Jojo sighed and laid his head down on the table. He didn't really see the point of Who Sunday School - other than keeping the Who kids busy while their parents cleaned house or shopped or whatever they did all day. They never really learned anything here; Mr. Wholius just read aloud from the Bible without explaining what any of the stories meant in terms of their real life. Right now, they were hearing the middle-aged Who drone on about someone named Joseph and his brothers.
Jojo knew that, unlike his Who classmates, he possessed a method of escaping the boredom: Thinking. Now was as good as ever if he wanted to get out of there. He closed his eyes, feeling his mind drifting away from the classroom and into the realm of his Thinks. Jojo couldn't wait to see what it would be today; even he, as a Thinker, never knew what to expect from different Thinks.
Instead of the stuffy classroom, Jojo suddenly found himself standing outside in a field. The sun beat down mercilessly over him, making everything seem to shimmer. Looking around, Jojo saw that sheep were scattered around the field, munching the grass nonchalantly. A gnarled tree stood not far away from Jojo, under which a figure seemed to be waving him over. Jojo jogged over to the welcoming shade of the tree.
The figure was a boy, somewhat older than Jojo, most likely a teenager. He wore a coat covered with all the colors of the rainbow and then some. That coat is awesome, but I doubt it would fit in back in Whoville, Jojo couldn't help thinking. There was a gleam in this boy's eyes that Jojo recognized, as if this boy was rarely grounded in the physical world. Then again, this wasn't even the physical world, just a setting for the Thinks Jojo was creating today.
"Are you from around here? It doesn't look like it," said the boy, eying Jojo's clothing with interest.
Jojo had been told by his parents never to lie, but at the same time, he doubted this boy would believe him if he told the full truth. He decided to reveal, "No, I'm just visiting. Would you mind if I sat down for a bit?"
"Go ahead," the boy answered cheerfully. "The shade's free."
Jojo leaned his back against the rough bark of the tree and slowly slid downwards until he was in a seated position. The boy turned to him with an extended hand and said, "My name's Joseph."
"I'm Jojo," the younger kid replied, taking and shaking the hand. "So, you live here?"
"That's right," Joseph affirmed, starting to count on his fingers. "Me, my dad, my stepmoms, ten older half-brothers, their families, my half-sister Dinah, and my little brother Benjamin."
Jojo whistled. "That's a big family," he said in awe. "I'm an only child - it's just me, my mom, and my dad."
Joseph sighed, "You're lucky you have a mom. Mine died right after Benjamin was born. Actually, Dad says she was the only girl he ever really loved." Lowering his voice to a whisper, he added, "I think that's why I'm his favorite kid!"
Jojo nodded and asked, "Is that why you have that coat?"
"Exactly," Joseph said proudly. "Do you like it?"
"I think it's amazing," Jojo replied. "It really suits you."
"Thanks," Joseph chuckled. "I like it, too. I wear it everywhere these days."
There was silence for a moment as the two sat and watched sheep. Jojo felt his eyelids start to droop, and jerked his head up suddenly. Joseph laughed, "Oh, that happens to my older brothers all the time. Once, I caught them all snoozing when they were supposed to be keeping an eye on the flocks. I had to corral all the sheep and goats away from the cliffs before I woke them up. But that's not the end of it…"
"Really? Please, go on!" Jojo was quite interested in the story Joseph was telling. Much more interested that if a Who adult, or even one of his Who friends, were to tell it.
Joseph shook his head, then continued with a grin still plastered all over his face, "Well, when I finally got around to waking them up, I noticed that they had brought a lot of wine with them…"
"Please don't finish that," Jojo interrupted, laughing. "I don't want too many details!"
Joseph held his hands up defensively, but laughed along. "I take it you get the picture. Boy, was my father mad when I told him! He was really glad I told him about it, and he made sure every one of them got in trouble."
Slightly uncomfortable and wishing to change the subject, Jojo asked, "So, do you ever Think?"
Joseph seemed surprised and confused at the question. "Well, I guess I think about my dreams a lot…" he responded.
"Dreams?" Jojo said, his eyes brightening. "I dream a lot whenever I Think. What do you dream about?"
