5yr old Samantha Forster sat on the porch step of River Bend Ranch, her best friend, Jake Ely sat next to her. Each had a big piece of watermelon, and both where eating them happily.
Sam had just picked out one of the seeds of her watermelon and was about to put it in her mouth when a hand grabbed it and flung it across the yard.
"HEY! What was that for?!" Yelled an indignant Sam.
"Don't ya know Brat? If you eat one of them seeds, a whole big watermelon will grow in yer little stomach. A stomach as small as yours, why, it'd burst right out of it!" Replied Jake coolly.
"Really?" Sam's cinnamon brown eyes got big, and her mouth formed a small 'o'. Jake just nodded his head.
~~&&~~
The next day at lunch, Sam was eating a leftover piece of watermelon from the day before. She took a big bite and swallowed, feeling something small, round and smooth glide down her throat. Tears welled up in her eyes as she recalled what Jake had told her about her stomach bursting if she ate a watermelon seed.
The little girl covered her mouth with both hands, tears streaming from her eyes, and ran out the door, slamming it behind her. She heard someone coming out the door and following her quickly.
Sam threw open the stall door, and attempted to wrap her arms around the neck of the smoke colored mustang stallion , but it he was too tall, so she managed to rest her arms across his broad chest.
A step behind her made her turn around; she was immediately scooped up in gentle, but firm arms. The smell of her mother's Lavender perfume, mixed with the smell of the cinnamon rolls she had made for breakfast.
"What's wrong honey?" The young mother asked.
"I swallowed a watermelon seed!" Which sounded more like, "I shwolled a wakermelen seed!" because of her head being buried in Louis's shoulder.
"Why would that make you upset?" She asked kindly, tracing invisible circles on Sam's back.
"Cause, Jake tolded me, if I ate a watermelon seed, it would grow in my tummy and make it burst!" The little five year old wailed.
"Oh, that bad old Jake. Of course a watermelon won't grow in your stomach. It couldn't get enough sunlight to grow. Do you remember what I was telling you about the other day? About how plants need sunshine and water to grow?"
Sam sniffled and wiped a chubby hand across her eyes.
"I guess so Mama."
"That's my good girl. Now go finish your lunch."
As Sam was walking back to the ranch house, her hysteria quickly turned into joy when her Mama told her that Gram was making a big chocolate cake for after dinner, and that Daddy said he was going to give her a ride on his mustang stallion Smoke. Forgetting about "that bad old Jake" and his mean pranks, she skipped, hand in hand with her Mama across the ranch yard.
~~&&~~