Uriah.

2003-09-03 at 7:57 p.m.

So I've got this job. This afternoon, rather brainless in a good way job. And I was taking a break from said job, sitting out in the PSU plaza with Emily, the super-cutie coworker. And we're talking about moral codes, growing up Mormon, being ditched for religion--light stuff, you know, just passing time--when Emily interrupts me.

"Did that kid just ditch his clothes and hop in the fountain?"

I look over. Sure enough, a five year old-ish looking towheaded boy was frolicking--frolicking and gamboling, I tell you!--in one of the three fountains on the plaza!

It was a hot day today. I mean, heavy-Minnesota-wet hot. Slap you in the face with a hot wet towel hot. And here's this kid with enough brains to realize that it MUST be cooler in the water, and not enough societally implanted filters to say, but I MUSTN'T take off my clothes.

Go kid, both Em and I agreed.

The next thing we knew, he was scampering across the plaza, arms windmilling, wee penis a-bobbing.

Emily and I couldn't stop laughing.

Until we noticed that he'd disappeared.

"I hope he isn't trying to get on the bus," Emily commented.

I looked up again. No, he wasn't getting on the bus. Instead, he was climbing up the 12-foot high sloped center section of the fountain, apparently to try to ride the waterfall off into the shallow end of the fountain. Or worse, jump.

At that, Em and I ourselves scampered across the plaza.

"Hey buddy!" I called.

"Hi," he said cautiously.

"It's a pretty hot day today isn't it?"

"Not in the WATER!" he grinned up at me. "FEEL it!"

"you're RIGHT!" I said, dipping my had in the water. "But you know what? You made me pretty scared climbing up that high.... Whaddya say you come over to the other fountain now?"

"Do I know you?" he asked.

"Nope. But my name's Kari."

"I'm Uwiah!"

At that moment, his mom came out of the coffeeshop (for those playing at home--no, you can't see the fountain from the coffeeshop. I don't think you could see EITHER from the coffeeshop...) and didn't seem at all put out that Uriah was nekkid. That's fine. The walked back across the plaza together.

I'm glad the kid could get nekkid. But dude. My heart was up in my THROAT when I saw that skinny little nekkid kid about to slip to his death. And she didn't even look at me. Probably thought I was trying to molest her kid. And she'll never know how he came one slippery foot-fall away from a LOT of pain.

I walked back to the bookstore with Emily. "Bye Uriah!" I shouted, waving, as he was putting his clothes back on at the other fountain.

That's when I'd noticed: he'd folded his clothes, even his underwear, when he took them off.

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