Friday, January 23, 2009

Tragedy in the Mountains and a New Beginning

You may be wondering what adventures Flat Ben has been up to, since I haven't written about him in a week. Flat Ben had quite the weekend, starting with sushi at a surprise birthday party on Friday night. Flat Ben even picked out his own dinner.


Jason, the birthday boy, was very happy that Flat Ben could make it to his party! Tracy seems to like Flat Ben too.


On Sunday, Jesper and I took Flat Ben up to the Brainard Lake Recreation Area for a snow shoe hike with the dog. It was cold and as we climbed higher in elevation, it got windier and windier. In the shadows of Mount Audubon and Paiute Peak, I took Flat Ben out of the pack for a photo opportunity.

photo courtesy Jesper


That's when tragedy struck. A gust of wind picked Flat Ben up and carried him away, so fast I couldn't even see him. Jesper and I searched in the cold and the wind for a LONG LONG time, to no avail. He was gone.

Truth be told, I was completely frantic and devastated. How was I going to tell my little nephew that I had irresponsibly lost his precious gift? We finished the hike, but my heart wasn't into it anymore. Jesper tried to make me feel better, figuring out ways to make this whole episode a fun story for the real Ben. However, not even a yummy Oatmeal Stout and a Pork Ned Mess with Cole Slaw and Sweet Potato Fries could cheer me up (although that lunch was pretty darn good!). I dreaded telling my sister what had happened....

I finally told her that I had lost Flat Ben. She was so completely understanding and felt that telling the real Ben the complete truth was the best thing to do. I wondered how he would react; you know how funny kids can be. I feared he would be super upset about Flat Ben.

WRONG!!!! When my sister told Ben that Flat Ben had perished on the top of a mountain, he laughed! He thought it was funny; very Mr. Bill. Ben told his teacher and they had a Memorial Service at school for Flat Ben. Then, my nephew made a Flat Ben Jr., which he is Fed Exing to me today!

I can't wait to meet the little guy!

2 comments:

Kim said...

Aw...that totally sucks! But just think of the humor Flat Ben will bring to the person who finds him if he's found!

Itty Bitty Betty said...

Actually, it worked out fine. Ben truly thought it was hilarious! But I agree, he'll make someone chuckle if they find him!