Today’s WordPress writing Prompt: Describe a family member.
Well, who should that be? There’s so many. And just last week I described Uncle Gerald and Aunt Millie. So, or course, I did a little search, for Writing Prompt, and this snippet came up. It’s a little 50 word story that I wrote last year, based on an experience I had with my grandfather.
Where were you?” Grandpa’s grip matched the knot in his brow. “Looking.” Emily gestured toward the exhibits. “We’ve gone through three floors already. Mostly looking for you.” “Surgical procedures, blood vessels, eyes in jars.” “It’s time to go.” “Can we come back?” Emily quavered. Grandpa shrugged. “You’re already a scientist.”
I did get lost in Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry. Grandpa found me on the first floor, studying an appendectomy exhibit.
Grandpa loved to let me help him in his workshop. I knew Grandpa was a retired fireman, but to me, Grandpa was a genius. He invented things, he built things, and he knew how to solve problems. When Grandpa went on a trip, he brought me things. He brought me samples of iron ore, and he brought me a collection of convex and concave lenses.
Grandpa left school when he was about 12, maybe a bit older, but he never stopped learning. He had a whole wall of books. I loved his National Geographic books, and his Life books. Sometimes, I’d lay down behind a chair in the living room and just look at the pictures until I fell asleep.
Grandpa had big thick hands that built houses, and clocks, and boomerangs. Still, his hands did meticulous work, like splice film and remove slivers for fingers.
Grandpa did all sorts of things with his big strong body. He did even more things with his mind. He never stopped thinking and he never stopped learning new things. Even after he went blind, he listened to books, and kept learning new things. He even wrote a book about his life.
Grandpa lived until he was 99 years old. He once confessed that he didn’t want to die. Floating around on a cloud up in heaven seemed really boring. Maybe that’s why he stuck around so long.
