More of 8 Short Stories for Children Read online

Going to the Doctor

  Before William could go to kindergarten he had to be cleared by a doctor. His mother tried to prepare him for the visit by telling him everything that the doctor would do. William knew that the doctor would not hurt him but was there to help keep him healthy. "I am not afraid of the doctor." He said proudly to his king doll. Of course the doll didn't answer but William knew he understood. William pretended to be the doctor and examined his doll. He looked at his feet then the hands and head saying, "Open your mouth." But the doll again just looked at him.

  When the day arrived William was all excited. In the car on the way there he was asking his mother all kinds of questions. "How far is it to the doctor mommy?" "When will we get there?" "Is the office big?" and his mother answered all of them with a smile. When they came to the building William no longer was talking. He was a little scared but he took his mother's hand and walked into the office. When they went to the front desk William looked over the counter at the women there. She was dressed in a white dress and had a little hat on her head. William had never seen anyone dressed like that before except in the meat market in the store. The butcher had a white coat on when his mother took him to shop for food. "Are we buying food?" asked William. His mother smiled and said, "No William, were here to see the doctor so that you can go to school. Remember?" "Oh!" said William. "Are you the doctor?" asked William to the nurse. "No. I'm a nurse. I help the doctor." She answered.

  William and his mother sat down on a couch and his mother read a magazine. William looked at the other people in the room waiting for the doctor. "Are all these people going to school too?" asked William. His mother laughed and said, "No William. I don't think so." William sat close to his mother. After a while William said, "When are we going to see the doctor?" his mother said, "When it's our turn." So William sat back and played with his king toy that he brought with him. He said to it, "We have to wait for our turn." And put him down next to him on the couch.

  When almost everyone else was gone the door opened and the nurse came out. "William?" she said. William looked at her and his mother got up and took William's hand leading him into the other room. William looked around at all the machines there. His mother picked him up and put him on something that looked like a bed but it had no blanket. William dangled his legs over the side swinging them back and forth. The nurse put something around his arm and pumped it up until William felt the pressure. She had what looked like earphones to William in her ear and touched William's arm with something cold. Then she put a stick into his mouth made of glass. William had to stay real still until she took it out again. When she was done she said as she left the room, "The doctor will be right in."

  William couldn't stay still for very long. The door opened again and the doctor came in. "Are you the doctor?" asked William. "Why yes I am William. How do you feel today?" William looked at the doctor and said, "Fine." "That's good. The nurse said that everything looks good. Let me listen to your heart. Okay William?" and the doctor put on those ear things and touched his tummy with it."That sounds very good too." Said the doctor. The doctor told William to open his mouth and the doctor looked in. Then he helped William down and told him to walk to the door and back and William did what the doctor said. When he was done he talked to William's mother. "Everything looks great." And he gave Williams mother a slip of paper. When they left the office William said to his mother, "Can I go to school now mommy?" his mother said to William, "Yes dear, you can go to school now but not today." William was glad that the doctor took such good care of him.

  ###

  Halloween

  One of the best holidays that William loved was Halloween. William's mother dressed him up in a different costume every year. Last year she dressed him as a hobo with black cheeks and an old coat that was too big for him. He wore his father's shoes, also too big and torn pants. He looked into a mirror and they all laughed at what they saw. About a week before the big day William knew it was near and went to his mother and said, "What can I be this year for Halloween?" his mother stopped what she was doing and sat down with William at her side. "What would you like to be?" she asked him. "I don't know mommy." "Well what do you like to play a lot?" she asked again. William thought hard and then his eyes got big. "I know. I want to be a cowboy." His mother shook her head and smiled. "Okay." She said to him.

  When the day came William couldn't hardly wait any longer. "Mommy, can I dress up now so we can go trick or treating?" William's mother said, "All right William. Let me get your clothes." And she went to the closet and picked out the cowboy outfit that she made for him. There was a cowboy hat and pants with a shirt that looked like the clothes that the real cowboys wore on TV. "Oh boy." Said William as he started to put them on. His mother helped and soon he was all dressed up. When he was done he ran to his father who was reading the paper and said, "Daddy, will you take me trick or treating?" his father put the paper down and looked at William. "William, you can't go out like that." He said. William didn't know what to say. He looked down and said, "Why not daddy?" his father stood up and walked to the hall closet. William just watched him. When his father came back he had a box in his hands. He gave the box to William who opened it. Inside were the best cowboy boots that William had ever seen. "Wow!" was all that William could say. "Now with those on we are ready to go trick or treating." Said his father. William put the boots on and the three of them walked out the front door. William had a shopping bag that had a picture of a pumpkin on it. "I am going to fill this up with all the candy I can get." He proclaimed.

