Criticalson + The Two New Hats
29 Mar 2011 Leave a Comment
Criticalson + The New Hats
In the fishing village of Goodlesson, there was a boy called Criticalson. Criticalson was the youngest of three youths in his family, and thought himself the best fisher in Goodlesson. At the river, Criticalson would compare his perfectly crocheted nets to those knitted by the arthritic grandfathers in his village. At school, Criticalson would brag about the many dozens of mackerel he caught the day before. At home, unasked, he would instruct his brothers on canoe maintenance: “The best way to repair water holes is with mud and spit, my kin.”
His older brothers, Gentlesoul and Openheart, were not talented fishermen. But the boys were soft-spoken and always happy to share with others the one or two fish they had caught that morning.
One day Criticalson noticed his brothers had two new hats. Criticalson approached his father, Wiseparent, by the fishing stream and implored, “Father, why is it my brothers have new hats and I do not?” Wiseparent looked at him with the pathos and empathy all fathers have for their children. “Because, Criticalson,” he crooned, “Your mother died in childbirth. And I love your brothers more.”
