A FOXY TALE
Zelda’s brief story is an unusual approach to the age-old generation gap.
The Fox family were test-book dysfunctional. Mother Fox was an authority on
endangered species, to which she devoted all her time and energy. Father Fox was
an industrial giant with a sense of power akin to God. That is truly time-consuming. It
left Baby to ‘paid-nurture,’ and let’s face it … love can’t be bought.
Baby Fox was a beautiful child; I’ll not describe her, let your concept create an
image. She was christened Samantha, but “Baby” she was called, and like all babies,
was helplessly needy. Nannies arrived and departed.
Baby remained an only and lonely child but blessed with a singular imagination. She
created an ideal family, where ‘LONELY’ and ‘ONLY’ did not exist.
There were a diminutive family. She could have put Mummie and Daddie in her
pocket, had she so wished. However, she did not so wish, that would not have
allowed time to play with Tom, who was also diminutive but hugely intelligent. At the
pool, as they bathed and basked, Tom’s idea of chitty-chat was along the lines of
“Baby, do you understand lateral and conceptual thinking?” Whew!
She spoke of endangered species of South Africa that Mummie was saving.
Tom, not to be outshone said, “I know the ideology that our country is based on.”
“How did you find out?”
“I was in the pocket of a politician.”
“What is it?”
“RESPECT FOR SIMILARITY AND DIFFERENCES.”
“That’s an easy little formulation,” said Baby.
“Yes, and one easy to pay lip-service to, see the power of brevity?” said Tom.
Samantha Fox entered politics with flair and energy. In time she was appointed
Foreign Ambassador. “She was always full of precious qualities,” said Mrs Fox, and
the authoritative voice of Mr Fox trumpeted, “My child was born for success.”
Only Baby and Tom knew of their diminutive status as parents.
“There is no limit to what one can achieve with imagination and practical application,”
whispered Tom, as Samantha boarded the plane.