Riddle Riddle Ree…What do I see?

The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.” 
― Mark Twain

I was nine years old visiting my grandmother in Springfield, Kentucky, a small rural town.  It was there that I fell in love with reading.  We had gotten up that morning and did our usually routine of eating a wonderful breakfast that my Grandpa had ready for us.  I can still taste the salty butter flavor of the homemade biscuits that was enhanced by the sweetness of the blackberry jam.  Then the fresh squeezed orange juice and the smell of the coffee.  That was the mornings at my grandparent’s house.   They didn’t have the intrusions of the daily life that we have now, we were able to sit and enjoy the meal around the table as a family.

With no plans for the day, my grandmother took her book and went and sat on the screen porch.  She sat in the green metal glider and sipped on her coffee and began to read.  I sat beside her and gently moved the glider back and forth.  I listened to the morning birds as they called to each other trying to imagine what they were saying.  Then as I snuggled up with her to find warmth in the cool autumn breeze, she began to read out loud. 

 “You don't know about me without you have read a book by the name of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer; but that ain't no matter. That book was made by Mr. Mark Twain, and he told the truth, mainly.”  - Adventures of Huck Finn

I laid there and listened to her voices as she pronounced each word. Then she began to change her tone to give each character their own unique voice.  The images appeared in my mind of this young boy and all those he encountered.  It was at that moment the spark was ignited.  I found I place where my imagination could take over, where adventures could happen and where emotions could be explored.

Riddle Riddle Ree…What do you see.?