Tell Me

Another
One,
Nana
A collection of
four original
childrens stories

By
Kathryn C. Theis

Copyright
All rights are reserved to the
author.
No part of this eBook may be used
or reproduced in any manner
whatsoever without written
permission except in the case of
brief quotations embodied in
critical articles or reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names
and character related to family
members are strictly with their
written permission. Places and
incidents are either the product
of the authors imagination or are
used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to actual persons,
living or dead, business
establishments, events or locales
is entirely coincidental, except
as authorized.

Acknowledgments

Thankyoutomyninesiblingswhohavealways
beenmybestfriends:
C.MarieHartge,KurtKlinzing,SallyKlinzing,Joe
Klinzing,MaryKlinzing,DodieBerg,Beth
Grandbois,JohnKlinzingandDavidKlinzing.

Thankyoutomythreechildrenwhohavealways
beenmyprideandjoy:
EleanorNett,CarrieTheisandEricTheis.

Thankyoutomysonanddaughterinlawfor
allowingmetouseAugustsphotoforthecover:
CodySorlieandEricTheis

AndthankyoutomyGuardianAngelwhostill
watchesovermeeveryday:Sophie

Dedication

To my first Grandchild
August Winter Thomas Theis

These are some of the stories I

would read to you if I were there
to tuck you in.

Table of Contents

The Goldfish Conspiracy .......................

Sisters Share .................................

Lunch With My People ..........................

3 What? .......................................

The Goldfish Conspiracy

Yawn! Good morning, Goldie, I

say, blinking awake. Suddenly, I
notice she isnt here! Goldie?
Goldie!
I frantically search for her. I
make the rounds, first left, then
right, left, right. Where can she
be? Where can she hide in a glass
house? Then I look up. There she
is, floating on her back!
I swim up and nudge her, but
she just drifts around. I panic.
Goldie, are you okay?

Goldie?

I try to flag someone down but

Billy and Bobby were running late,
as usual. Help! Hey, you!
Somebody! I shout. But everyone
runs around before rushing out the
door without even a hello or good-

bye.
Rufus sees my erratic swimming.
He tramps over and licks the wall.
Then he just goes back and curls
up on his doggie bed to wait
patiently for someone to come
back. Hes useless. They have him
literally eating out of their
hands.
I swim up to Goldie, nudging
her with my nose. She wobbles in
the water, but never even blinks.
I need help. I guess I have no
choice but to wait for someone to
come back. Mom will help. She
always does.
Waiting impatiently, I float
quietly around in circles. Im
careful to not make waves that
might cause poor, sick Goldie to
feel worse than she already does.

I watch the sunbeam float quietly

across the room.
I know that when the light
comes in the window at that low
angle, our people will be back.
Here they are, I think with relief
as Billy and Bobby come in. Now
maybe they will take care of
Goldie. But, No. They dash back
out the door with that piece of
wood, big leather mitten and ball.
I wonder what they do out
there. Rufus tromps after them
like usual. When they do come
back, I know he wont tell us
anything about whats outside the
door. He never does. Useless!
I hear Moms key in the latch.
When theres no noise from the
basement of our glass house, I can
hear plenty! She drops her purse

and settles on the couch, pointing

the clicker at us when she sees
how sick Goldie is. Good, Old Mom.
She notices everything! She goes
into the food room, comes back and
dips a buddy-scooper device into
the water and scoops up Goldie.
She leaves the room with her and I
hear that swooshing sound. She
comes back without my BFF.
What did you do with her!? I
cry, but she doesnt hear me.
Instead, she grabs her purse
and leaves.
Now where is she going? I swim
in circles, anxious for her
return. Im all alone in here.
The whole big out there is scary
if you have no one in here. Its
getting dark and awful quiet.
I hear the door unlock. The

lights turn on as Mom enters the

room carrying a portable plastic
fish bowl with Goldie in it! A
miracle! She fixed Goldie!
But when she dumps the cold
water and contents in, I know
right away this fish is an
imposter! I confront the new kid
demand to know were he came from
and how he got here. But, I dont
know what happened! I was just
minding my own business when,
WHOOSH, someone scoops me away
from my family and home and brings
me here. Aha, the old buddyscooper device again!
He starts crying. Now what? It
was getting really disgusting;
first I lose my best friend, and
now a strangers tears are
polluting my home!

