I wonder if anyone else likes to watch the snow like I do? It’s kind of like watching a movie. Maybe I should make some popcorn to eat while I watch the snow fall…
I wonder if anyone else likes to watch popcorn pop like I do? It’s kind of like watching a movie. Maybe I should make some popcorn to eat while I watch the popcorn pop…
Hmmm, thought Blurtso, no more football.
I wonder how much I can get for my TV?
We’ll go skating when we get home, said Pablo.
Really? said Blurtso. With the ducks?!
Remarkable, thought Blurtso, how they stay in formation.
That was the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten, said Blurtso. Yes, said Bonny, the Main Street Café is a fine café.
Welcome! said Bonny Bray. I’ve got a great evening planned! First we’ll go shopping, then we’ll eat dinner, then we can have cocoa at the Colonial Inn. I’ve booked a double room with an extra bale of hay!
Mmm, said Pablo. Mmmmm, said Bonny. Will you tell me a story? said Pablo. A story? said Bonny. Yes, said Pablo, a bedtime story about two donkeys that snuggle under the covers. Warm covers? said Bonny. Yes, said Pablo, very warm covers.
What are you looking at? said Harlan. There’s a crack in one of the window panes, said Blurtso. Is there? said Harlan. Yes, said Blurtso, a hairline crack in the bottom-right corner of the left door. So there is, said Harlan. It makes you think about the rest of the glass, said Blurtso, and the other panes that are still intact. Yes it does, said Harlan. Glass is an amazing thing, said Blurtso. It’s made of sand, said Harlan. Is it? said Blurtso. Yes, said Harlan, quartz sand that has been heated to over 4,000 degrees fahrenheit. I didn’t know that, said Blurtso. Glass is often overlooked, said Harlan. Yes it is, said Blurtso, until it has a crack. Do you think it should be replaced? said Harlan. I don’t know, said Blurtso, the windows are laminated so it probably won’t spread. Oh yes, said Harlan, I forgot. And we might miss the crack, said Blurtso, when it’s gone. Yes, said Harlan, and lose our appreciation for the panes that are not cracked.
Hmm, thought Blurtso, that was quite a week. First I was no one, then I set a record, then I was famous, then I was banned, then I was no one… all because I slid down a hill on a couple of sticks. I sure am glad insanity is fleeting.
Where are the reporters, said Alex, and the paparazzi? They’re gone, said Blurtso. Why? said Alex. Because the Olympic Committee disqualified my jump. Why? said Alex. Because I jumped on four hooves, said Blurtso, and they said the binding attaching my front hooves to the skis made it easier to keep my tips up, which gave me greater lift, and resulted in the world record. And I was also disqualified because I’m a donkey. Well, said Alex, don’t feel too bad, the Olympic Committee didn’t allow women to ski jump in the Olympics until 2014. What?! said Blurtso. Yes, said Alex. That’s shameless discrimination, said Blurtso, do you think they’ll ever let donkeys jump? No, said Alex, but if they do, the story of your record will be a great inspiration. Really? said Blurtso. Sure, said Alex, you’re a pioneer. Wow, said Blurtso, like Babe the blue ox!
Blurtso? said Alex. Hmm? said Blurtso. Why are you hiding? Because of the people, said Blurtso. The TV trucks? said Alex, and reporters and paparazzi and helicopters? Yes, said Blurtso. Why are they here? said Alex. I competed in my first meet today, said Blurtso. And? said Alex. And I jumped 276 meters, said Blurtso. So? said Alex. It was a new world record. Oh, said Alex.
Spring with the knees… weight forward… over the skis…
246 meters! cried the coach. Ten inches from a world record!