One day during the summer, my (then still in grade school) children received a challenge from their mother to look at a picture and write a story about it.  Her goal was to keep their minds active during the summer break from school.  She showed them a photo of a carousel similar to the one below.  The challenge sounded fun and I wanted to give it a go. (Even though it wasn't summer break for me)  Having read the kid's stories, the rest of the family agreed I had to do something totally different.  I sat down for about an hour and roughed out a quick draft about a guy named Gordon that changes all the light bulbs in his hometown.  

Gordon Granger The Light bulb Changer

By Barry Schatz

     Whoever gave Wood Haven it's name did it perfectly.  The small town was like an oasis in a forest that stretched on for what seemed like forever.  In the square at the center of town was a small eating place called The Just Try It Diner.  

     Sitting at a table by the window was young Burt Bows.  Burt was about to eat a piece of strawberry pie when a fly flew by.  As he waived his hand to shoo it away, a man at the next table got up, walked over, then sat down across from him.
     “What can I do for you?”
     “Excuse me?” asked Burt as he again batted at the fly.
     “You waved me over.  I figured you wanted some company.”
     “I was just trying to get rid of this fly so I can eat my pie.”
     “I see,” said the man.  He stared at Burt for a moment before speaking again.  “How many people do you think it takes to change all the light bulbs in Wood Haven?”
     The unexpected question made Burt pause.  “Dunno.  I never would have thought about it.”
     “One,” said the man. 
     Burt wasn’t sure what the stranger was getting at.  He stared at him for a few seconds, then pulled his pie closer to himself like a dog guarding a bone.
     “That’s what we always ask strangers in Wood Haven.  It’s a way to strike up conversation.”
     Burt stabbed his fork into the pie and quickly shoved a piece into his mouth.  Since talking with one’s mouth full of food was rude, this was the best way he could think of to stall and figure out what to say.
     The man continued talking.  “Yep, one person changes all the light-bulbs in town.  His name is Gordon Granger.  He’s got all kinds of bulbs too.  He’s got big bulbs, little bulbs, fancy bulbs, blinking bulbs, clear bulbs and colored bulbs which are real popular during the Blossom Festival.”
    “Are you saying just one person changes all the light bulbs in town?”
     “Yep.”
     “You mean for everybody?”  Burt swatted at the fly when it flew past his ear and accidentally slapped himself in the head.
     “Yep.  Gordon’s real good at it too.  Doesn’t usually even need a ladder.”  The man suddenly looked out the window and grinned.  “There he goes now.”
     Burt looked out the diner window and saw a boy about fourteen years old bouncing on a pogo stick in the middle of Main Street.  He was dressed in blue jeans, a red and white checkered shirt, and a yellow baseball cap.  He wore a green leather bag over his shoulder.  
     Gordon bounced higher and higher until he could reach a street light.  On one good bounce, he pulled the light bulb from the lamp.  On the next bounce, he shoved a new bulb where the other had been.
     “He’s good,” said Burt.  He threw three dollars on the table and hurried outside. 
     Gordon Granger was still hopping on his pogo stick but was halfway down the block.  Burt watched as he pulled a skateboard out of his green bag, jumped on it, then skated up to a blue car with a burned out brake light. 
     Burt ran to keep up as the car moved forward. In a squatting position, Gordon held onto the car’s bumper with his left hand and worked on the tail light with his right.  The skateboard rolled along Main Street clickety-clack as Gordon changed the bulb.  Before the car reached the end of the next block, both brake lights glowed red. 
     Gordon looked to be in a hurry as he skateboarded down the street.  Burt forced his tired legs to keep moving as he ran as fast as he could to keep up. 
     The buildings along Main Street got smaller and finally gave way to a park.  A large red circus tent looked like a mountain in the center of the park.  With newfound strength, Burt ran a fountain featuring two kids, each holding a thick fire hose and  having a water fight.
     Two rows of carnival rides, food wagons, and game tents created a midway that ended at the large tent.  Burt immediately spied Gordon Granger talking to a clown by a food cart.  Trying to gel close enough to listen to what they were saying, Burt decided to buy something something to eat.
     “You’re just in time, Gordon.  Most of the bulbs on our carousel are burned out.” 
     Gordon Granger tipped his yellow ball cap and hurried away. 
     Tucking a large plastic bag of pink cotton candy under his arm, Burt ran after the bulb boy.  He caught him just as he arrived at the carousel.  Gordon flicked the GO button on the control panel and the carousel began to move.  He jumped on the spinning ride, grabbed the reins of a gray horse, and climbed up until he stood on it’s red saddle.
     There were rows of lights above each pair of horses.  Most of the bulbs were burned out or missing making the carousel look junky.  Each time Gordon’s horse rose up, he either pulled or replaced a small white bulb.
     The carousel music tooted as the horses chased each other in a circle.  Instinctively, Burt tore a piece of his cotton candy from the bag and pushed it into his mouth.  It felt like biting into cloud covered with sugar. 

     The carousel continued to spin and each time it made a complete circle, Gordon was on a different horse. Sometimes he stood on two horses at once.  He looked like he was dancing a silly jig in slow motion as one long leg went up and the other went down.  By the time the ride ended, every bulb on the carousel glowed. 
   Burt dropped his bag of cotton candy when Gordon Granger vaulted the fence and landed at his side.  He pulled a small yellow light bulb from his green bag.
    “The next time a fly bothers you while you are eating pie, put this anti-bug bulb in a lamp nearby.”
     After Gordon glided away on his skateboard, Burt hurried back to the diner for another piece of pie.  As he sat down at a table, he heard a woman behind him talking to the waitress.
     “I’m new in town and haven’t eaten here before.  What would you recommend?”  The waitress suggested pie and hurried off toward the kitchen.
     Burt turned around and smiled at the woman.  “How many people do you think it takes to change all the light bulbs in Wood Haven?” 
     The woman shrugged her shoulders. 
    “Just one,” Burt said with a smile.