Children

---

The Moyericks
©
by

Stephen A. Peterson


In Blairsville, Oklahoma, a little community mid way between Altus and Lawton, Oklahoma lived the Moyericks. The Moyericks are small clay people. Each Moyerick was fashioned and formed by a potter named Giuseppi. Giuseppi’s workshop was located in downtown Blairville across from the local Wal-Mart on a hill. Every Moyerick was formed differently from any other one. Some Moyericks were short and other were tall. Some wore blue, others wore purple. Some had big smiles, others had no smiles at all. But the same potter made every Moyerick and they all lived in Blairville.

What was interesting about the Moyericks was that all did the same thing—They gave each other a colorful shape from rubber stamps they carried with them all around the town. One shape was a diamond, the other shape a square. Anywhere in Blairsville Moyericks could be seen stamping diamonds or squares on one another.

Those Moyericks with smooth exteriors, light colors and thought to be handsome or pretty received diamonds. But if a Moyerick was burned a little, wore glasses, were chipped or had a missing part, he/she received a square. Moyericks who could run fast, sing or were able to collect many clamshells also received diamonds. Still those who could regurgitate sayings or used big words no one heard of or could understand received diamonds.

Some Moyericks had diamonds all over them! So when they received a diamond they felt great about themselves that they did something else and received more diamonds. When they saw someone with squares, they laughed at them or thought of them as weird, different or inferior. Moyericks who received squares were looked down upon—Pierre was one of these. He tried to make shots at a basket playing basketball but he always missed. When he missed, the others would gather around him to give him a square. Sometimes a basketball hit him usually causing a chip on his exterior so he could get more squares. When he would try to explain what had happened to him, Moyericks would give him more squares. After a while Pierre had so many squares that he did not want to be seen in public. He decided to stay hidden. He was afraid of making a mistake such as not buckling his belt or forgetting to wear his watch.

Pierre had so many squares Moyericks would come up to him to give him a square without any reason. Some Moyericks would often be heard to say, “Dumb, Pierre! He is so stupid! He deserves more squares. He doesn’t act like a Moyerick. He is an idiot! He’s no good!” Soon Pierre believed what some people were saying about him. Because he had no one to talk to him, he began to associate with other Moyericks who had as many or more squares than himself. He felt accepted around them.

On a hot summer day, Pierre met a Moyerick who was different. This Moyerick had no diamonds or squares. She was simply clay. Her name was Gloria. It was not that people did not try to stamp her. It was just that the stamps would not remain on her. They tried and tried to put squares on her because she had no diamonds. But nothing would remain on her.

“Gosh!” said Pierre, “I’d like to be like you Gloria! I don’t want to have anyone’s stamp on me either! How do you do it?”

“Oh, wow, Pierre! That’s easy! I just go see Giuseppi each day!”

“Giuseppi?”

“Yeah, Giuseppi. The potter. I go sit with him in the factory up on the hill across from the Wal-Mart”:

“Why do you do that, Gloria?”

“Well, why don’t you find out for yourself, Pierre! Go downtown up on the hill and you’ll find him!” Gloria then went on her way.

“But! But! Gloria! Look at all these ugly squares on me! Giuseppi wouldn’t want to see me! I’m ugly!” So Pierre went home to hide from the other Moyericks because he just knew they would put more squares on him and he didn’t want that!”

“When the sun set, Pierre gathered enough courage to go see Giuseppi. He left early in the morning. As he walked down the narrow street leading to Giuseppi’s factory, he thought, “Oh, my! I can’t go through with this! I’m ugly! I have to wait until I get rid of my cracks, black marks and especially these squares! I’m going home!”

Just as Pierre was about to leave, he heard someone call his name.

“Pierre! Pierre, where are you going?

Pierre stopped dead in his tracks and was afraid. So afraid he did not move a muscle.

“Pierre! I’m so gad to see you!”

Pierre stopped then slowly turned around to see who it was that called him by name.

“You know me by name!”

“Yes, I most certainly do Pierre! I made you with my very own hands!”

Giuseppi knelt down, pick Pierre up and set him on a chair.

“Oh, my! Looks as though you’ve been given quite a few marks from the others!”

“I didn’t mean to get these marks! I did the very best I could do but I still got these squares from the others!”

“Pierre! Pierre! You really do not have to give me an explanation. I really don’t care what the Moyericks think!”

“You don’t?” responded Pierre.
“No and neither should you! All that should matter to you is what I think. I think you are very, very special!”

Pierre laughed, “Who me? I’m no good! I can’t catch anything. I trip and fall all of the time! I can’t walk straight. My speech is terrible.”

Giuseppi looked and smiled, “Well because I made you and you are mine, I believe you are an absolutely beautiful creation!”

Pierre never had anyone say that he was worth anything. Pierre said to Giuseppi, “Are you talking about me? Gee, I can hardly walk. I can’t play basketball worth a hoot. I have zits and cracks on my face. So why do you even care about me?”

Giuseppi looked at Pierre, put his hand on his small clay shoulders saying, “Because you are mine. I made you like no one else. You are made perfect as far as I’m concerned. That’s why you matter to me. Pierre, I’ve been hoping you would come. I thought about you every day.”

“ I came to you, Master, because I met Gloria who had no marks.”

“I know Pierre. I know she told you about me.”

“Giuseppi, why don’t stamps stay on her?”

“Because, Pierre, she decided that what I think is more important than what other people think. The more you trust me, my love the less people’s stamps will be able to take hold on you. In fact, they will mean nothing.”

“Gosh, Giuseppi, I really don’t understand what you are saying.”

“You don’t right now because it takes time to come to know who I am. You have quite a few squares from stamps people put on you. But if you come visit and talk with me each and every day, you will find out how much I care about you and how really special you are. I made you. I don’t make mistakes nor do I make junk!”

On his way back to Bairsville, Pierre thought to himself, “I think Giuseppi really meant what he said. I think he does have regard for me and loves me!” When Pierre spoke about submitting to the will of his creator, square shapes began falling to the ground and immediately disappeared!

---

PLEASE ENCOURAGE AUTHOR BELOW LEAVE COMMENT ON ARTICLE