Bedtime Stories

Isaac and Aaron will frequently ask me to tell them "SuperIsaac" and "SuperAaron" stories at bedtime. The basic formula is that they are walking (or flying) along, hear a cry for help, render aid, receive a thank you, and then say "you're very welcome. I'm happy to help."

Some of my favorites have been saving the popcorn factory employees who were being buried by a popping machine gone haywire, helping scratch the giant's back where he can't reach, and the one Isaac always requests (which I'll tell in a moment).

Anyway, tonight on the car ride home I was telling a story like usual (they get one story, then only singing until we get home or they fall asleep). In this one, they were racing and heard a small cry for help, which was from an inventor who had been shrunk by his shrinking machine, and now needed help getting the machine's key back from a big rat who had disappeared down a hole. While SuperAaron took a nap (his idea, not mine), SuperIsaac rode a snake down the hole, across an underground lake, and to the giant rat with the key.

I told Isaac the rat would only give SuperIsaac the key if he answered a riddle. I asked, "what's black and white and red all over?"

I was going to give him some options, but he started answering on his own: "If a red animal, and a black animal, and a white animal ran around and around a tree really fast, it would turn different colors."

Of course, the rat gave him the key.

Now, on to Isaac's favorite, which I think was first told on the way down to Michael and Shannon's house a while back.

SuperIsaac and SuperAaron were awakened in the middle of the night by baby sister SuperClara. As mommy was going to feed her, SuperClara had some superpoops and Oh no! We are all out of diapers! Oh, who can go to the store and get some more?!

Our intrepid heroes quickly volunteered, and off they flew to the store (Super Wal-Mart, interjected mommy). When they got there, they went to the diaper section and there on the shelf was a regular box of diapers, and one which was glowing red. Which one did they choose?

Of course, they chose the glowing red one. But, as soon as they touched it, something amazing happened! Out of SuperIsaac's forehead grew a third hand, and out of SuperAaron's cheeks grew two extra fingers! (From this point forward, of course, the storyteller uses his own hand/fingers to act it out).

At first our heroes thought this was just great. SuperIsaac could hold things in his third hand while he was busy with his other two, and those extra two fingers were great for helping SuperAaron feed himself. But, after a while, the downside started to present itself. When they would stop and try to help people, they would get strange looks. And, occasionally, young girls would cry.

One day as they looked sadly at their extra fingers, there was a bright idea. "Hey!" Someone (I can't remember who) said. "Why don't you go to Nobel Prize-winning molecular biologist Mario Capecchi?"

So off they flew to the University of Utah to visit Dr. Capecchi. When they got there, he scratched his chin thoughtfully as he listened to their story. "You know," he said, "I think I know what caused this. We found a red glowing meteor that makes things grow! Lucky for you, we just happen to have a glowing green rock which makes things shrink."

Dr. Capecchi brought out the glowing green rock. As he moved it close to SuperIsaac's extra hand, the hand shrank away. (At this point the storyteller must repeatedly bring his hand toward the extra appendage, showing it shrinking and growing.)

Dr. Capecchi held the glowing green rock near SuperIsaac's extra hand and SuperAaron's extra fingers until they were gone for good. "Thank you, Dr. Capecchi!" they both said. "You're welcome," he said. "I'm happy to help."

Strangely, the story doesn't conclude with a report of whether SuperClara ever got her diapers.