by Kevin J. Doyle
“Attention all bad guys! You better beware of the gargoyle!” Collin carefully slid a big brown envelope into his mailbox. “Cuz soon, Garzo’s gonna take you all down!”
The envelope held Collin’s greatest ever masterpiece work of art; a mighty gargoyle, created entirely from his own imagination, drawn and colored in rich purples, greens and reds. Also inside were a creature bio sheet he’d written, an order form, and a small payment to Creature Comics Inc. He’d saved his allowance and worked on his illustration for more than two weeks. Now, in only seven to ten days, Creature Comics Inc. would mail him back a special, one-of-a-kind monster superhero comic book featuring...
“Garzo - The Power Punching Gargoyle!”
Awesomest crime fighter in the universe!
Collin just had to wait one measly little week. And maybe only two or three days more after that. Simple, right? Wrong! Waiting for Garzo turned out to be the toughest thing he’d ever done. The first six days seemed to last six hundred years!
On the seventh day, his mom tried to help. “Remember sweetie, it might be ten days or maybe even longer. You have to be PATIENT.”
Staring out the front window, Collin tried not to think about “maybe even longer.” His imagination chugged and a daydream formed...
Look at that train plowing through our front yard! I couldn’t get to the mailbox now even if I had to. Must be hundreds... or maybe thousands of cars zipping by! Carrying fantastic things like dragons, robots, giraffes and golden treasures. Motorcycles, monsters and mermaids too. Oh wow, there are also elves, elephants and eagles on the train! I’ll have to let it go by before I can go out there. Finally! There goes the massive, fire-red caboose blazing by, full of foxes, fishermen and at least fifty fat frogs.
“I see the mail truck!” Collin sprinted outside. But there was no Garzo comic book in his box. Collin slumped and shuffled back to his room.
“I’m sure it will arrive any day now,” Collin’s mom said the next day. Which was his eighth day of waiting. “You have to PERSEVERE.”
Collin wasn’t sure about that word. He decided it meant ‘hang in there’. She’s right, Collin thought, as he moseyed to the front window. His imagination spun...
Oh no - a stinky, soggy swamp has sucked up our front yard! I could never reach the mailbox here now. Maybe I can cross the slog using the vines hanging off these scraggly trees. YUCK! They’re so slimy and slippery! Must keep swinging....but this last vine is so super slick with swamp slosh. Now a bunch of spiders are sliding at me! Have to hang on....and swing....one more time....now....JUMP!