The faraway look Jojo had initially observed in Joseph's face returned. "I've always had a knack for figuring out what the meaning of dreams people get when they're asleep mean. I've had some interesting dreams of my own. Last night, I dreamt about sheaves of corn my brothers had gathered bowing down to one of mine. Then I had one about the sun, moon, and eleven stars bowing before me. I'm positive they mean that I'll be more important than them someday."
"Is that what you aspire to, or what?" Jojo asked.
"I guess," Joseph shrugged. "I sure hope those dreams come true. That would be wonderful. And what about you, huh? Do you have dreams?"
Jojo admitted, "I mostly daydream about my goals in life - first and foremost, to find a friend who understands what it's like to have an imagination. Thinks aren't exactly encouraged where I come from." He sighed.
Joseph gently placed a hand on Jojo's shoulder. "I know how you feel," he said. "Following your dreams is a rough path to take, but I just try to be happy with whatever comes my way. Any dream will do, I always say."
Jojo smiled and was about to reply when two figures appeared on the horizon. Joseph waved energetically in their direction, then explained to Jojo, "Those must be some of my brothers. Want to meet them?"
"Sure," Jojo said with a shrug. This Think had turned out to be one of his best - while it was not as wild or colorful as some, he was glad he had made a friend. With this in mind, Jojo followed Joseph as he raced towards the two men.
"Hey, guys!" Joseph greeted his brothers as the distance between them grew less. "I'd like you to meet Jojo. He's new to Canaan. Jojo, these are Reuben and Issachar."
"Charmed, I'm sure," Issachar said with an obviously forced grin. Jojo was used to seeing people hide their true feelings, so he didn't take offense. Not even when he heard him mutter under his breath, "Joseph probably told him all about those stupid dreams of his…"
Reuben, on the other hand, smiled genuinely and shook Jojo's hand. "What brings you to Canaan?" he inquired.
"Oh, I do a lot of traveling," Jojo explained. "I'm just passing through. I'll be on my way soon."
"Really?" Joseph asked. "I was hoping you could stay for-"
Issachar grabbed Joseph's arm and interrupted, "Dad said to bring you home, so enough chitchat! Let's go already!" With that, he dragged Joseph off in the direction he had come in.
Ruben sighed, shook his head, and sat down under the tree. "I really worry about that kid," he mused aloud.
Jojo was shocked. Seating himself next to Reuben, he pressed, "Why's that? He's a great guy."
"Tell that to Simeon, Levi, Naphtali, Issachar, Asher, Dan, Zebulun, Gad, and Judah," Reuben replied, emphasizing the name of each brother he listed with a shake of his hand. "They hate him. They're so jealous of him; they think they deserve more attention than they get. And I have to pretend to agree with them."
"You could always disagree," Jojo suggested.
"No, I couldn't," Reuben countered. "I'm the oldest. They all look up to me. If I went against the grain, I'd never hear the end of it. But I like Joseph, I really do. His dreams are admirable."
"He told me that he caught you and your other brothers napping on the job…"
"We had it coming," Reuben laughed. "I was mad at the moment, but none of us were quite thinking straight, if you know what I mean. Joseph's better than that."
"I hope he knows that you think that," Jojo mentioned.
Reuben was silent, but nodded in agreement.
Jojo stood up and said, "I'd better go. Tell Joseph I said to keep going after his dreams. And that anything's possible, I always say."
"I will," Reuben affirmed. "Safe travels, Jojo."
Jojo nodded and started heading off into the distance. Once he was a good distance away from the tree, he focused on the classroom once more. He always regretted having to return to reality from his Thinks, but he knew that minimal time would have passed. Besides, he could always return later. That he most certainly would do.
Jojo opened his eyes to find himself back in the classroom. Mr. Wholius was still droning, on, but according to the clock, Sunday School would be over soon. Thank Seuss for that!
Hey guys! I just have a few things to say about this story. First, I'm not saying that the entire story of Joseph...Dreamcoat is imaginary. All I wanted to do was point out the similarities between the characters of Joseph and Jojo. Also, I took reference directly from the Bible when writing this, which explains Dinah's presence and Reuben's non-antagonism towards Joseph.
One more thing: I intended this to be a one shot. If, however, I find my reviewers would like to see more interaction between Jojo and Joseph, I have some more material prepared. Review to let me know! TTFN!
