and one civilian educational institutions had called Col. H.F. Lee to discuss with him his potential transition to the life of an educator, and seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow his little cousin had been listening. Of course she had no clue what was being talked about, but she kind of knew what a professor was, and went and asked her big sister eleven-year-old Eleanor about “professor stuff.” She already knew what she wanted to do with it.

“Because, see, after this Covid stuff, people are going to need to learn how to snuggle again, and, see, Cousin Maggie, everybody wasn't really good at it before.”

Amanda, in her foster care days, had been neglected, and had only known regular good snuggling since being adopted by her grandparents and then being introduced to her Trent neighbors and Lee cousins.

“Somebody gotta do something about it, and it's gonna be me, Professor Amanda Ludlow. I just gotta get through little people school first, and then do college the next year, and then do graduate school the next year, and I'll be able to do this by the time I'm Eleanor's age.”

“OK,” Mrs. Lee said. “Tell me about the snugglecouragment emphasis.”

“Well, I think if people knew they were loved, it would be easier to do everything better, so, I need to teach people how hugs and snuggles help, and so, snugglecouragment!”

“Got it,” Mrs. Lee said. “Where are you doing your snuggle internships while you learn?”

“My whats?”

“Where are you practicing your snuggling in the meantime?”

“Well, Gracie [Amanda's eight-year-old best friend next door] and her grandparents are really snuggly, and Edwina [eight-year-old sister] can be if she's not trying to run everything, and Robert [her five-year-old brother] is snuggly when he sits still, and Grayson [her six-year-old brother] is super snuggly because he will sit still and put one arm around me and use the other to build on his Legos, and sometimes he'll build a whole snuggle spot for us and put pillows in there.”

“I saw that yesterday,” Mrs. Lee said. “Y'all were just getting that nap in and looking very happy.”

“And so I gotta teach the world – and, you and Cousin Harry are really snuggly too, and of course Grandma. Papa is not quite as snuggly as Grandma, but, Papa makes up for it because his voice is so big and deep and just is like an extra hug, when he's not mad at folks, but, he's really getting better about that. He just needs more snugglecouragement, and he'll be home soon with Grandma! Then, because everybody is going to be super safe when you and Cousin Harry move in next door on the other side, then I can head out and teach the world!”

“Right, but then, who is going to hold the snuggleology down here, Professor?”

Amanda considered this.

“OK, I'll hang around and snugglecourage everyone until I go to college at age 11,” she said and ran to her Cousin Maggie's open arms. “That will show I have … uh … experience and uh … dedication and stuff!”

“Four years of it – good plan, good plan,” Cousin Maggie said as she kissed her little cousin and snuggled with her.

“If the world learned more of what Amanda wants to teach,” Col. Lee said later, “they would need less of what I have to teach as soldier.”

“Next decade, though!” Mrs. Lee said, and both of them cracked up.