I circle him as he sniffles.

Hes smaller than me, really just
a baby.
Hey, Kid. Calm down. Its not
so bad. I show him around. You
circle left, you circle right.
Thats about it. He stops crying
and looks around.
But, who is that giant who
brought me here?
Thats Mom. Shes the boss. I
always liked her until she did
away with my roommate. And a
kidnapper, too! I guess I had her
all wrong.
Just then the boys return,
Rufus bounding in, panting and
wagging his tale. Bill asks,
Whats for dinner?
Bobby complains, Yeah, Mom,
were hungry.

Mom calls out from the food

room, never mentioning any of her
exploits. Go watch TV while I
make dinner. How can she sound so
calm when I know that as soon as
the boys see the Kid, they will
notice how small he is? They will
surely be upset and cause a fuss
at the loss of our dear Goldie.
In they come, pointing the
clicker at me to make my basement
talk. They will raise a commotion
now, I tell Kid. We wait and
wait. They click and argue and
finally sprawl over the couch,
positioning themselves for comfort
as they idly watch us.
Should we do something?
They dont care, I moan,
disappointed at their lack of
interest. When they get that

glazed look in their eyes, they

will sit there for hours now, just
staring at us.
But, I have never had an
audience before! Kid says
excitedly and begins to swim and
circle and even figure-eight.
Very nice, Kid, I comment as
he circles me yet again. Too bad
they wont notice.
Then they point the clicker
thing at us again and the sounds
below us change. Kid starts in
again, as if he were dancing,
Slow down. Youll wear
yourself out!
But, they seem so enthralled
with everything I do!
They watch me like that all
the time. Stop and see what
happens.

Kid stops swimming and floats

next to me. We look at the boys,
hoping for any reaction. But,
they just sit there staring,
watching.
Well, sometimes they each take
a different kind of toy thing and
aim it at us and jostle back and
forth hooting and hollering, while
the noise is deafening from under
us. I hate that! Sad how they
havent noticed that Mom stole
Goldie, swooshed her away and
replaced her with you. No offense,
Kid.
Even Mom seems to be waiting
for them to say something about
her diabolical fish exchange, but
nothing. Makes me wonder if I they
would notice if I disappeared
either. No gratitude for the hours

of entertainment I provide every

night and all days on weekends.
Finally, Mom calls from another
room, Stop watching TV and go to
bed, boys. Click. Silence, dear
sweet, silence. Its not
frightening now.
The boys leave the room without
a second glance at us. No good
night, no food. As if we didnt
exist except for entertainment.
Uh, oh! Here comes, Mom. What
does she have in her hand? Be
careful, Kid.
Mom comes over and sprinkles
food for us. Guess we fooled
them, she says, then smiles. She
smiles! Like it was a conspiracy
we were happy to be part of! I
will have to keep my eye on her!
If she puts that fish

retriever device into the water,

dont go near it! I warn Kid.
But, she is the only one who
talks to us, who cares.
Maybe. But if she sticks
anything in here, beware!
Mom turns out the lights. The
smaller fish swims up close beside
me for comfort.
Get some sleep, Kid. Tomorrow
is a full day. Its Saturday.
Whats a Saturday?
You have much to learn and
maybe some things to teach, too I
wink. After all, you have been on
the other side of the door.
Kid smiles. Im sure glad
youre here, though. I miss my
family.
Ill look out for you, little
guy. All is well. Good night,

Kid.
Good night, TV, he yawns.

