Julian woke up with a case of the Mondays.
He wasn’t sure exactly what that meant but he had heard his Dad say it many times.
“Boss won’t let me miss work with just a case of the Mondays”
Or
“What’s the matter Julian? Why don’t you want to go to daycare? Case of the Mondays got you down?”
Julian lived on the second floor of a house with his Dad. Just his Dad and him and he liked it that way.
Julian’s Dad was always trying to make things fun for him. He would flip pancakes in the pan, dance to silly songs in the living room, and would play a fun game called, “chipper ball,” that they made up together using an old pom-pom from a winter hat.
Julian felt sad today though. The end of the weekend meant that he had to go to daycare. He had to hurry out of bed, he had to get dressed, he had to eat breakfast, and he had to rush on the subway to get there on time. And absolutely worst of all, he had to say bye to his dad. Julian HATED saying bye to his dad.
Julian’s dad could tell Julian didn’t want to get out of bed on this particular Monday. Truth be told, he hadn’t wanted to get out of bed that particular Monday either.
Julian’s dad decided to do something fun for the both of them. He tied his grey work tie on his face to make an elephants trunk and placed two big cardboard pizza boxes by his ears to make big floppy elephant ears. He got down on all fours and paraded into Julians room going “Merrrannnneeee, merrrrrannnnnnaaaaa” in a high-pitched squealing voice.
He said: “I’m an elephant look at me! MERRRRANNNNNNNEEE”
He placed his two hands into Julian’s rain boots and proceeded to squeal across the bedroom.
A small grin came across Julian’s face which turned into a big smile, and eventually into an uncontrollable laugh.
The two of them began parading around the bedroom on their hands and knees pretending to be elephants.
“I’ll tell you what,” Julian’s dad said.
“Since we both have a case of the Mondays today. And since you don’t want to go to daycare. And since I don’t want to go to work. Why don’t we make things a little more fun? Why don’t we both go in as elephants and you can tell your teachers that an elephant is going to pick you up from daycare today.”
Julian’s eyes lit up at the prospect and he immediately ran to the dresser to take out his grey elephant pajamas.
“We can use the elephant masks from the ring nose game!” Julian said. “And you should wear your grey suit to make you more like an elephant.”
He grabbed his grey pajamas and ran back across the room to his toy chest. He started throwing toys left and right to take out a game box. The game box had 4 elephant masks and a bag of coloured rings. The object of the game was to throw the rings on to the other elephants trunks. Julian loved the elephant game.
Julian found the game box and tore it open to find the elephant masks.
“You can be the daddy elephant, and I’ll be the baby elephant.” He said.
Julian’s dad chuckled at the prospect of him taking the subway downtown in his grey suit and an elephant mask but he loved it. Julian was so excited to go to daycare as an elephant and was so eager to show his friends the mask.
Julian’s dad dawned the awkward plastic elephant mask and looked over at Julian in his grey suit. “Don’t forget to tell your teachers that an elephant is picking you up from school today,” he said.
Julian popped his elephant mask on and ran over to look in the mirror.
“I just can’t wait to tell them!” He said.
Julian and his dad left the house and stomped their big elephant selves over to the bus stop that would take them to the train station, which would take them to another train station, which they could then walk just a few blocks up to Julian’s daycare.
They got some looks on the bus, and on the subway, but for the most part they were happy smiles at a father and son making an effort to make a mundane Monday subway ride a little more interesting.
They exited the train at their stop and began to stomp their way to the daycare still in their elephant masks and still squealing the occasional, “MEERRRRRRRANNNNNNNEEEE!” For good measure.
When Julian arrived at daycare his case of the Mondays had disappeared. He ran right up the stairs and to the door and even said to his dad before he entered the play space, “Just wait outside the door dad, I want it to be a surprise when an elephant comes to pick me up.”
Julian’s dad nodded and took his mask off and placed it underneath his briefcase. “I’ll just pop in quick to make sure your teachers know you didn’t stomp all the way here by yourself this morning. But remember to tell them an elephant is picking you up today.”
Julian smiled and hugged his dad strongly. “Bye dad!” He said.
Julian’s dad casually waved to his teachers and smiled to himself as he made his way to work.
Julian had a wonderful morning at daycare, he found a spot to play with the animal toys and imagined his dad stomping in proudly at the end of the day with a loud, “MMEEEEERRRRRAAANNNNEEE!” And his grey elephant mask.
He ran over to his friend Mason’s parents as they were dropping him off, “Did you know an elephant’s picking me up today??”
