Fun House
Searching for life in a father's eye

By Rico Leffanta, Waikiki

My children were marvelous. Put them to bed, read them a story and they would sleep through the night until their mother woke them the next morning — with one exception.

One night, there was a terrible thunderstorm that shook the house. I heard my daughter's bedroom door open, and I listened to her quietly tiptoe down the hallway to our bedroom. I pretended to be asleep so she would think everything was all right and return to her own bed, but she stood by the side of the bed for several moments. I could feel her breath on my face.

Then she carefully lifted my left eyelid, bent over, and whispered to my eye, "Papa, are you in there?"

Has your child said something hilarious? Do you have a funny story about your spouse or other family members? The best Fun House anecdotes of 2001 will be reprinted in the 'Ohana section after the end of the year, and the selected writers will receive Honolulu Advertiser logo items.

If you have a true, humorous, unpublished short story about your family or a family-related topic, send it with your name, city and telephone number to: Fun House, 'Ohana Section, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; e-mail ohana@honoluluadvertiser.com or fax 535-8170. Enter as often as you like. Preference is given to stories 200 words or shorter.