[Church_of_Christ] Story: The Toy Potter
The Toy Potter
Jake, barely a teenager, was in his room playing with a constructor
set when he decided to make a horse. Having spent an hour looking for
the right plastic and metal pieces, after ten minutes of ad hoc design
and play, he had put together a miniature constructed horse. But
something amazing happened when Jake finished putting the horse
together. It became alive!
While snapping the final piece in place, the horse made a whinny and
galloped away, its plastic hooves clacking against the hardwood floor.
Jake smiled, hardly expecting this reaction. How had this happened?
He was only playing around but mysteriously life had emerged. The
young man quickly decided that the toy horse, made of constructor
pieces, must have a rider. The toy horse seemed quite adept at
galloping and trotting but needed human direction, needed a mounted
leader.
So Jake spent little more time snapping together the pieces of plastic
pipe and metal to form a man with his constructor set. The little man
had a gear for a head, a washer-drawn hip, and within a moment stood
up to walk on his own with a small swagger. Jake patted his hands on
the floor and the horse trotted by, gliding to a stop. The young man
pointed to the toy man. The horse leaned back and pushed forward on
its forward legs, bowing to the toy rider. The little man saddled the
horse. Jake tied a shoe string and made a rein attached to a toy
block as a bit which the little man used to direct the horse's mouth.
Now the two seemed content, both toy horse and rider. Where the rider
desired, he led his mount. Jake clapped his hands and grinned,
showing his glimmering imagination. The young man felt pride in his
heart: this was his creation, his doing. Like a father, he had given
life to this horse and its rider. What tricks might he teach the two?
Would they keep him company? What else might he design?
Now, at this moment Jake heard his mother's voice call out, "Ten
minutes and the bus is here!" Jake's attention froze and his thoughts
turned. Wait! What was he doing? He was too young for all of this.
Yes, too young. What would his friends say? What would Tom, Frank,
and Bill do? Would they take away his special creation? These were
always so envious! What if his mother found out about the horse and
its rider? Would she make him protect these helpless toys? How many
games would Jake be allowed to play having to keep up with this stupid
little horse and stupid little man? His heart grieved, Jake's life
had soon become less simple. Five minutes passed.
But what if these were only roaches? Yes! If these were roaches, he
knew what he would do. He would take up his size-ten Redwings and
smash the life out of them. The rider brought the horse to a trusting
stop and the horse let out a whinny. Jake went for his boots and
chucked the first one. It clipped the rider off the horse, throwing
him against the wall. The washer hip went out sideways and the pipes
fell opposite and the little toy head seemed to sigh as it popped
loose and rolled to a stop, wedged between the wall and the television
stand. But the horse still moved. Its back and rear had been crushed
but its head looked up, almost in wonder, partly and worry, but mostly
in shock and surprise. Jake took up the boot again and dashed the
horse to its components.
After sweeping the pieces into a pile, Jake grabbed a banana and a
glass of milk from the kitchen. He caught the bus in time to catch up
with Tom and Bill before class started.
Silly roaches.
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