Once upon a time, there lived a boy named Ansius Apansus. He had a peculiar name and rarely sat still for very long. Ansius Apansus lived in a little, brick house on the side of a big, grassy hill with lots of trees and flowers all around. He lived there with his mother, his father, his two sisters, Nancy and Clancy, and his one brother, Lancy.
Nancy, Clancy, Lancy, and Ansius Apansus were very happy living and playing on the big hill. Each morning, they would get up as the sun rose into the big, blue sky. They climbed the trees and smelled the flowers and rolled down the hill. And after supper, when evening had come, they would lay outside and stare up at the bright, beautiful stars that lit up the night sky.
Although he was very happy on the big, grassy hill with his mother, his father, his two sisters, and his one brother Ansius Apansus did have one wish.
“I wish I had a dog,” Ansius Apansus told his mother and father one night.
“A dog?” said his mother.
“Ooo, a dog!” Nancy exclaimed.
“A dog would be fun,” Clancy chimed in.
Lancy sneezed.
“Yes,” Ansius Apansus said. “My one big wish is to have a dog. I would walk him and feed him and play fetch with him. Oh, how I wish I had a dog, I would have such great fun with him!”
“We’re fun!” Nancy exclaimed.
“Yes, we’re fun,” Clancy chimed in.
Lancy sneezed again.
“Well,” said his father, “perhaps you’re right. A dog would be fun.”
“So can we get one?” Ansius Apansus earnestly asked.
“We’ll have to see,” said his mother. And his father agreed.
The very next day, Ansius Apansus woke up with a start.
“Lancy!” he whispered excitedly.
“What?” Lancy groaned.
“Do you think we have a dog yet?”
“Ansius Apansus, you just asked last night. And it’s six o’clock in the morning.”
“So do you think we do?”
Lancy looked at Ansius Apansus.
“No I do not,” Lancy said. And he rolled over and went back to sleep.
Sure enough, Lancy was right. There was no dog. But that was to be expected, Ansius Apansus decided. After all, ten hours would be a very short time in which to find and acquire a dog.
Ansius Apansus spent the day imagining what kind of dog he wanted to have. Maybe he would be a great, big dog the size of a dragon and would breathe fire? Or maybe he would be able to fly? Perhaps he would be a spy dog, or climb trees, or be able to talk?
“I think I want a talking dog,” Ansius Apansus declared.
“Well,” said his mother, “I don’t believe that’s possible.”
“Oh,” said Ansius Apansus.
“Dogs can’t talk,” Nancy said.
“Dogs bark,” Clancy said.
“Thank you,” said Ansius Apansus.
Lancy sneezed a third time.
“I think I have allergies,” Lancy said.
That night, Ansius Apansus’ father came home with a surprise.
“Nancy, Clancy, Lancy, Ansius Apansus - come here! I have a surprise for you!” he called out excitedly. The children came running, and to their delight they saw what their father had brought them.
“A dog!” they all exclaimed.
“He’s so cute!” cried Nancy and Clancy.
“He’s very interesting,” said Lancy.
“Whoa,” said Ansius Apansus. “I’ve never seen a dog like that before.”
“Thank you!” cried all the children.
“You’re welcome,” their mother and father laughed happily.
“What’ll we name him?” Lancy asked.
“How about Sweetie?” Nancy suggested. Whereupon Lancy almost lost his lunch.
“We should name him Cutie Pie!” Clancy exclaimed. Whereupon Lancy did lose his lunch.
Ansius Apansus took a good, long look at the dog. He really was very interesting, as Lancy had said. Quite curious actually, Ansius Apansus thought. He had black and white stripes, but not in the way you would expect. Instead, his top and bottom were both black, and he had a big, thick, white stripe at his middle, all the way from the end of his tail to the tip of his nose. Why, he looked just like an…
“Oreo,” suggested Ansius Apansus. “Let’s name him Oreo.” Whereupon Lancy felt much better.
“That’s a grand name,” said his mother.
“It certainly suits him,” said his father.
Oreo barked happily.
And so the dog was named Oreo. And he was quite a curious dog, but fun nonetheless. He barked and wagged his tail and played fetch as all dogs do.
Every morning, Oreo would get up with Nancy, Clancy, Lancy, and Ansius Apansus as the sun rose into the big, blue sky. He ran around the trees and romped through the flowers and rolled in the grass of the great, big hill. And after supper when evening had come, he would lay outside and stare up at the bright, beautiful stars that lit up the night sky.
Nancy, Clancy, Lancy, Ansius Apansus, and their mother and father all loved Oreo very much, and Oreo loved them all very much right back.
And Nancy, Clancy, Lancy, Ansius Apansus, and Oreo went on a great many adventures together. But that is a story for another time.
Based upon stories by Karl Horlander
Comments