The Back Story ~ Rosy

At sunrise that morning, Rosy could tell there was something odd in the air. It smelled faintly of sulfur. As she walked to the watering hole, all the other hippos were already out of the pens, enjoying the sunshine and quiet before the zoo opened.

As usual, the catcalls and bullying started as soon as Rosy came into view.

“Oh, look,” yelled Harold, “if it isn’t Roly-Poly Popsicle Pinky!”

“Hey, Pinky,” added Calvin, “how do you know when you get sunburned?!”

Rosy went to the happy place in her head in order to ignore the heckling she endured since she was born as bright as a berry. It had taken her many years to escape the heckling, but at this age, she barely heard a word they said.

Instead she imagined herself with wings, bright yellow wings. They had to be yellow because yellow wings flew higher into the clouds than any other color.

As she neared the watering hole, the sky became black and the winds begin to shift and whip around her. The smell of sulfur became stronger. All the other hippos ran for the cover of their pens, but Rosy didn’t move. 

She felt a pull on both shoulders and then all she felt was wonderfully light of heart, light of mind, and light of body. She knew her imagination was becoming reality. She smiled, waiting for lift-off.

Darnell J. Knauss, Author

Cornelia Wenokor, Illustrator

©05/01/2019
Vol. 1 Ep. 3
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