GRAMP
By Charles V. De Vet
It's tough to see into minds when
you're only a child—and tougher
still when you see what scares you!
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Worlds of If Science Fiction, May 1962.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"Why is Gramma making mad pictures at you?" I asked Gramp.
Gramp looked at me. "What pictures, Chum?"
"Pictures in her mind like you're lazy. And like she wanted to hurtyou," I said.
Gramp's eyes got wide. He kept looking at me, and then he said, "Getyour cap, Chum. We're gonna take a little walk."
Gramp didn't say anything until we walked all the way to the main roadand past Mr. Watchorn's corn field. I walked behind him, counting thelittle round holes his wooden leg made in the gravel. Finally Grampsaid, "Abracadabra."
That was our secret word. It meant that if I was playing one of ourgames, I was to stop for awhile. Gramp and I had lots of games weplayed. One of them was where we made believe. Sometimes we'd play thatGramp and I had been working all day, when we really just stayed in theshade telling stories. Then when we got home and Gramma asked us whatwe had done, we'd tell her about how hard we had worked.
"I really did see mad pictures in Gramma's mind," I said.
"Have you ever seen pictures in anybody's mind before?" Gramp asked.
"I always see them," I said. "Don't you?"
"No," Gramp said after a minute. "Other people can't either. You'reprobably the only little boy who can."
"Is that bad?"
"No," Gramp answered. "It's good. But remember how I told you thatpeople don't like other people who are different? Well, even thoughseeing pictures like you do is a wonderful thing, other people won'tlike you if they know you can do it. So we'll just keep it a secretbetween us."
I was glad Gramp told me, because he always knows the best things todo. I'm his Chum. I love him better than anyone else in the wholeworld. Whenever the other kids tease me and call me Crazy Joe I go toGramp and he tells me funny stories and makes me laugh.
I remember the first time he told me about people hating other peoplewho are different.
"Why do the kids call me Crazy Joe and laugh at me?" I asked him.
"Well, you see," Gramp said slowly, "your Daddy worked for Uncle Samin a big place where they make things that the government won't tellanybody about. Then your Daddy got sick from something in the bigplace. After a long time he went up to stay with God. Then God tookMommy too, when He gave you to her. And now you're our little boy,mine and Gramma's. And because you're a very special kind of littleboy, the other children are jealous. So I wouldn't play with them anymore if they tease you. Just don't let them see you're afraid of them.You'll always be Gramp's Little Joe."
I love Gramp very much....
We kept walking until we came to Fayette. We went into Carl VanRemortal's store. Gramp sat on a chair by the big iron stove and I saton his knee on his good leg. The stove must be real old, because it'sgot 1926 on its door in big iron letters.
"Tell me the pictures you see in Mr. Van's mind," Gramp whispered in myear, "but don't let him hear you."
"He's making pictures of the fishing boats coming in," I said. "In thepictures he's talking to Jack La Salle and giving him some money forhis fish.... The pictures are getting all mixed up now. He's puttingthe fish in ice in box