Disclaimer: The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles belongs to Julie Andrews Edwards. No copyright infringement intended.
Chapter 2The professor led Ben, Tom, and Lindy to his garden. Tom recalled the last time that they had been here.
"Hello, hello, hello." The professor's head popped up over the trellis. "Come and see what I've got." The children ran across the grass. Professor Savant was kneeling on the floor of the summerhouse, playing with a large multicolored rabbit. "Ohhh." Lindy dropped to her knees. "Isn't he beautiful." "What's his name?" asked Tom. "Sneezewort. He lives in laboratory. I hate to see him in a cage all the time, so I bring him down here for a walk as often as I can." "Where did you get him?" Ben wanted to know. "Sneezewort is the result of a study I did in cross breading," the professor said proudly. "His great-grandfather was a Belgian hare and his great-grandmother was a Himalayan black and while. I went on from there. You should have seen the combinations I produced." He chuckled.
"Ben," Tom asked, "Do you remember Sneezewort?"
Ben gave Tom a perplexed look, "No."
"Alright," the professor told them, "Enough talk, let's get down to business.
Now, I want you to tell me all the colors that you see right now. Ben first, then Lindy, and then Tom."
"Mel," Lindy corrected.
"Um," Ben started, "Well, the blue sky, and the green grass. Your flowers over there are red."
"Alright, Li- Mel, your turn."
"The house is gray," She said, looking bored, "My nails are painted pink, and my shirt is pink, too."
"Good," the professor said, "Tom, you're next."
"The summer house is brown, and those birds sitting on the wire over there are blue," Tom said, "You have yellow daisies growing behind where Ben is standing. The roof of your house is black, and there's gray smoke coming from the chimney."
"Excellent!" Professor Savant praised Tom, "Ben, Mel, take notice of those things. Now, tell me everything that you hear. Mel, you first."
"I don't hear anything," Lindy said carelessly as she chewed on her gum.
"All I hear is her," Ben pointed to his sister, "Smacking on her gum."
"I hear some birds chirping," Tom said hopefully. He knew that they had a long way to go before they could go to Whangdoodle Land.
They worked for about another hour, reviewing on how to really notice things, and then Mrs. Primrose brought out tea and cookies. They ate on the back patio.
"So," The professor said, "I haven't seen you three in quite some time. How have you been?"
"Okay," Lindy said absent mindedly.
"Mel, I see you like gum," The professor said, stating the obvious, "Why the name change? I always thought Lindy sounded nice."
"I dunno," she said, sounding like her old self for the first time in a long time, "I just wanted something different, you know? Lindy sounds so childish, and I'm hardly a child anymore."
Lindy had not lost any of her candor.
"How have you been, professor?" She asked.
"Oh, busy, busy. I've been doing a lot of research," He said, "Ben; I hear you're in college now. How do you like it? What're you studying?"
"I'm studying journalism, and I like it a lot," Ben said.
"Journalism, that's great," Professor Savant said, "Tom, what about you?"
Tom shrugged and gave the professor a little half smile, "I'm the same."