Joseph’s acquaintances who are his age always shout or cry “Mommy, Mommmy!” whenever they are attacked by wasps, sideswiped by a tricycle, could not get down a tree they have climbed or presume they have seen a goblin.
What is the matter with them? Joseph wonders to himself. They do nothing but cry for their mothers every time they get scared of something.
But when a storm rages and their school gets flooded, and Joseph is put in danger, he also learns to utter the words:
“Mommy, Mommmy!”
