Green Globs

This is an old piece that deserves to be posted.

I was in the shower when I noticed the first one. It was a small glob of green where the soap dish attached to the tile wall. Given my poor eyesight I was lucky to notice it, but the color caught my eye. The mold in our bathroom is usually red or black so I figured the glob was the product of human hands. Small human hands.

The morning flew by with the usual rush to get children up, dressed, fed and out the door to the bus stop. I forgot to ask about the green glob. To be honest I forget about almost everything that doesn’t grab onto my arms or legs or scream to be fed.

I spotted the next green glob in the corner of a picture frame. There was another green glob in the refrigerator. Clearly this was the work of a mastermind – I wouldn’t have given it a second thought if it had been fuzzy.

As I worked my way through the day I found several more little green globs. The mystery was getting to me. The color was too. Fearing I might not notice the seemingly obvious ones until the next millenium I began to remove them. Even in my house bright green globs can be unsightly.

As school days ended I rounded up the usual suspects. I planned to interrogate them in a friendly manner, but I wanted the truth. “Do either of you know anything about little green globs hidden around the house?” No one spoke. “I keep finding them in the strangest places and I just don’t know what to think about them.” The little one looked confused, like she wasn’t sure if she was guilty or not. The big one spoke up. “I was playing Spy Kids, Mom.” “OK” I said, “what are the little green globs supposed to be?” “Cameras” she replied.

Cameras, hither and yon, I pondered. A visionary thought, though not original. With a husband in the security business I know about the real looking but empty camera boxes that some businesses set up to make people think they’re being watched. I had a thought. The green glob version required a tad more imagination, but with some effort I could make it work. Green globs could enforce teeth brushing and discourage dirty clothes piles. The opportunities were limitless, but the thought was fleeting.

It’s been a long time since I first noticed the green globs – excuse me – the cameras. I decided to leave some of them around the house. Every morning in the shower I look right into the corner of the soap dish and I smile my best smile. In about three years I’m going to move that camera to the big one’s car.

Janice Arrowood
Green Globs © 2007