6 October @mariannewest's Freewrite Writing Prompt Day 2181: spy

Image by Tumisu from Pixabay

“But I think I would make a good spy, because I would find out stuff that people need to know, and not everyone wants everyone to know what they need to know, and I would fix that, and stuff!”

Seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow was sitting next to her big Cousin Harry to Col. H.F. Lee, late of Special Forces and Judge Advocate General, a man who had done a bit for real of what Amanda had found in a comic book.

“You really like your grandfather's old MAD Magazines and 'Spy vs. Spy,' I see,” he said with a smile.

“Yep, I do!” Amanda said. “I mean, there's not a lot to read there, and I can see myself as either the white or the black spy, but I would tell them to stop fighting each other and work together, because there's so much the people need to know!”

“You're right,” Col. Lee said. “There is. The thing is, being a spy is hard work.”

“But it's important, and I want to learn!” Amanda said.

“OK,” Col. Lee said. “I can tell you the first two things in the spy handbook for seven-year-olds, and let's see if you are good at them or want to be good at them.”

“OK!” said Amanda.

“Are you good at lying?”

Amanda thought about this, and then said, “Forget it. I can't even tell a good lie about lying about not lying and stuff. I get caught every time because my heart just starts going thubbiddy-dub and it shows up in my face.”

“OK, but there's more. Can you keep a secret?”

“Forget it, Cousin Harry – no. When I find something good, everybody needs to know about it!”

“Well then, you probably wouldn't make a good spy, but you would make a great journalist, someone who goes and finds the news and spreads the word to the people.”

“That's what I really want, though!”

“And you can do that – you can start by writing down the news and then make a report about it, and Eleanor can help you put it on video, and then boom: you have a newspaper and a video news report.”

“I'm going to start working on this right now because then I can give the news to Papa and Grandma before dinner when we visit!”

“Great idea, Amanda. One more thing.”

Col. Lee took Friday's newspaper and folded Amanda a hat that looked like the hats that the characters in “Spy vs. Spy” wear.

“You can still have a cute spy hat,” he said, and then bent down and gave her a kiss before she ran off, happy as she could be and ready to begin her life as a journalist.