Mason’s parents laughed and said, “Oh Julian, that’s so silly! An elephant would never fit inside this daycare!”
Julian shrugged his shoulders and ran off to play with his friend Mason. They quickly got to playing and Julian grabbed the grey elephant from the animal bin.
“My dad’s an elephant today and he’s gonna come stomping in here just like this!”
Julian moved the elephant across the table and to the futon couch, he ran across the room to the book shelf, and pronounced loudly across the room in his best elephant voice: “MERRRRRRANNNNEEEEEE!!”
“An elephant is picking me up today!”
Julian’s day got a little harder around lunch time. He didn’t want to eat the yucky food they gave him and he didn’t want to drink the milk either. He wanted to eat what HE wanted to eat but it seemed all they had was “BLAH.”
He made a grumpy face at the table and felt his tummy grumbling when lunch time was over. He was told to go to the bathroom even though he didn’t feel like he had to, he had to wash his hands a bunch even though he didn’t even eat, and worst of all, absolutely worst of all, someone took the elephant soft toy at nap time.
Julian broke down when he saw his friend Greta holding the elephant toy. “She took my elephant toy!” He cried.
His daycare teacher came over and bent down to talk to Julian. He used a calm voice and spoke softly while explaining to Julian: “You know Julian, the toys at this daycare are really here for all the kids, I know you really love elephants but maybe Greta really loves elephants too. Don’t you think she deserves a turn with the elephant toy too?”
Julian wasn’t so sure but felt a little happy when he remembered what his Dad told him in the morning.
He wiped his tears and looked at his daycare teacher: “Did you know an elephant is picking me up today?”
Julian’s daycare teacher laughed and said: “Julian that’s so funny! An elephant could never fit inside this daycare!”
Julian shrugged his shoulders and lay down on his nap cot to sleep. He lay there silently imagining his great big elephant Dad coming in at the end of the day and couldn’t wait for that moment to come.
When Julian woke up, he walked over to the play area where the other children were playing a game with blocks and animals. Julian ran over to the get the elephant toy but Greta was using the elephant toy again! Julian’s face got all red and he felt like a hot egg in a pan. Greta kept stealing HIS elephant toys.
Greta smiled at him and placed the elephant toy on a stack of blocks and said “ROAR! I’m a big elephant! ROAR!”
Julian laughed in her direction and said, “Greta, elephants don’t roar silly. They sound like this.”
“MERRRRRANNNNEEEEEE!” Julian stood proudly over the other children as he gave his best elephant shriek.
The other children seemed annoyed with Julian and Greta looked sad. She said: “My elephant can sound like whatever I want it to sound like and you’re not the elephant boss!”
“Oh yes I am!” Said Julian.
“An elephant is picking me up today.”
Greta laughed in Julian’s face and the other children laughed too.
“You don’t know anything about elephants Julian! You think an elephant would fit inside this daycare?” Greta said.
Julian shrugged his shoulders but walked away feeling like an empty balloon. He had wanted to sleep with the elephant toy at nap time, he had wanted to play with the elephant toy in the block area, he had wanted this to be the best elephant day he’d ever had.
Julian rolled on the couch feeling empty and looked around the room. He saw everybody laughing and playing, but they didn’t notice him there. Julian sat there wondering if anyone would ever notice him at all, but just then he heard a familiar cry coming from up the stairs.
“Merannneeeee”
It got louder.
“MERRRRANNNNEEEEE!!”
It got closer.
“MMMMMMERRRRRRRRAAAAAAANNNNNNAAAAAAA!!”
Julian ran towards the door of the play space to see his dad climbing up the stairs on all fours. He was fully dressed in a grey suit, with his elephant mask on, and was screeching like a big, giant, silly elephant.
Julian couldn’t contain his laughter and all the other children ran towards the door to see what the noise was all about.
Julian’s daycare teacher came to door as well quite alarmed by all the commotion.
All the kids crowded Julian’s dad as Julian gave him a giant hug around his knees.
“I knew it! I knew it! I told you everybody! An elephant really did come to pick me up today!”
Julian’s dad smiled and said: “Sometimes you can make your imagination come to life.”
They said their goodbyes to all the children and thanked the daycare teachers respectfully.
Julian’s dad picked him up and said, “Ready? I’ll be the Daddy Elephant, and you can be the baby elephant.”
He lifted Julian up onto his shoulders and they paraded down the street shouting “MEEERRRRRANNNNEEEEE!” in their very best elephant voices.
THE END