LIKE FATHER

My family called the East Hubbardton Battle Abbey our home church for several years in the nineties. The flock there was shepherded by an old Saint named Glen Bingham, who went home to be with the Lord within the past year.

Every Sunday, Glen would come in through the back door, clomp across the old wooden floor boards, and deposit his coat and hat on a table in the back, behind the last pew. The hat was the sort a siberian might wear, outlandishly furry with ear flaps tied up.

I'm not sure how the plan unfolded, but at some point my brothers and I hatched a plan to sneak a small figurine into one of the ear flaps while Glen was preaching, and see if it would make it back the next Sunday.

One Sunday I saw my chance while Glen was talking to one of the other congregants, and I tucked Dale inside one of the earflaps of Glen's hat. My brothers and I watched with curious glee as Glen put the hat on at the close of the service and clomped out of the church. "He doesn't seem to notice!"

All that week I wondered about Dale. "What if he puts the ear flaps down?"

But when the next Sunday rolled around, my brothers watched in rapt attention as I snaked my finger inside the warm furry ear flap and produced Dale...my brave intrepid traveler. He made it!!!

That was the first of Dale's adventures. Over the years that followed I sent Dale on mission after mission. I duct taped him to the inside of people's bumpers. I hid him in the luggage of people going abroad. His fame grew over the years, and people would request his company when they went traveling. This post would be very long indeed if I attempted to recount all of Dale's incredible adventures.

Unfortunately, Dale is dead now. Tyler Rinker killed him.

Rinker!!!!!!

...but only recently it has been discovered that Dale left a small piece of himself behind...Tom Ping is his son.

Coming soon... the adventures of Tom Ping.