Monday, April 1, 2013

Aaron the Angry Alligator


Blogging from A to Z April Challenge


With a special thanks to Arlee Bird who had a great idea for this huge family of bloggers and ran with it.
 

 The ABCs of Behavior and Emotions



Aaron the Angry Alligator

Aaron was a small creature by alligator standards, a mere four feet long, but he wasn’t the kind of guy others tended to pick on for his size. Aaron, you see, was very angry. Smacking his tail against the brackish waters of Scrubby Palm Nature Preserve in Florida, fiercely snapping his jaws at anyone who came near, Aaron was a pretty unpopular guy in the alligator community.

“Yo, Aaron…new guy dude, I’m Polly the Peaceful Parrot,” she squawked. “What’s the matter wit’ you?”

“Mind your own business,” he snapped.

“Come on, talk to me. I’m here to help.”

“Shut up, Bird.”

“Well, la-de-da. Ain’t you nice?”

Polly squawked a couple of times and flew away. Aaron figured that was his last chance to tell someone about his problems, but dumping serious subjects on a frivolous, flighty bird just didn’t seem right.

“Squawk! I’m back. Are you sure you don’t want to talk?”

“Okay, okay. Humans threw me in here after I went swimming in the pool at one of their new apartment complexes by the Glades.”

“So that’s why you’re mad? Cause you got moved from a little pool of fresh water full of chemicals to this beautiful, safe place with acres and acres of space to move around?”

“I reckon so.”

“That’s just stupid.”

“I thought you said you were peaceful. You’re pissing me off.”

“I’m peaceful. See?” Polly preened her feathers and fluffed her wings.

“That pool was built right on top of my favorite mud bank. They squeezed out the water and built houses and shopping centers….and swimming pools.”

“Aw, poor baby. You need to get over it and stop being so cranky.” She squawked and flew away.

Aaron smacked his tail on the surface of the water and snapped his jaws shut so hard he bit his tongue. Sometimes angry doesn't feel so good.

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To learn more about the Blogging from A to Z April Challenge, visit the official challenge blog and check out the list of over 1,400 participants.

20 comments:

Alex J. Cavanaugh said...

He's so busy regretting what he had he doesn't see what he now has!

Laura Eno said...

Snapping your tongue with those teeth would hurt! :)

Laura Eno – A Shift in Dimensions

Rosalind Adam said...

Sometimes angry feels downright horrid. Lovely start to the A to Z.

Rosalind Adam is Writing in the Rain

Laura said...

You just made my monday - I read this out to my other half!
Lx

Blogging AtoZ @ChickLitLove

Unknown said...

Such a fun approach to the challenge!

Jan Morrison said...

This is great fun, Patricia! It puts me in mind of a record we had when we were kids - Little Arlee (yep, only other time I've heard of that name) and The Happy Bird. It was hilarious.
Look forward to more on emotions.

Daniel B. said...

So I gotta know...will Polly the Peaceful Parrot return when we get to letter P?

Nice start to A to Z month!

Hilary Melton-Butcher said...

Hi Francene .. great storytelling - a fun read .. poor old Aaron the Alligator - he'll always be angry won't he .. I hope some peaceful parrot pacifists can calm him down!

Cheers Hilary

DL Hammons said...

Somebody else had a picture of an alligator for their first A-Z post. Definitely angry! :)

Patricia Stoltey said...

Trying to make the rounds this afternoon to visit everyone who stops here plus more from the list. This is going to be a very busy month, isn't it?

T. Powell Coltrin said...

I love this. I need to learn from Aaron. :)

LD Masterson said...

My grandson was angry with his dad last week. I told him I hated being angry. Nothing feels right when I'm angry. Even food. Nothing tastes good.

I almost saw the light bulb come on over his head. He said I was right about nothing tasting good (this boy loves to eat)...and went to make up with his dad.

Doreen McGettigan said...

I agree angry is just awful. I'm looking forward to keeping up with you and your post throughout the challenge.

Anonymous said...

Pat - I just love this story! It really shows what a burden anger really is, and it's such a creative way to start the A-Z challenge :-)

Sharon Himsl said...

And so tomorrow we find out what happens next? Guess I better check back, huh. What a fun start to the A-Z!

Luana Krause said...

I'm a fan of fiction and this was delightful! I like the lesson to be learned; like an Aesop Fable. Good job, Pat.

Anonymous said...

Hi Pat - Love this post about Aaron the Angry Alligator! Can't wait for the next one :)

Arlee Bird said...

Angry get lead to saying things you wish you hadn't. One thing is for sure, I'm not angry today. What a great A to Z start. Thank you for your contribution to that success.

Lee
Wrote By Rote
An A to Z Co-host blog

Unknown said...

No, sometimes anger doesn't feel so good. Love the stories and the lessons.

J.L. Campbell said...

True that, anger sours our disposition and we need to know when to let go of things that have gone by.