Author's note: Okay, this one's short (and I mean SHORT) but I'm hoping in the sense of short but sweet...
"NO!" Clark screamed at the top of his lungs. He glared at his parents firmly.
"Clark, it's naptime. That means you go upstairs, lie down in your bed and go to sleep," Jonathan said to him firmly.
"Don't wanna."
Jonathan and Martha exchanged looks; they both knew what was coming. "Clark, either you go upstairs to your room right now or we will carry you up there."
Clark didn't move.
Jonathan started counting. "One."
Clark continued to glare at them and crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest.
"Two."
Clark didn't move.
"Three." Jonathan and Martha moved forward as one and each took an arm in their grip and dragged Clark kicking and screaming up the stairs. It took all their strength to do so and Jonathan winced as he heard some of the wooden stairs crack and break from the force of Clark's feet hitting them. They successfully threw him onto his bed and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Martha looked at Jonathan and said, "Five seconds." He looked at her wearily.
Sure enough, the silence in the other room lasted for about five seconds before it was interrupted by loud crashes and the sound of the door splintering. "Jonathan, he's kicking in the door!"
"I know, Martha but what else can we do? He has to take a nap!"
"Well, either we compromise now or you get to replace a door along with the stairs!"
Jonathan knew she was right and this point was further brought home to him as the door began to visibly splinter. "Alright." He opened the door. Clark was lying there on the floor, his feet poised in the air and ready to strike another blow.
"Clark!" Clark paused in mid-air, his feet half-extended and looked at his parents. "Stop that! We know you don't want to take a nap but that's not an option," Martha said, "but we will give you a choice: either you take one up here in bed or you take one downstairs on the couch. The choice is yours."
Clark didn't take time to decide. "Couch!" he said firmly and they followed him downstairs, carefully avoiding the splinters stairs.
Clark lay down peacefully on the couch but quickly threw off the blanket Martha laid on him as if to say, "I'll take your stupid nap but I don't have to take your blankets," and he peered over the armrests watching Jonathan repair the stairs.
First, he took simple measurements then went out, then came back in with three fitting boards, which he carefully nailed down in place of the old ones. Then he went back out again for a longer period of time and came backwith three pieces of sheet metal, which he screwed down ontop of the boards and then replaced the carpeting.
"Well, that should do it," Jonathan reported to Martha. "I repaired and reinforced the broken stairs and Clark's door with sheets of steel."
"Steel?" Do you really think that's necessary?"
"What, do you know of something stronger?"
Martha shook her head by way of a reply and looked in the direction of Clark, now sleeping on the couch. She swallowed. "I was just thinking...maybe you could reinforce the rest of the stairs while you're at it."
Jonathan grinned. "Sure. All in a day's work."
"NO!" Clark screamed at the top of his lungs. He glared at his parents firmly.
"Clark, it's naptime. That means you go upstairs, lie down in your bed and go to sleep," Jonathan said to him firmly.
"Don't wanna."
Jonathan and Martha exchanged looks; they both knew what was coming. "Clark, either you go upstairs to your room right now or we will carry you up there."
Clark didn't move.
Jonathan started counting. "One."
Clark continued to glare at them and crossed his arms stubbornly across his chest.
"Two."
Clark didn't move.
"Three." Jonathan and Martha moved forward as one and each took an arm in their grip and dragged Clark kicking and screaming up the stairs. It took all their strength to do so and Jonathan winced as he heard some of the wooden stairs crack and break from the force of Clark's feet hitting them. They successfully threw him onto his bed and ran out of the room, shutting the door behind them. Martha looked at Jonathan and said, "Five seconds." He looked at her wearily.
Sure enough, the silence in the other room lasted for about five seconds before it was interrupted by loud crashes and the sound of the door splintering. "Jonathan, he's kicking in the door!"
"I know, Martha but what else can we do? He has to take a nap!"
"Well, either we compromise now or you get to replace a door along with the stairs!"
Jonathan knew she was right and this point was further brought home to him as the door began to visibly splinter. "Alright." He opened the door. Clark was lying there on the floor, his feet poised in the air and ready to strike another blow.
"Clark!" Clark paused in mid-air, his feet half-extended and looked at his parents. "Stop that! We know you don't want to take a nap but that's not an option," Martha said, "but we will give you a choice: either you take one up here in bed or you take one downstairs on the couch. The choice is yours."
Clark didn't take time to decide. "Couch!" he said firmly and they followed him downstairs, carefully avoiding the splinters stairs.
Clark lay down peacefully on the couch but quickly threw off the blanket Martha laid on him as if to say, "I'll take your stupid nap but I don't have to take your blankets," and he peered over the armrests watching Jonathan repair the stairs.
First, he took simple measurements then went out, then came back in with three fitting boards, which he carefully nailed down in place of the old ones. Then he went back out again for a longer period of time and came backwith three pieces of sheet metal, which he screwed down ontop of the boards and then replaced the carpeting.
"Well, that should do it," Jonathan reported to Martha. "I repaired and reinforced the broken stairs and Clark's door with sheets of steel."
"Steel?" Do you really think that's necessary?"
"What, do you know of something stronger?"
Martha shook her head by way of a reply and looked in the direction of Clark, now sleeping on the couch. She swallowed. "I was just thinking...maybe you could reinforce the rest of the stairs while you're at it."
Jonathan grinned. "Sure. All in a day's work."