ONCE IN A BLUE MOON, Edited Dummy Version

Once in a Blue Moon

Mel Rosenberg

 [Art note: Flyer on hill beneath lamppost – Please help find our dog! Louie ran away during the thunderstorm and hasn’t come home. He loves sardines and has the wiggliest tail ever. Louie loves to howl along when Dad plays the saxophone. If you see him please call us at 417-233-3882]

Louie was missing. Ava and Mom hung flyers all over town. But no one called.

“Mom, do dogs come home after they’ve been gone for such a long time?”

“Once in a blue moon, honey. Once in a blue moon.”

Blue moon? Good, thought Ava. I’ll just wait for one. 

Every afternoon Ava would go with her Mom to look for Louie. In the evening her Dad would play the saxophone but Louie was not there to howl along. Every night Ava would sit in bed and wait for a blue moon and the dog she loved.

One afternoon they walked past Louie’s favorite lamppost on top of Potash Hill, and from there all the way down Orchard Boulevard. In the evening Dad played an old song called “After You’ve Gone”. That night the moon was white.

The next afternoon they searched the playground near Ava’s school and checked every corner of the sculpture garden.  In the evening Dad played “As Time Goes By”. That night the moon was yellow.

They cycled over the bridge, across the park and all the way down the river path. “Louie, where are you?” they shouted.

That evening Dad played “Autumn Leaves “. At night a grey moon rose in the sky. Louie did not come home.

Okay, thought Ava. Blue moon. I have to be patient.

Winter and its freezing winds arrived early. Ava and her Mom drove the car slowly through town. That evening it snowed and dark clouds hid the sky.

Ava sat in bed, watching the snowflakes fall outside the window. Louie was somewhere, all alone, in the bitter cold.  Where could he be? How could he forget us? Why doesn’t he just… 

Suddenly, she jumped out of bed into her sneakers and raced to snatch her scarf and coat.

“Dad, grab your saxophone and get dressed. We’re going outside.”

They huddled together under Louie’s favorite lamppost on Potash Hill.

“Play it, Dad. Play it loud and clear. Play it for Louie. Play Blue Moon.”

[Art note: Father plays “Blue Moon”. Louie, somewhere far away, suddenly hears the music, and begins his long journey homeward, traversing the river path, the park, the bridge, sculpture garden, playground, Orchard Boulevard and Potash Hill].

Ava did her best to stay up and wait. She had many thoughts and then not so many thoughts and then she wasn’t thinking about anything at all, when…

Suddenly, a sound of barking. Was she dreaming?

Louie?

LOUIE!

Hugs, hugs and more hugs! Ava dried Louie off with warm towels. Mom opened three cans of sardines. Louie’s tail spun like a propeller. Dad played as they sang and howled and danced around together.

In bed, with Louie curled up snugly nearby, Ava figured that Mom had been right. A blue moon did bring her dog back home.

Just not the one in the sky.

Back Matter

Word count = 150

“Once in a blue moon” is an expression meaning that something is highly unlikely to happen, if at all. Does the moon ever appear to be blue in color? Perhaps, but this is an extremely rare occurrence and depends on the presence of small particles in the air.

Missing dogs often return, even from far away and after a long absence. They can recognize familiar smells and sounds from afar. So what keeps them from coming back home sooner? We don’t always know.

Do dogs like saxophone playing? Some do. I once had a dog named Fudge who would sing along while I played “Autumn Leaves” on the saxophone. Perhaps that is how this story was born.

Blue Moon is a song written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. This magical tune remains popular almost ninety years after it was written. No wonder it brought Louie back home!