The Story of the Old Man in the Park
Once upon a time, in the middle of town, sat an old man in the park. You could see him there every morning feeding the pigeons. He fed them scraps of bread that he saved from the trash can behind the bakery. I’m afraid that there were quite a few holes in his shoes. I’m afraid his old trousers were worn and dirty. I’m afraid that his very old shirt was thin from constant wear. He had a very, very old coat and I’m afraid that the coat was not even his. He had a very, very, very old hat and I’m afraid the hat didn’t fit. But, the old man could be seen every morning in the park feeding the pigeons the stale bread from the trash can behind the bakery.
One morning a rather plump woman came up to the old man and said, “Old man, would you like to come to my house for lunch.”
The old man said, “Get away from me. You are scaring the pigeons. Leave me and my pigeons alone!” So, the old lady went on about her business and had her lunch by herself.
Another time, a puppy dog came up and started licking the old man’s trousers. He shooed the dog away with his old withered hand and said, “Go away from me, dog. You are scaring my pigeons. Leave me and my pigeons alone.” So, the puppy dog ran off.
At lunchtime, you could see the old man snoozing on the park bench. He did not lie down but slept sitting straight up. His head would plop down on his chest and you could see his hat, rising and falling, rising and falling, as his head was lifted and lowered by his breathing chest. In the afternoon, he would wake again to feed the birds from his paper sack filled with stale bread crumbs he collected from the trash can behind the bakery.
One afternoon, another elderly gentlemen with a checkerboard under his arm came up to the old man and said, “Would you like to play a game of checkers?”
The old man in the park said, “Go away from me, Mister. You are scaring the pigeons. Leave me and my pigeons alone.” So, the elderly gentlemen continued into the park and found someone else to play a game of checkers.
Later that afternoon, a small child came up to the old man. The old man didn’t know that the child was magical. The magical child said to the old man, “May I help you feed the birds, please?”
The old man tried to shoo the child away with his withered hand and said, “Go away from me, child. You are scaring the pigeons. Leave me and my pigeons alone.”
The magical child would not go away. He looked at the old man with gentle eyes and said, “Please, may I help you feed the pigeons. I promise not to scare them away.”
The old man tried to shoo him away again with his withered hand and said, “Go away from me, child. You are scaring my pigeons. Leave me and my pigeons alone!”
The magical child was not easily frightened. He had a certain loving affection for the old man and repeated, “I promise not to scare the pigeons if you will let me HELP you feed them.”
The old man was getting quite angry by this time and said one more time, “Leave me and my pigeons alone!!!”
A group of children came running through the park playing their usual childish games like hide n’ seek, tag, and rolling a hoop with a stick. All of this commotion scared the pigeons away. The old man began to sob, a soft inside kind of sob. The plump lady that wanted to eat lunch with him didn’t hear it but the magical child heard.
The child took the old man’s withered hand in his small, smooth hands. He looked up at the old man and said, “Do not sob. The children are gone. They have gone to play on the merry-go-round, the swings, the teeter-tooter and the slide. They will not bother us anymore. I will see to it that the pigeons come back.” The old man’s sobbing stopped when the magical child raised his hands into the sky and said, “Pigeons, you can come back now.” All the pigeons came fluttering down from the trees and landed at the magical child’s feet.
The old man put his withered hand into his crumpled brown paper sack but all of the stale bread was gone. He began to sob again, his quiet inside kind of sob. The puppy dog that licked his trousers didn’t hear it. No one heard his sob, except for the magical child. He took the old man’s withered hands in his two chubby hands and said, “Do not sob. I have something to feed the pigeons. I will share with you.” The old man’s sobbing stopped as the child pulled two plastic sacks of food from his coat pockets. He gave one to the old man. It was filled with popcorn and bread crumbs. The old man was smiling as he spread the popcorn for the pigeons.
By this time the sun was starting to set and I’m afraid it was getting a little bit colder. The magical child said to the man, “Wouldn’t you like a new pair of shoes?” Immediately his raggedy old shoes were turned into the finest leather boots in the park. The young child said, “Wouldn’t you like a new pair of trousers?” Immediately his soiled greasy trousers were changed into a brand new pair of blue jeans. The child said, “Wouldn’t you like a new shirt?” Immediately his worn shirt was turned into a brand new tie-dyed T-shirt in bright red, orange, yellow, green and purple colors. The magical child said, “Old man, wouldn’t you like a new jacket?” Immediately the old coat that didn’t even belong to the old man turned into a brand new jean jacket.
Then the old man pulled off his smashed hat that didn’t even fit, looked at it, and began to sob, his quiet inside kind of sob. The elderly gentlemen who wanted to play checkers didn’t hear it but the magical child heard. He took the hat from the old man’s hand and put it on his own head. The old man’s sobbing stopped as the hat covered half of the magical boy’s head. It covered one eye, one ear, and was sitting on his head at a rakish angle. The old man laughed. The magical child said, “Old man, wouldn’t you like a new hat?”
The old man thought for a few moments and said “No, thank you very much. You have been very kind but I kinda like my old hat.” He took the hat from the child and placed it back on his snowy white head. Immediately all of his new clothes and boots turned back to the old raggedy clothes and the old holey shoes he had always worn.
The magical child began to sob, a quiet inside kind of sob, that none of the other children could hear. They were too busy playing their usual childish games of tag, hide n’ seek and rolling a hoop with a stick. The only one who could hear the magical child sobbing was the old man in the park.
The old man looked down at the child and took his small, smooth, white hands in his withered, brown hand and said, “Do not sob, magical child. You see, it was nice of you to give me new clothes but I like my old clothes. I did like it when you gave me that popcorn to share with the pigeons.”
The child looked up and said, “You must be so lonely here in the park with only the pigeons for friends.”
The old man smiled, “I’m not lonely any more, now that I have you for a friend.”
The magical child nodded, “I will come tomorrow and we can feed the pigeons again.”
The old man agreed, “That will be fine.” The magical child heard his mother calling and had to go home. The old man in the park put his head down on his chest to sleep.
The next morning the old man was still sitting on the bench with his head down on his chest. I’m afraid that the hat was not rising and falling, rising and falling. I’m afraid it was not being lifted and lowered my his breathing chest. The hat was motionless on his head; his head motionless on his chest.
The magical child came to the park with two new bags of popcorn and fresh donuts for the pigeons. He ran to the park bench but I’m afraid that the old man was cold and still. The magical child began to sob, his quiet inside kind of sob. No one in the park paid any attention to the sobs or the cold, quiet, old man. The magical child took the old man’s withered hand in his small, smooth hands. Immediately, the brand new shiny leather boots, the new blue jeans, the tie-dyed T-shirt, and the jean jacket appeared again.
Then the most magical thing happened. The old man’s raggedy, squashed hat turned into a halo of golden light. All the pigeons came fluttering down from the trees and landed on the old man. They grabbed the new clothes in their beaks. Some of the birds grabbed the shoulders of the new jean jacket. Some of the birds grabbed the arms. Some grabbed the chest. They all flew up at once and the old man in the park was carried up higher and higher and higher into the sky. The magical boy raised both his arms into the sky and said, “Pigeons, you can come back now.” The birds came fluttering down from the sky and landed at the feet of the magical boy but the old man was never seen in the park again.
The Old Man in the Park by C. Walker ©03