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Teenynator dreamed
of jumping on bad guys, using cool gadgets, and making the world safe for
good people. So, she decided that one way to begin was to protect her family
from strangers. She went into the yard and sat on the swing, waiting for
someone bad to come by the house.
Her name was Natalia,
but that was boring, so she told her dad to call her 'Nator.
He liked it, but Mom still called her Natalia.
Well, Nator was tough--really strong. She could
carry a whole gallon of milk from the car to her house. She was four years
old and Daddy said she was very clever for her age.
'Nator was wearing a
yellow dress today. Usually, she didn’t like dresses, but since she was under cover, she thought it would be a
good disguise—so that the bad guys wouldn’t know she was really a spy on
patrol. Her gun was full of water and pumped to squirt anytime she needed it.
It was a good, clear day, and she was sure she would spot any bad guys the
moment they appeared. She sat on the swing, kicking her feet and waiting.
She knew she wouldn’t have to wait
long, and she was right--because suddenly, she saw someone coming. His hands
were full of letters, and he was walking up to each house and slipping them
into people’s mailboxes and door slots. He was not her regular mailman, and
so she decided, he must be a dangerous stranger PRETENDING to be a mailman.
She climbed off her swing and rushed to hide
herself beside a bush. Then, she peeked through the branches at this strange
man in blue clothing. He was really good at pretending, she decided,
because he looked just like an ordinary mailman. But she wasn’t
fooled, and he was about to get a mouthful of water!
While he was walking, the cell phone in his
pocket started ringing. He stopped and answered the call. Just then, Nator realized that she had to go to the bathroom, so she
rushed inside and tried to hurry as fast as she could. While she was in
there, he talked on the phone. He was saying, “Yes, Bob. Don’t worry. I’m
doing your job quite well.”
Then, he laughed and said, “Yes, I’m just getting
to a big yellow house with a swing out front. It’s lovely. Yes, I’ll be
careful of the little girl who lives there. No, I don’t see her. She must be
inside. I think everything is going to be okay.” Then, he hung up the phone
and put it in his pocket.
Just then, Teeny ‘Nator
came back outside and hid behind the bushes. The mail man did not see her
because he had been tying his shoe. Finally, he finished tying his shoe, and
he walked up the steps and through the porch gate.
Just then, he got a face-full of water! ‘Nator shot him with her gun, and he fell to the ground.
His letters got all wet, and she ran and grabbed some. “I’m going to go show
my daddy this fake mail you brought, and he’s going to call the police
and take you to jail!” she said.
When she got inside and handed daddy the fake mail, Daddy looked at the wet
letters and sighed. “My Teeny ‘Nator, what have you
done to the poor mailman?” He picked her up and carried her outside. The
mailman was just standing up, and she shouted, “Get him, Daddy!”
Daddy ran to the man, but instead of grabbing
him, he offered him a handshake. “I’m sorry about that. My daughter means
well, but she can be a handful. Can I help you with these?” Then, he put her
on the ground and helped the man pick up all his mail.
When the mailman left, ‘Nator
asked Daddy why he helped the stranger. “Well, Honey, people need us to trust
them as much as possible, unless they give us a reason to worry about them.
You see, that man is working because our regular mailman fell down last week
and twisted his ankle. He is a nice man who was helping a friend.”
‘Nator felt
terrible! “Daddy, I didn’t know about that. I’m sorry. I was only trying to
be a superhero.” Daddy smiled at her. “It’s okay,
Honey. You are already a hero when you do your best to be a good little girl.
That’s how you make me most proud.” Now she smiled. “I love you, Daddy.” He
hugged her.
“I love you, ‘Nator,
and no matter how big my love for you is, God’s love
is bigger. Remember that, and remember him. He’s the real hero.”
The End
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