  After about an hour they came home again. William had received a lot of candy and his mother was looking at it to make sure that it would be okay for William. All William wanted to do was eat the candy and couldn't wait. He kept jumping around the table as his mother sorted out the candy. Finally she gave some to William. "Now you have to save some for the rest of the week William." His mother said. "Okay mommy. But you can have some too." His father heard this and said, "What about me champ?" William laughed and said, "Sure daddy. But leave some for me too."

  ###

  Washing the Car

  It is always fun for William to help his father do things around the house. One Sunday, after church, William's father went into William's room. "William. Would you like to help me wash the car?" he said. William dropped his toys and went to his closet. He still had on his good clothes for church. "I have to put on my car washing clothes daddy." Said William. He looked at all his clothes until his father came over and picked out some pants and a shirt for him. William hurried to put on the clothes and then ran out the front door. His father said, "William, get the bucket in the garage please." As he pulled the hose out to the car. William came back with the bucket and gave it to his father saying, "Here daddy."

  When William's father put soap into the bucket he said to William, "Go and turn on the water William." And William went over to the faucet and turned the hose on. The water sputtered as the air in the hose was pushed out by the water. William laughed when he saw the hose jump with the air and water coming out. His father filled the bucket up and soon they had soapy water for the car. William put the sponge into the bucket then taking it out started to rub the sponge onto the car.

  His father also took a sponge and did the top of the car. When William had put enough soap on the car his father used the hose to wash the soap off. "Here William. You do this a while." And he gave the hose to him. William ran the water over the car where he had put the soap on and then tried to wash off the soap where his father had put it. "Whoa there cowboy." Said his father. William's father liked to call him cowboy. William lowered the hose and his father took it and finished the top of the car. "What do we do now?" asked William. His father went into the garage and brought out two pieces of leather and gave one to William. "Now we dry the car." He said. "Okay daddy." Said William
and he started to rub the water off the car.

  Soon the car was dry and William said, "Boy daddy. The car is all sparkly." "Yes William. You did a fantastic job." William ran into the house and went to his mother. "Mommy. We washed the car and I helped daddy and it looks shiny. Come outside and see." Said William. So his mother took William's hand and they went outside. "Your right William. It looks beautiful." Said his mother. When everything was put away William's father said, "Let's take a ride in the car now that it's all cleaned up." So they got into the car and drove to town. William's father stopped at the candy store and bought William an ice cream cone. "Here William. That's for helping me wash the car." William was very happy. "When can we wash it again daddy?" said William. "Why don't we let it get dirty first William." Said his father with a laugh. Then they all laughed as they drove back home.

  ###

  Going to a Drive-In Movie

  One day William's father came home and said to William's mother, "How about a movie tonight?" then his mother said, "I don't think I can get a baby sitter." "We can go to the drive-in and William can go too." Said his father. When William heard that he was going to a movie he jumped up and down until his mother finally said, "Okay. I guess we can. William has been very good today so he can go with us." That's all William needed. He went into his closet and got a jacket to wear. When he came into the kitchen wearing the jacket his mother said, "Were not going until it gets dark William. We will eat dinner first then we can go." So William took off the jacket but left it over his chair so that he can put it on as soon as everyone was ready.

  When it started to get dark out William went to his father and asked, "Now can we go daddy?" and his father said , "Yes, I think it's time William." William went to his mother and said, "Daddy said it's time to go mommy." So his mother got her jacket and William put on his jacket and they walked out to the car. William was all excited and kept asking if they were there yet and his father said, "Almost William." When they got to the drive-in there was a line of cars waiting to get in. William's father moved up slowly until it was their turn to pay. "Two please." Said William's father. William said, "What about me?" his father said, "You don't have to pay yet William. Maybe next year. They drove on a ways until William's father turned the car to face the large screen. Then he took a speaker and pulled it onto the window of the car.

  William could hardly wait but soon the movie started. First there were some cartoons that William liked. After the cartoons the movie started. William watched for a while but soon it started to get boring and he played with his king toy. "Do you like this movie?" he asked the toy which only stared back at him through his painted eyes. After a while William grew tired and soon he was asleep in the back seat of the car. He didn't even wake up until his mother was putting him in his bed back at home. "Was the movie good?" he said to his mother. He could hardly keep his eyes open. "Yes dear. It was very good." She said as she kissed him goodnight. She turned off the light as William took his king toy and turned over back to sleep.