This weekend I went down to Lockhart to see my folks. It was a decent visit, I suppose. And while I was there, my mom showed me some stuff from my early childhood that she'd come across in a closet somewhere.

There were the usual drawings (for some reason I was particularly fond of rabbits...maybe they were just easier to draw), along with some of my early efforts at fiction.

One of these masterworks, from around age 8, was "Willie the Springtime Bird" (don't worry, my titles haven't gotten much better). This was obviously a master in his formative years, already having grasped the basics of plot, from rising action to denouement. Also, my complexity of theme is evident, even at this early age.

The story begins with Willie at the cusp of maturity. He is ready to leave the nest, and he learns to fly (all on his own, one may note). As he leaves the nest for the first time, he says goodbye to his mother, already knowing that he will never return (perhaps already at 8 I wanted to get the hell out of there and live on my own...alas, it would take another 10 years).

Willie spots two "objects" below, and as he zooms in for a closer look, he notices that the two objects are a cat chasing a mouse. In an act of abject altruism, Willie swoops down, picks up the mouse, and carries him to safety. He takes the mouse to the mouse's home, where in an outpouring of gratitude the mouse gives him food and lodging for the rest of his days. I even put "They lived happily ever after". What more could a hungry audience want than the story of a bird who helps a mouse, who then live forever in perfect bliss? It's the archetypal triumph of good winning out over evil, really.

And as you can plainly see, my writing hasn't really improved too much. Neither has my penchant for idealism and naivety at the expense of reality (I mean really...like a bird, even a "springtime bird", and a mouse are going to get along for more than a week).

Still, it was an interesting glimpse into the past, so I thought I'd share.

My coloring of the Three Billy Goats Gruff was pretty kick-ass too.