Sisters Share

Mary joyfully splashed her

older sister. Katie shrieked and
giggled at the same time, kicking
the bathwater, sending rivulets of
soap bubbles down Marys chin.
Katies laughter brightened as her
sister stuck out her tongue and
squinted her big brown eyes.
Theyve shared bath time since
Mary was old enough to sit up.
They also shared a room; Katie
in her bed and Mary in her crib,
though Mary crept into her
sisters embrace.
The girls crawled from the
bathtub and ran naked to their
room, followed by their jovial
mother, only to find Dad blocking
the door holding their baby

sister, Dodie, muttering something

about big now and about time
and sisters share.
They glanced around. Katies
bed had been replaced with a bunk
bed! Dad walked in and put Dodie
into Marys crib, the nest where
she spent every night as long as
she could remember, and even
before that.
Mom swaddled the girls in
towels as they stood there,
silent, watching Baby Dodie pick
up Marys beloved bunny from the
corner of the bed, put it in her
mouth and drool all over it. Mom
pulled it from her mouth and
inserted a bottle, letting the
child cuddle with the toy in her
new bed.
Mom and Dad dressed the girls

in their sleeper suits, babbling

about how big they were and lucky
to have each other. Dad showed
Katie how to climb the ladder and
get into the top bunk. The parents
happily tucked the sisters in,
surprised there had been no scene.
As soon as the door was closed,
Katie climbed down and sat on
Marys bed.

Mary was staring at

Dodie.
Thats my bed. She got up and
went to the crib. She started
poking the baby through the bars.
Dodie sat up, thinking it was a
game. The more Mary poked, the
more Dodie would coo. Stop it,
Katie told her.
Often the sisters had spent an
evening talking and laughing. But
they knew their parents limit.

First warning was Be quiet from

Mom. Second warning was I mean
it, and finally, Dads voice,
Dont make me come in there!
They had never gone past that
point.
Mary started to climb into the
crib. Help me, she whispered to
Katie. Mary had learned to crawl
OUT long ago, but had never tried
to get IN.
Katie stood behind her and
tried to lift her, but no luck.
Try this, and Katie knelt on all
fours. Mary climbed on her back
reaching for the top of the crib
railing until her feet were on the
mattress. Katie stood and pushed
on her sisters butt to get her
over and fall into the bed. Dodie
sat up and applauded the acrobatic

antics.
Mary reached for her bunny but
the baby held on with a gamblers
grasp. When she wrenched it from
Dodies fingers, and the baby
began to whimper, Katie tried to
reach through the crib bars to
shush her. Mothers voice called,
Be quiet and dont wake the
baby.
Foiled by her baby sister, Mary
picked up the bottle dropped
during the tug of war and began to
suck on it. Dodie reached for it
as the elder child dodged her.
Mary, let her have it, Katie
urged, but her sister flaunted her
possessions, sucking hard on the
bottle to drain it before it was
taken from her.
I mean it! Mom called.

Katie grabbed the ladder, and

tried to get it to the crib. It
fell against the upper edge with a
bang! She was in a panic now. She
scrambled up the ladder and over
the edge, tumbling into the bed.
She pulled both the bunny and
the bottle from Mary and gave both
to the baby. Sisters share,
Katie repeated.
Mary was shocked, more by the
betrayal of her older sister than
the removal of the objects. Katie
had always given everything to her
not taken things from her! Hey!
she shouted.
Dont make me come in there!
Dads voice boomed.
Lie down and be quiet, Katie
demanded.
The baby sniffled, accepted the

bottle and wrapped her arm around

the precious prize. Katie lay down
next to her. The baby cuddled next
to her oldest sister, content
within the comfort of her arms.
Youll get wet, Mary, proud
of her newly learned skill of
using the potty, told her. Katie
was aware of the dangers of
sleeping next to an infant in a
diaper, but the threat of Dad
coming in there to do who knows
what was incentive to let settle
in.
Mary lay on the other end of
the crib, watching Dodie and Katie
slip off to dreamland.
As soon as she was sure they
were asleep, Mary crawled back to
Dodies side, and gently pried her
baby sisters fingers from her

bunny. Since there was no response

from the sleeping child, she snuck
the bottle from her, too.
Happy now, she, too, cuddled
closer to her sisters, saying to
no one in particular, Sisters
share.

Lunch with My People

Seven, six, five, come on, come

on, two, one. ARRGGGHHH!

Lunch.

