Benjamin Thomas O'Malley McGee's Search for His Smile by Land and by Sea

Benjamin Thomas O’Malley McGee’s Search for His Smile by Land and by Sea

By Glynn Bennion

Benjamin Thomas O’Malley McGee fell down in the yard and skinned his knee.

Benjamin Thomas grew sad and then sadder.  He showed his mother just what was the matter.

“I was chasing the cat.  It was fun for a while, but I’ve skinned my knee and I’ve lost my smile.”

When knees have been scraped moms know just what to do; they kiss them, and wash them, and bandage them too.

“Thanks, Mom,” said Ben, “for fixing my knee, but my smile’s still lost.  It’s gone.  Can’t you see?”

Ben’s mother could see.  Where his smile had once been, there was only a pout, and a tear, and a chin.  

“You should go look in the yard where you fell.  Your smile might be there.  You never can tell.”

So Benjamin Thomas O’Malley McGee ran back to the place where he fell on his knee.

And there was his puppy sniffing around, hoping for something to find on the ground.

“Here, Spot,” said Ben.  “Have you been here a while?  In all of your sniffing, have you sniffed a lost smile?”

Now Spot was a good dog.  He was smart.  He was fine.  He said, “I can’t smell your smile.  Would you like to use mine?”

So Benjamine tried on the muzzle of Spot.  It was slobbery, goobery, covered with … you know what.

“Thanks, Spot, old boy,” Ben said.  “Good day.  But I think I’ll go look for my smile in the hay.”  

“I ought to check there.  It might be there, of course.”  So Ben ran to the barn and he talked to the horse.

Fanny the filly looked up from her hay; while whisking her tail to make flies go away.

“Fanny, my smile’s gone.  Just look and see.”  It was certainly gone.  Ben was glum as could be.

Fanny thought hard about what she might say.  “Ben, why don’t you borrow my teeth for the day?”  

So Ben tried them on, and he looked rather silly wearing the teeth of a ten year old filly.

“Thanks anyway, Fanny,” Ben said, and was gone.  He widened his search; he had to move on.

He talked to a duck…

To a frog…

And a trout,

But none of them had the right snout for his pout.  

So finally Ben went back home to his mother.  He tried to, but just couldn’t smile for his brother.  

Benjamin Thomas O’Malley McGee picked at his supper.  He was still sad, you see.

“Off you go, Boys,” mother finally said.  ‘“Brush your teeth.  Say your prayers, and then jump into bed.”

As Ben brushed his teeth he looked in the mirror.  He wiped off glass.  He leaned in to get nearer.

And under his nose and over his chin he saw something silly and started to grin.  

Then after a story…

Then a kiss…

And a drink

Benjamin Thomas started to think

Of the kind animals he’d met that day, of his puppy, the fish, and the horse in the hay.

Then Benjamin Thomas O’Malley McGee drifted to sleep and dreamed of the sea.