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Pilly's Tale
Pilly began life out of pure necessity during an era of limited television programming, no video games and certainly no thought of computers. The character of Pilly sprang from the imagination of my sisters and me. I was cast as Pilly, the oldest sister played "Father" and "Mother" was portrayed by the youngest. Pilly had the personality of a real "pill", and each day found him in an unusual predicament from which his mother had to rescue him and try to smooth things over with Father. Father had little patience with Pilly's antics and lost his temper frequently. Only Mrs. Pootnik was able to calm the situation and promote Pilly's special qualities, in spite of his tendency toward destruction.
Pilly was an unusual character physically as well. Pilly had a pronounced overbite that resulted in his lower lip completely disappearing, and his speech was difficult to understand. His scrunched up nose and squinty eyes contributed to his mischievous expression. Pilly's hands were held in pincer-like fashion and he developed his own language that only Mother could understand.
Pilly often found himself in situations which required poise, perception, grace and skill, none of which Pilly possessed. He was clumsy and naive and completely ignored instruction. Each episode included a scenario of Pilly wrecking havoc in his surroundings with Mother intervening in time to save him from the irate Father. Pilly disrupted movie theater audiences by making loud, rude noises and he was a catastrophe waiting to happen in supermarket aisles. His demeanor in church was less than respectful, and he was an embarrassment when company visited.
The intrigue of the imaginary Pilly and his antics resound in every childhood. Our imaginary play allowed us to escape our responsibility to follow the rules, act out with reckless abandon and avoid any dire consequences! Our freedom from restraint may have been temporary, but it certainly felt wonderful for the moment. Pilly was loved unconditionally and protected by Mother in spite of his flaws, and he was always given a second chance. There never seemed to be a limit to the forgiveness that Pilly constantly required. Through our play, we were experiencing those feelings of security that all children crave.
My sisters and I succeeded in bonding through the adventures of Pilly without even realizing it because the rest of the time we were squabbling. Even now, Pilly memories provide a unique, nostalgic experience for us as siblings that is sometimes difficult for others to understand. But that doesn't matter; it's still just as hilarious to us as it was fifty years ago.
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