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JONATHAN AND THE WOLF IN THE FRIDGE
Jonathan and the Wolf in the Fridge
Jonathan is a little four-year-old boy.
One day, his Mum leaves him alone at home. He's by himself in the kitchen.
-I'll be back in a minute -she tells him. I'm going to buy some oil. I'll be back in a jiffy. I'll fly as fast as I can.
Jonathan scratches his head and thinks:
-Is Mum going to fly? To fly to the shop?
Jonathan is alone in the kitchen.
He scratches his chest. His heart beats hard, thump! thump!
He strokes his chest softly, but his heart beats still harder: thump! thump! thump!
Jonathan's heart goes thump! thump! because it's afraid.
Jonathan's heart is afraid of being alone.
Jonathan's got a very jumpy heart.
Jonathan's heart doesn't want to be alone in the house.
Jonathan strokes and rubs his chest with his hand, but his heart doesn't feel at ease. And, as the heart is not at ease, neither is the hand. Now the hand is also afraid to be left alone in the house.
The frightened hand runs to look for its friend, the other hand. The other hand is also scared.
The two hands hug each other, shaking; they stroke each other, they rub each other. oth hands together are not so scared.
But Jonathan' heart is still afraid, thump! thump!
Suddenly, Jonathan looks at the fridge.
-Oh! The fridge is shaking.
Yes, it was a very short shake. Jonathan saw it very clearly. The fridge was shaking. I saw it.
Then he brings his hands to his eyes, so as not to see.
Jonathan covers his eyes, because eyes can also be afraid, and they don't want to look. Jonathan's eyes don't want to look at the fridge, not even a little bit.
The hands stroke the eyes. Little by little, the eyes open wider and peep between the fingers. The fridge is rather quiet. Then, Jonathan scratches his head and thinks:
-Why did the fridge shake? Why? It's quite clear: because it's afraid. The fridge is afraid.
Jonathan's hands scratch his head again. And another question comes to mind:
-What can the fridge be afraid of, hey? Of what?
Well, of somebody who steals the food.
Jonathan's hands go on scratching his head.
-And who steals food? Who's always hungry, with sharp teeth, hey? Who?
Now Jonathan's hands are holding his head:
-Who's in the fridge eating it all, hey? Whos the fridge afraid of?
Jonathan's hands go down to his mouth, that shouts:
-THE WOLF! There's a wolf in the fridge!
Jonathan leaps and runs to his room. He shuts the door and hides under the bed. Jonathan brings his hands to his ears. He can't hear anything. And what happens if the wolf comes to eat Jonathan?
Jonathan brings his hands to his heart.
There's a noise behind the door. And some footsteps.
Jonathan's frightened to death.
But it's Mummy:
-Jonathan! Little Jonathan! Where are you? I'm back.
Jonathan comes out from under the bed and runs to his mother.
-Mum! There's a wolf in the fridge! -he shouts.
-What! -says Mum, her eyes wide open.
-There's a wolf in the fridge! The fridge's shaking scared!
The wolf's eating everything, and then it'll eat me!
-It'll what? -says Mum.
-The fridge has shaken scared, and there's a wolf inside!
Mum goes straight to the fridge.
-Don't open it! Don't open it! -shouts Jonathan- There's a wolf in it!
Mum smiles and opens the fridge. Jonathan hides under the table. Mum calls him.
-Come Jonathan. Look, there's no wolf inside.
Jonathan comes out and approaches his mother. It's true: there's no wolf in the fridge.
Then, Jonathan says:
-Well, I saw the fridge shaking. And if it shakes it's because it's afraid. And if it's afraid it's because of the wolf, it devours the food with its sharp teeth and...'
Mum smiles again. She says:
-This fridge shakes when the motor stops. Look.
Mum turns the button, and the fridge starts again. Then, she turns the button to the other side and the fridge stops. And when it stops it shakes.
Then Jonathan goes and turns the button: the fridge starts. He turns it to the other side and it stops again.
He does it five times. And Jonathan's quite at ease now.
Jonathan's heart's also at ease too. It doesn't go thump! thump! any more. Its beat is very quiet. Then, Jonathan gives Mum a big kiss, scratches his head, and asks:
-Mum: How did you manage to fly back from the shop?
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