April 28th, 2026
It was hard to get Asher up and out of bed this morning. My grandson laid there on the mattress limp as boiled pasta. After some ineffective coaxing, I sat him on my knee and asked if he could walk to the kitchen where Oma was making breakfast.
Barely opening his eyes, he commanded, “Carry me”, and then he added, “Bring Ellie with you and talk for him.”
It should be mentioned at this point that Ellie is a hand puppet. Ellie is an elephant, grey in color with big floppy ears, a large curling trunk, and an enormous mouth. Ellie is a boy elephant. I’m not sure why Ellie is male, but this is important to Asher. I once suggested to Asher that we call Ellie “Eli”, but he would have none of it. Ellie is the puppet’s name, and he is a boy elephant, and that’s that.
While holding Asher in my arms, I struggled to get Ellie on to my right hand. I told Asher, “Ellie says, ‘It’s time for breakfast!'”
Asher leaned on my shoulder and said, “Talk in Ellie’s voice.”
I am supposed to use a different voice for Ellie, deeper and bit more nasal in tone.
We got to the kitchen and Karin was busy slicing fruit into bowls of Hafer Gruetze (German oat porridge). As I held Asher, he farted. I spoke in Ellie’s voice,
“You farted on my face!”
Asher laughed and replied, “I couldn’t hold it in.”
Ellie gagged and said, “I can’t breathe!”
Asher shouted, “Yes, you can!”
Ellie and I got Asher into his chair. He looked at his bowl of Hafer Gruetze and said, “I don’t like it with oranges in it!”
Oma tried to explain to Asher that we were out of strawberries, and she had to use oranges in the breakfast. Asher gazed at the Hafer Gruetze in disgust.
“I don’t like it!”
Ellie moved closer to Asher and hovered over his bowl sniffing at it.
Ellie said, “Mmmmmm…it smells good. All orangy and fruity.”
Asher looked at Ellie. “It won’t taste good.”
Ellie sampled the Hafer Gruetze, and said, “It tasted great, Asher! Try a spoon of it!”
Asher tried a bite and grimaced. “I don’t like it.”
Ellie said, “Eat a little more. Otherwise, you won’t be strong enough to climb the monkey bars at the playground.”
Asher flexed his arm muscles. “I’m strong!”
Ellie told him, “Hmmmm…a little flabby. Eat a little more of the Hafer Gruetze.”
Asher ate about half of the bowl.
Ellie said, “The bowl was all empty when I ate it.”
Asher replied, “No, it wasn’t! You didn’t eat any of it!”
“What do you mean?”
Asher told Ellie, “You can’t really eat. You’re just a puppet!”
Ellie suddenly turned and stared at me, “Am I just a puppet?”
I nodded to Ellie. “Yeah.”
“Really?”
“I’m afraid so.”
Ellie shook his head and sadly laid on the table.
“I’m just a puppet”, he moaned.
Asher told him, “It’s okay, Ellie. We can still play.”
Ellie yelled, “Yay!”
I said, “Asher, finish your breakfast now.”
Frank is Emptiness 