Image by Carlos Lorite from Pixabay
“You need to laugh after a day like this,” Mrs. Maggie Lee said to her husband, Col. H.F. Lee. “Your Ludlow cousins are well and truly in fine form!”
Conscientious but only seven-year-old Amanda Ludlow was talking with her even more conscientious and also precocious but still only ten-year-old brother Andrew about a new concept they had discovered, looking at pictures of Moorish architecture in Spain with their six-year-old brother Grayson.
“So, Spain is like California, or, semi-arid,” Andrew said. “That is, half-desert in climate, and it really doesn't rain much there.”
“But wait,” Amanda said. “I was told 'the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain,' so, what is going on?”
“Uh, they were probably trying to help someone pronounce some words for some old movie – I think it was My Fair Lady,” Andrew said, “because really, the north of Spain gets a lot more rain. In a dry year, there's basically no rain on the plain in the south parts of Spain.”
“But look, Andy,” Amanda said, “if they have planes in Spain, and planes can go up to the clouds, why don't they just let the rain in the planes and take it south to the other plain?”
“Too much strain for the plane – it would crash. Too much pain.” Andrew said.
“What a drain for the plane. How 'bout rain on a train?” Amanda said.
“Let me try to explain – too much leaked, nothing gained!”
“There's gotta be a way, Andy,” Amanda said. “If we can find something that rhymes with Lego, Grayson can do it for us – that's a man with a plan!”
“Well, we gotta buy some Eggo waffles real quick,” Andrew said, “but this can be done!”
“Waffles – where?” their five-year-old baby brother Lil' Robert said as he came running.
“We haven't bought them yet,” Andrew said, “but we gotta use them to make sure the rain in Spain actually makes it to the plain.”
“I'll help!” Lil' Robert said. “Just keep the waffles coming!”
“Well, yeah, because, you're good with Legos too,” Amanda said, and gave him a big hug.
“Yeah, this is a big project, so, there's gonna be plenty,” Andrew said and joined the hug. “But, look, Rob; you gotta be careful when you eat, because syrup is messy. No stain in Spain as we water the plain, OK?”
“OK, because, see, I'm just going to suck that syrup outta my shirt anyway, so –.”
“Thank you, Maggie,” Col. Lee said as he wiped tears from his eyes from laughing a little later. “I needed that!”