Finally.
I grab my coat from the
cloakroom while everyone else gets
their brown paper lunch bags or
cartoon covered lunchboxes. Not
for me. I have people waiting for
me.
I tap down the stairs like
Shirley Temple, skidding to a stop
at the heavy door. Leaning on it
gets it to budge a bit when
someone pulls it open and I tumble
out to the schoolyard. Free, for
an hour.
I dont know why Mom thought
this going to school all day was
such a great idea. What was wrong

with morning kindergarten? It

worked just fine last year for
her, and it still works for Mary
this year, too.
Youll be a Big Kid like your
big sisters and brothers when
youre gone all day! So whats
wrong with staying a Little Kid,
like Mary and Dodie and Beth?
Hmm, how to keep from being a
Big Kid if they force me to go to
school all day? And then it came
to me. Go home for lunch! When I
told her last night, her face
wrinkled as she looked at me.
Dont you want to stay and eat
with your new friends? Mom asked.
No.
Youd have plenty of time to
play with them during the lunch
hour.

I dont think so.

How are you going to make new
friends if you dont get to know
them.
New friends? I have five
sisters and two brothers and four
neighborhood kids in my class. Am
I supposed to know everybody in
the world?
She laughed, nodded her head,
and made one less bag lunch.
It was four blocks, fifteen
minutes walking, thirteen if I
skip every other block, and twenty
if I take the time to very
carefully walk the picket fence on
Sheboygan Street. Skip it is.
Mom was just putting Bethie in
her highchair when I came racing
in. Twelve minutes if I cut
through Donohues backyard. A new

record.
Mom had the all the ingredients
of my favorite meal laid out,
ready to go. They had waited for
me, just like she promised.
First I poured five glasses of
chocolate milk, one in a glass for
Mom, one in a Sippy cup for Bethie
and three in plastic glasses for
Mary, Dodie and me. (Why do they
call them plastic glasses if they
arent made of glass? Hmm. So many
mysteries to unravel.)
Mondays are the best day for
milk. Frenchie the milkman
delivers it fresh and cold, and
enough to get through a whole day
before my brother drinks all the
chocolate!
Next, I take the can opener
and, being very careful to not cut

myself like I did that one time

when I tried doing it without
Moms supervision, open the can of
spaghetti and empty it into the
pan. Mom stirs it to shape it into
the pan before she putting it on
the stove. I run my finger across
the discarded lid before throwing
it away and sample the sweet
orange sauce. Chef Boyardee. The
best!
Mom gets out bowls, plates and
silverware while I jump to the
next cooking task.
I take seven pieces of Wonder
bread from the bag and line them
up on the table like soldiers
awaiting deployment. Two get
butter on the whole slice; three
get butter on the lower half only.
Mom forgot to take the butter out

of the refrigerator, so it is
hard. When I try to spread it
evenly, it clumps. Yuck! Even
gently pressing on the lumps tears
the bread. Oh, well, those are the
pieces to get covered with peanut
butter anyway.
I get the sticky grape jelly
jar from the fridge. The jelly
goes on the still empty portions
of the bread soldiers.
Now for my personal touches. My
little sisters like their
sandwiches folded in half, peanut
butter on the bottom, jelly on the
top. Dodie likes the fold, Mary
likes it sliced then folded and
Beth gets cut in half again. I eat
mine like my Mom; two pieces
sliced diagonally.
Mom spoons the spaghetti into

bowls and slices it up for the

girls. She and I eat it the whole
length.
Twelve thirty. Right on
schedule.
I take a bite and chomp into
the clump of butter. Delicious. A
spoonful of canned spaghetti
washed down with chocolate milk.
If I had been at school, I would
not have gotten the hot dish OR
the chocolate milk.
Mary tickles Dodie who knocks
over the milk that Mom mops up
without getting angry like Dad
might while I take another bite
and spoon-feed Bethie.
How can I fit such contentment
into ten more minutes?

This is my

favorite half hour of the day, any

day, every day, spent with my four

favorite people in the whole wide

world without all those other
people around.

Just us!

I glance at the clock.

Time to

head back to afternoon school

alone, knowing all of them,
including Mom, will nap soon after
I leave.
Content that they will all be
safe till my return, I lean over
to kiss Bethies sauce-covered
face good-bye. She reaches her
hand up and smears peanut butter
in my hair.

