Fradella Hides

​Sometimes we like to play tricks and games that we think are fun or funny. My Bubie loves to laugh but she also does not like to see people get hurt. Bubie says that a game that causes someone to feel badly or embarrassed or worried is not really a fun game. Not being sensitive to other people’s feelings is not a good character trait to have. I try to be sensitive but I am still young and sometimes what I think is funny, may not be funny to adults, as you will see in the next story.
Fradella                

Once there was a young girl named Fradella. She was a girl with a good heart and a sharp mind. Fradella sometimes got into trouble because she was curious about the world around her and this led to some behaviors which did not make her parents and teachers too happy. Fradella also had a good sense of humor and she sometimes liked to play tricks on people, all in fun and not to be mean.

One day Fradella returned home from school and no one was in the house. She made herself a snack and then decided that she would play a trick on her family, she would hide. When they returned home she would see how long it took for them to find her. Fradella searched high and low looking for the perfect hiding place. At last, she decided to hide under her parents’ bed.

About 15 minutes later, Fradella heard the front door opening and her family all came in, talking, laughing, yelling and running around. Fradella came from a big family. She stayed quietly under the bed and waited.
Finally, Fradella heard her Mother ask, “Has anyone seen Fradella?” “No, maybe, I don’t know” were some of the answers. Then Fradella’s Mommy began to call her, “Fradella, Fradella, where are you?” There was no answer. Fradella’s Father went outside and started to call, “Fradella, Fradella, where are you?” There was no answer.

At this time Fradella’s parents began to get worried. Her Mommy called her best friend’s house asking if she had gone there after school and they told her that she had, but she had left to go home an hour ago! Fradella’s family then went to the neighbors and told them that Fradella was missing and asked them to help them find her. All the neighbors and Fradella’s friends from school began the search. They hoped to find her before it became dark.

Meanwhile, back in Fradella’s house, the phone started ringing, so Fradella slipped out of her hiding place under the bed to answer the phone. “Hello”, Fradella said. “Hello my sweet Fradella”, her Bubie answered.  “What are you doing?” “I am hiding Bubie”, Fradella responded.  “Hiding from whom?” Bubie asked. “From everyone; they are all looking for me now!” Fradella responded with pride in her voice. She had managed to fool them all; what a clever girl she thought to herself.

“Fradella”, Bubie said, “I want you to move out of your hiding place and wait in your house. Did you think that you might have scared your parents when they couldn’t find you?” “Why would they be scared, Bubie, it is just a joke that I am playing on them?” “Fradella, I will let your parents explain that to you later, just wait in the kitchen until they come home, Okay?” “Okay Bubie, bye I love you”.  “I love you too Fradella”, said Bubie and she hung up the phone.

Meanwhile, in the neighborhood, Fradella’s parents were beginning to panic and they decided to call the police to see if they could help them find their precious Fradella.  At the same time, Bubie called the house of one of Fradella’s best friends. The parents were gone, out looking for Fradella, but the older sister was home. “Hello”, said Bubie. “You need to find your parents or Fradella’s parents and tell them that she is at home, waiting for them to return”.  “How do you know this?” asked the sister. “Because I just spoke to her on the phone!” answered Bubie.

Fradella’s friend’s sister, Sura, ran out of her house to find her parents or Fradella’s parents to tell them that Fradella’s Bubie had called and said that Fradella was waiting at the house for her family to return. When they found Fradella’s parents they ran home as fast as they could go and burst into the front door.

There, sitting at the kitchen table was Fradella.  “Oh my God, thank God” said Mommy and Tatty both at the same time. Then the rest of Fradella’s family came bolting through the front door and all ran up to Fradella hugging and kissing her. “Your back, your back!” they yelled with joy.

“I never left”, said Fradella. “I was hiding under Mommy’s and Tatty’s bed the whole time!”  “What?” said Mommy, “You were in the house the whole time? What were you thinking Fradella? You nearly scared us all to death!”  “It was just a joke Mommy. I wanted to see how long it would take for you to find me, like the game, hide and seek.”  “ Hide and seek!” Tatty yelled. “Do you realize that we had all of the neighbors and all of your friends looking for you for almost two hours? Do you realize we even called the police we got so scared?” added Tatty.

“I’m sorry Tatty. I’m sorry Mommy. I didn’t think that everyone would get so worried about me. I was only trying to have a little fun,” Fradella answered.

Fradella’s Mommy and Tatty made her call all of the neighbors and all of her friends and apologize for getting them all so worried and for wasting their time looking for her when she had been home the whole time. Fradella really didn’t think that her “game” would cause so many people to worry and she realized that next time she thought about a joke or a game she needed to make sure that people didn’t get hurt in order for her to have fun.

After all, as her Bubie explained to her, she was growing up now and she was a smart girl who needed to think about the consequences of her actions in terms of other people.  Fradella was really sorry for hurting other people. She would now have to think of ideas of fun things to do that would be interesting and challenging but would not make her family worry about her, too much!

Do you have any good ideas for Fradella?