Since I have been cautiously maintaining my social distancing, during this pandemic,
I did not expect to be seeing anyone for the Thanksgiving holiday. So, imagine my
welcome surprise when my little friend, local thespian and sometime model, Horatio H.
Hamster Esq., popped up unexpectedly, and he was dressed for the occasion.
"Felicitous greetings, good sir!", he said, in his dramatic, little voice. "May I join
you in the hour of giving thanks for our recent blessings?"
Of course I told him that I was glad to see him, and that I was always interested
in hearing the latest news of the happenings, here in our little kingdom of the animals.
I also complimented him on his hat and inquired if it signified any personal family history,
and, as I suspected, he confided that he was wearing it as a tribute to one of his
distinguished distant relatives. In this case, he was referring to "Hezekiah", an ancestor,
and another of his namesakes, who, according to family lore, came over to America
on the Mayflower.
The reference to his "namesake" made it clear that the middle "H" in Horatio's
name, now stands for "Hezekiah", for a while at least. That would be a worthy
tribute, if the family story is true, but I did have doubts about its historical accuracy.
When I suggested to Horatio, that his ancestor's name was not likely to be found
on the passenger list of the Mayflower, he explained that Hezekiah had been forced
to hide "below decks, in steerage", to escape from injustice and to gain his freedom.
When I asked him if his ancestor had stowed away to get freedom of religion, he
admitted that he thought it was more likely that Hezekiah was in search of the
freedom to eat. As proof of that, he said that, in those days, England and Holland
were having, "a substantial shortage of such important foodstuffs as candied yams,
pumpkin pies and turkey drumsticks".
I didn't bother to inform him that the native foods of American Thanksgiving
celebrations, had not yet arrived in Europe, in the early sixteen hundreds. I was more
interested in talking about how to give thanks, for this troublesome year of 2020.
I asked him what he was thankful for this year, considering that, due to the pandemic,
the entire season of plays at the neighborhood's Quadruped Playhouse, had been
cancelled, including the annual Christmas production of Dickens' Christmas Carol.
Horatio agreed that it will be sad for him, not to be able to reprise his role as
Bob Cratchet, but he said that he was very thankful for recent changes at the theater
company. He was particularly pleased that a majority of the company had voted to
expel Donald J. Skunk from the membership, so that he can no longer demand to
always have the lead roles, even though he has never performed well at anything,
and even though his personal stench revolted the other actors. And furthermore,
it seems likely that the semi-blind and deaf fox, who served as Mr. Skunk's prompter,
will have to assume a diminished participation in future productions.
Horatio said that the theater company still had a number of other personnel
issues to be dealt with, including the stage manager, Mitch McTurtle, whose always
deliberately, slow pace often prevents good progress. and the itinerant ex-stage hand,
Vladimir Pigley, who persistently hangs around the theater, gobbling up anything left
unattended.
As I was finishing a quick sketch of Horatio, he asked me if I would like to
collaborate with him on a project, or if I had any suggestions for him to consider
as good material for a future theatrical production. With pilgrims already on my mind,
I said that since he is clearly a master of allegory, perhaps he should consider doing
a dramatic adaptation of John Bunyan's allegorical novel, Pilgrims Progress, when we
finally have put this pandemic behind us. That suggestion seemed to strike him as
being rife with possibilities for satire and comical dialogue. He thanked me for the
idea, and then he departed, leaving me with this closing admonishment.
"Fare thee well, good sir! And keep a watchful eye out for the greedy disciples
of Satan, during your safe, holiday, shopping trips!"
I thanked him for the warning, and wished him a fond farewell in return, as he was
waving goodbye with Hezekiah's hat.
He left me with the hope that things are getting a little bit better, here in our little
kingdom of the animals. During this season of Thanksgiving, following this year which
has given us so many troubles, perhaps we should all be doubly thankful for our friends,
no matter how big or small they may be. If their hearts are in the right place,
nothing else matters.
Eugene P. McNerney
