28 June 2025, @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2782: important knowledge
“Glendella, I need to thank you because although I think water guns filled with black and white paint are a great thing to add to speed chess, the way Sgt. Trent snatched up Milton told me I wouldn't even survive if Papa caught up with me like that.”
“Any time, George. You're my brother now. We need to stay on the right path together.
Nine-year-old George and ten-year-old cousin-sibling Glendella Ludlow were talking after Milton had gotten grounded for the rest of the afternoon.
“Here's some important knowledge,” Glendella said. “Your Papa is Upgrade Papa to me, and I already know we better not be being dumb stuff because Upgrade Papa actually cares about us. The important knowledge is: he and Good Grandma actually care, and they care a lot.”
“I do know that,” George said. “My foster home was so bad that I really should be calling Papa and Grandma what you do. Neglect is bad!”
“It is,” Glendella said. “It's why I gotta make sure nobody I care about doesn't get what they need, and sometimes, what you need is to stay out of the yard until all the snatching up is done.”
“I totally agree – gotta run Milton a care package, though. Grayson and Robert are blueprinting and redprinting the plan right now.”
“Hey, George, I think we got something,” six-year-old Grayson said as he and five-year-old Lil' Robert Ludlow walked into the conversation, but I was listening and I think I need to work this up again for reduced snatchupability.”
“Snatch-up-ability?” Glendella said as she broke that 'new' word down.
“Yeah, snatchupability,” Grayson said. “See, we all saw Milton taking a step and so was already in midair when he got snatched up, so I think we need to build a Lego ramp to the ground because if you shuffle along and don't leave an air gap, the snatchupability goes down.”
“Because, see, when you are small,” Lil' Robert said, “you gotta mind the gap.”
Capt. R.E. Ludlow was about to enter the room, but did an about-face, vanquished into laughter by his baby grandsons' antics, but especially Lil' Robert throwing 'mind the gap' into that situation – appropriately used in the sentence although there was no possibility that he or Grayson knew what they were confidently holding forth about to their older siblings.
“See, once you step off a stair, you're in the air – off the stair, in the air,” Grayson said. “Gravity is trying to snatch you down, some parent or grandparent may be behind you trying to snatch you up, and then there's wind, so, you need to build a ramp so everything work.”
Mrs. Ludlow found her deep-voiced husband face down in three pillows and turning to the side to get air like a swimmer before laughing uncontrollably again.
Thank you!