3 What?
Happy Birthday, Augusts
family told him. Youre three
today!
Three what? August asked.
Three years old, silly, his
Dad told him.
Whats a year? August asked.
His family looked at each
other.
Nana laughed and said, A wink
of your eye, puddin
Dad said, "Mother, dont
confuse him. August, a year is
three hundred sixty-five days, or
twelve months with about thirty
days per month.
Dad, August said, I can only
count to ten.
Ok, Aunt Nora said, Think of
it as how long it takes to enjoy
the Holidays.

Its September, so

lets say there are ten of them.

One is today, your birthday, two

is Halloween when everyone gets
dressed up in costumes and you go
Tick or Treating. Three is
Thanksgiving when we call come
over and eat a big turkey dinner
and watch the Packers play
football on TV. Four is Christmas
when we celebrate Baby Jesus
birthday with gifts to each other.
Five is Valentines Day, with red
hearts and flowers for your
favorite people. Six is Easter,
with bunny rabbits and big hats,
and Easter egg hunts. Seven is
Mothers Day when we take your Mom
and Nana out for dinner and bring
them presents to thank them for
everything they do for us the rest
of the year. Eight is Fathers Day
when we thank Dad and Grandpa for
being there for us, too. Nine is
the Fourth of July, with a parade
and fireworks, and ten is Labor
Day which means the end of summer

and that its time for the big

kids to go back to school.

Ten

holidays equals a year.

Do you remember all of those?
Dad asked.
I remember the Fourth of July.
There were fireworks and food.
August nodded encouragingly.
How about four seasons? Aunt
Carrie tried again. One is autumn
when the leaves change color and
fall off the trees. Two is winter
when its cold and theres snow
everywhere. Three is spring when
it starts to get warm again and
the trees bud with new leaves and
tulips burst through the melting
snow, and four is summer, when
its so hot we get out the
swimming pool for you to play in
and get cool.
Whats snow? August asked.
Mom said, Okay, honey, you are
three. That means it has been

three years since you were born.

Like your baby sister, Susie.
Oh, born, yes. One day shes
IN Mommy, and the next day she is
OUT of Mommy, and that day was the
day she was born.
Yes, Darling, thats right.
Everyone nodded. In your first
year, you started helpless and
needy like Susie. I had to feed
you, and change your diapers and
bathe you. But in that first year,
your grew strong and learned to
not only sit up, but to feed
yourself and even to take a few
steps. Then you were One.
The next year, you learned to
walk, run and explore. You found
your way around on your own and
investigated the house. AND you
learned to recognize words and
names, and even say a few. When
you accomplished all of that, you
were two.

Last year you learned to TALK!

Isnt that amazing? You are now
able to tell me what you need,
what you want, what questions are
on your mind. You learned to
remembernames, places, things
that happen, stories you like. AND
you learned how to use the
bathroom and stopped using
diapers. That was a VERY good
year. And now it has been three
years since you were born, so you
are now three!
Wow! I was busy. A year. Hmmm.
I cant remember back before I
could remember, so a year must be
a LONG, LONG time.
Grandpa said, A year is how
long it will be before we have
another party like this for YOU!
August looked at his family and
climbed into his grandmothers
lap.
In that case, I hope Nanas
right. And he winked at Nana.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryn Claire Theis (1952 - 2014)

"Takecareofeach
other"wasafirm
beliefofKathryn
ClaireTheis.Sheis
nowpureloveand
joy,andwearehere
takingcareofeach
otherinherstead.

K.C.enjoyed
experiencingthe
worldthroughtravel,
education,writing,
creatingartand
merriment.She
lovedholdingchildren,watchingsunsets,
sharingstorieswithfriendsandspendingtime
withfamily.Therewasnothingthatgaveherlife
moremeaningthanbeingsupportiveofthose
shelovedandkindtoallshemet.Herspirit
indomitable,herlaughterinfectious,sheleft
thosewhosharedherpresencebetterofffor
havingencounteredit.

"Ismellyouintheoceanbreezeandseeyouin
everysunsetofeveryday.Ifeelyouineach
flowerItouchasIpassby,andhearyouinthe
laughterofothersespeciallychildren."
(EleanorNett)