October 8, 1987

We All Build Castles In the Air

By ELEANOR S. MARTIN

When Meade County school bells ring, it is a signal that summer is just about to end. We would like to hold on to summer, but fall comes creeping in Sept. 23 officially.

Long ago in Big Spring, Ky., a little boy was lying in the grass where children romped and played all summer. A lonesome little boy, trying to count the white clouds drifting by. He is lonesome today for his pals have started back to school. His new bike he got for Christmas was by his side along with a bag of marbles, but he wasn't interested. He was dreaming of the day when he too could go to school. He could do his numbers, read and was now an expert with the coloring book.

His sister had said by the time Johnny was eight or ten, he would be holding court in the town square. He loved the story of Jack and the Beanstalk and had it read to him many times.

A grapevine grew by the side of the house on a trellis. It grew until it almost reached the attic window. He thought it must be as tall as Jack’s beanstalk. Now, he remembers they told him the grapes would ripen about the time school opened.

Sure enough, the vine was hanging heavy with purple grapes. He ran to get a bucket to gather the grapes thinking how proud he would be to gather them.

He climbed to the top of the vine and soon had the bucket full and overflowing. With a scraping and splitting sound, the tendrils of the vine started breaking away from the house along with the trellis, leaving a little boy and his bucket of grapes high in the air swaying back and forth as if to fall at any moment.

The alarm was given; his brother came with a ladder from the store a short distance away and other town people came to help with the rescue.

"Throw the bucket down", they told him. He couldn't. It was hung, on his arm. Hold

on a little longer, we will get you down. All gave words of encouragement.

As the vine swayed closer to the house, they grabbed for him but missed the first time. The next time he was rescued by his brother's strong arms.

The people on the ground celebrated clapping and dancing around. The little boy was safe and sound and he would have a remarkable story to tell his playmates when they came home from school.

As he hit the ground he held out a little fist and said, "I got my grapes."

To those of you who build castles in the air, and who doesn't? - A quote from Henry David Thoreau:

"If you have built castles in the air

Your work need not be lost.

That’s where they should be.

Now put foundations under them."

If not today, some other day.