The Missing Manatee (14 page)

You write down bad stuff about the person, too, if there is any bad stuff.

So you have your columns with people's names at the top, and characteristics about them under their names. Put together, the columns represent the Great Menu of Life. It's sort of like the menu at the Golden Moon Chinese restaurant, which is right here in Chassacoochie Springs. Your plate, when it's full, represents the person you want to be someday. It's a combination plate. You get to pick the things you want and skip the things you don't want.

At the Golden Moon, you can only pick one thing from each column, but since this is real life, you get to pick as many as you want. If you don't want anything squirmy on your plate, it's up to you. You are the customer and the customer is boss.

Here's how I would do it, just as an example. Two people I admire are my Memaw and a guy named Dirty Dan. Memaw—now, there's somebody I hope to be like when I grow up, so I would choose a lot of traits from her column to put on my plate. She has what she'd probably call “a talent for happiness.” She is funny and honest and a real good singer.

Dirty Dan—well, he's a great fisherman, which I also plan to be someday. There are a lot of other good things about him that I would choose, like he's brave and patient. And he tries real hard to take care of his son, who has something wrong with his brain and needs somebody to watch out for him.

His son is a person I admire, too, along with his dog, because they're always together, and that's one of the good things about them, the way they're loyal to each other, and happy doing dumb stuff together.

Even in people you admire, you might notice some bad traits. For example, Dirty Dan has one real bad habit. It causes lots of problems in his life. That habit of his would be listed in the column under his name, but I wouldn't put it on my plate.

See how it works? If you make the right selections from the Great Menu, you end up being the person you want to be—not your mom or dad or grandparents, or even your heroes, but just the right combination of all of them. I recommend my Golden Moon Method. Try it.

Also by Cynthia DeFelice

The Apprenticeship of Lucas Whitaker

Death at Devil's Bridge

The Ghost of Cutler Creek

The Ghost of Fossil Glen

The Ghost and Mrs. Hobbs

Nowhere to Call Home

Under the Same Sky

Casey in the Bath,

illustrated by Chris L. Demarest

Old Granny and the Bean Thief,

illustrated by Cat Bowman Smith

The Real, True Dulcie Campbell,

illustrated by R. W. Alley

Copyright © 2005 by Cynthia C. DeFelice

All rights reserved

First edition, 2005

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