Song: Good Time

By: Alan Jackson

Start song at (1)

I mention talking with kids about alcohol in this chapter. This idea is one I personally believe and what was taught in my family, I do not want to pass judgment on anyone else's ideas or belief on the subject.

Everyone settled in the Living-room, the adults taking the furniture and chairs brought in from the kitchen and the kids taking the carpeted floor. Jack for his part decided to balance on his staff to make as much room as possible.

"Who wants to start?" Mary asked.

Timmy shot his hand up, "I vote for Jack!"

"Me? Why not start with the family favorites and I go last like last year?" Jack asked both shocked and shy.

"But I wanted to hear your prayers story again. To be honest I was pretty sleepy when you told it last." Several of the kids gave bashful nods of consent to Timmy's confession.

Jack looked at the teens and adults, "I don't want to take up all our time."

"Nonsense," Great Grandpa said. "Why not have a turn then we'll all take a turn and if you'd like you can go again after a while."

"That sounds reasonable." Albert agreed.

"Alright!" Timmy cheered. "Do the prayers one, pleeeeeease!"

Jack's misgivings left him and he started in, telling of the funny, happy, pleading, and hopeful prayers he had heard and joined in over the years. Just like last year the prayers wrote themselves in frost around the room. Everyone's eyes sparkled at the magical display and the miracles/ answered prayers that came after each prayer.

The applause after Jack's song lasted a long time. Then Jim, a boy of 7 years, asked the question; "what made the teen think the room was spinning?"

Everyone over the age 21 and a few of the teens looked uncomfortable. But Jack just said; "he drink too much alcohol." As if it was the most common thing in the world to talk about with a young child. There were more than a few intakes of breath.

Jack took on one of his rare serious attitudes. "Hiding things like that only cause curiosity, which can lead to a wish to experience alcohol to its fullest. That's what happened to the 21-year-old I told you about, or it could turn out a lot worse!"

Jack's chiding, made all more serious because the fun guy was saying it that way, really got through. Jack looked at Tim again. "A lot of parties have alcoholic drinks; the key is to know the difference between partying and being dangerous. When you have a chance to drink at 21 have someone there who you trust to help keep you safe and honest."

Tim promised to remember, and Jack's attitude returned to normal. "My first time was when I visited a little hoedown."

As Jack thought about that night when his family had gone to the town hoedown a new idea, something he'd been working on really hard to perfect, for how to illustrate the story came to mind. "Back up everybody I want to try something." The Bennett clan did as was asked and when he had a decent sized space in front of him Jack tapped his staff to create a small sheet of ice along the floor. "Don't worry I'll evaporated it latter so that it doesn't ruin your wood floor." He told Mary who just shook her head, with a look that said she accepted his promise and at the same time that he had better keep it. Jack rubbed his hands together with his staff in between them, like someone would do when they were trying to start a fire with just a stick and a piece of wood. The more he rubbed the more static electricity built around his hands. When he had a good collection of it he put his hands to the ice sheet. The static electricity spread across the ice and then slowly arced up into individual bolts that seemed to hover. They didn't take shape but the electricity seemed to act like people, some of them were clustered around the edge of the ice while others seem to line up or square up as if they were dancing.

Jack walked among the bolts with no fear as he went over to the cluster. Here he created a simple makeshift glass of ice. "Every few weeks in the winter my village would have a small dance get together just to liven up spirits. I couldn't have been more than 12 when I got up the courage to try some of the adult drinks. I sneaked over to where the beer was being poured and took a sip from a Cowboys mug. The taste was awful, and I promptly spit it out. The spray coated a few unsuspecting dancers." Jack acted out his tale pretending to drink from his ice cup and spinning around and spitting the contents on the bolts that were lined and squared up.

Many were so mesmerized by the electrical display that they didn't quite register Jack's actions but Tim was the exception. "Did they get mad?!"

Jack leaned against an invisible table. "Nope, they laughed it off; you see that kind of thing tends to happen at hoedowns. And the fact that I was so young and had tried the drink was incentive for many a joke as the years went on. It was also a source of many a scolding from my father."

"So what happened next?"

"What happened next?" Jack repeated, "We had a good time!" Jack tossed his glass into the air and it burst into a sparkling shower. All the bolts started to move creating a line and with Jack in the middle and old-fashioned light dance took form. (1) Jack twirled his staff in the wind started to blow in a way that sounded like humming or strumming. The beat was easy to pick up and soon someone started to play a fiddle. "Crazy, hillbillies, wildcats, hunters, and farmers they all know each other and even call each other friend. The party was hopping as coonskin hats bobbed! Hard workers all brought home cooked meals to share and there was never an empty belly."

He waved for the family to join the line and on either side of the bolts of electricity the Bennett's pushed aside furniture and joined until the entire living room had a snaking line dance in full swing. "Two steps, swings, square dancing, you name it they played it and danced it. They were country folk, and that's the way they like it. Each person looked out for the others, whether it was drinking, or something they need help or encouragement for. That's the kind of party I really loved and get into. Fun all around and friends looking out for each other to boot! It's one good time!"

At the end of the dance the Bennett's broke up their line as Jack evaporated the ice. Without their conduit the electric bolts fizzled out.

"What kind of power was that Jack?" Jamie asked completely baffled. "How were you able to manipulate electricity?"

"It's called Cryo-electricity manipulation." Jack explained. "Just like water ice can hold and conduct electricity quite well! Those bolts are all I can handle right now but I hope someday to be able to turn them into figures like I do snow and frost."

Jamie was about to ask another question when the wind suddenly acted up. The strumming sound vanished into a howling gale as the wind lifted Jack into the air and started acting like a bucking bronco.

"Wind!" Jack spun with his staff hand raised in the air like a bull rider.

"What's happening?" Mary asked startled.

"Oy, wind, whoa!" Jack called.

Instead of the wind slowing down however, the winter spirit was bucked off. He landed on the couch with the "unff" of escaped air.

"ARE YOU OKAY?!"

Jack started laughing almost evilly. "Oh you are going down!" With a laugh and competitive look Jack leapt on the wind again.