Memories

I'm not sure if any of you have heard this childhood story of mine, but it's one of those things that stuck in my mind even though I'm so much older now.

I was about 4 or 5 years old and I had a toy that taught me how to spell. It was one of my favorite toys and I am sure the thing taught me a thing or two. Looking back, I think my parents must have paid quite a bit for the toy, since it was electronic and this was in a time when digital watches were still proud to declare that they were digital.

One day I dirtied it. I think it was just sand or mud or something harmless that a wet cloth would have removed. But I was just a boy and in my mind, dirty equals "must wash"! So I took the whole thing and dipped it into a bucket of water.

Naturally, the toy didn't work after that. The water destroyed the electronics and I was never able to get it to work again. I had been afraid I would get a caning if my toy was dirty but this sudden turn of events was beyond my comprehension! I had dutifully washed it like all the other things , so why was it not working now? This memory of my incomprehension is stored crystal clear in my mind. I even remember the bucket was red and I had dipped the toy with both hands repeatedly.

My parents didn't know whether to laugh or to scold me when they saw what I had done. In the end, I think they just told me that certain things cannot be washed and that I should ask them in the future. I don't remember this part very clearly.

Anyway the point of this entry is this. Someone took that toy and made it into a flash game!!! Thanks to the wonder that is the Internet, I now know that the toy was called a "Speak N Spell". I'm off to spend some time on it reliving my childhood. :) Have fun!

http://www.handheld.remakes.org/online/speaknspell.htm