MJ's WalkAbout Fiction

MURPHY THE MUTT AND THE MOANY GROANY MAN
By Tina Lehr

Murphy the Mutt is not your every day run-of-the-mill mutt. He is an incredible mutt that has something very special. You see, Murphy the Mutt has a very positive attitude. He can take a bad situation and turn it into a very good one. But Murphy the Mutt's best friend, the Moany Groany Man, has a very negative attitude. When things just don't go his way, he moans and he groans, and he makes himself and everyone around him miserable. Nobody wants to be around the Moany Groany Man. Nobody, that is, but his very best friend, Murphy the Mutt.

One day the Moany Groany Man asked his very best friend, Murphy the Mutt, to help him find his positive attitude. Murphy the Mutt could see past his friend’s negative attitude and see what a good person the Moany Groany Man was, so he decided to help his friend find his positive attitude.

The Moany Groany Man stumbled out of bed and looked out his window. "Oh my" moaned the Moany Groany Man as he plopped down on the sofa. "It’s raining outside. This is just not going to be my day".

But Murphy the Mutt was very excited because today was the day he was going to help his friend, the Moany Groany Man, go on a search to find his positive attitude. He wasn’t about to let a little rain spoil his adventure. He thought today would be a splendid day to go for a walk.

Murphy the Mutt jumped in the Moany Groany Man's lap and licked him right on the face. With his very positive attitude he exclaimed, "It’s a beautiful day for a walk! And you know what? It doesn’t matter if it’s raining outside, because the sun is always just above the clouds."

So Murphy the Mutt and the Moany Groany Man went for a walk in the rain. They splashed in the puddles and caught raindrops on their tongues. The gentle rain fell on their faces and they both smiled.

As the Moany Groany Man and Murphy the Mutt were walking along the sidewalk in search of the Moany Groany Mans positive attitude, they came upon some children playing. Some of the children were playing hopscotch, and some were jumping rope. Some were roller-skating, and some were on skateboards. Some had on raincoats, and some had umbrellas. Some were letting the pleasant raindrops fall on their faces, and they were wearing no raincoats and carrying no umbrellas at all.

"Oh my," moaned the Moany Groany Man. "Children shouldn’t be allowed to play on the sidewalks. Sidewalks are for walking," he moaned. "How will we ever get past all these children?" He groaned.

But Murphy the Mutt, looked at his best friend, the Moany Groany Man, and with his very positive attitude he said, "follow me." So the Moany Groany Man followed Murphy the Mutt as they both hopped and skipped and ran and jumped with the children on the sidewalk.

"Wow"! exclaimed the Moany Groany Man. "Sidewalks are fun to play on." They were both fantastic, they had tons of fun, and they both smiled.

Soon Murphy the Mutt and the Moany Groany Man came to a creek. "Oh no!" cried the Moany Groany Man. We will never make it to the other side of this creek, and I am sure my positive attitude is just on the other side. The water is higher than my boots, and if my feet get wet I am sure to catch a cold." And he moaned and he groaned.

But Murphy the Mutt had an idea. With his very positive attitude, he told his friend to follow him. He jumped in a barrel along with the Moany Groany Man, and the soft breeze blew them to the other side of the creek in no time at all. Surely, they would find his positive attitude now. The ride was terrific, and they both smiled.

When they finally reached the other side of the creek, the Moany Groany Man noticed that he had lost his boots. "Oh no!" said the Moany Groany Man. "I have lost my boots and will have to walk home barefoot in the rain."

Now Murphy the Mutt was not one to get upset to easily, but this time he felt so very sad. "I have brought you out all this way in the rain to help you find your positive attitude and now you have lost your boots. It is all my fault."

And then something wonderful happened. The Moany Groany man hopped out of the barrel and wriggled his toes in the rain. He let the raindrops fall on his face, and he giggled and he laughed.

"This is the best day of my life," said the Moany Groany Man. "I have gone out looking for my positive attitude with my very best friend, only to learn that my positive attitude was with me all the time. I keep my negative attitude in one pocket and my positive attitude in my other pocket. It’s my choice which attitude I want to use."

"THE SUN IS ALWAYS JUST ABOVE THE CLOUDS"! exclaimed the Moany Groany Man. Murphy the Mutt looked up at the sky, and the sun was peeking out from behind the clouds. A very brilliant rainbow was decorating the sky!

Murphy the Mutt looked up at his best friend and said, "Come on, Moany Groany Man, lets go home."

With a very big smile on his face, the man looked over at his very best friend and said, My name is Sam." And they both smiled.

"Ms. Lehr is an Indiana mother of five, student, and homemaker. She likes photography, to write, and enjoys having good friends. Also, she is the assistant manager of the Acceptance, All are Welcome On-line Community.


Back to the Fiction Map | I want to go home now | I'm ready to tour