Day 32: Building Blocks

Building Blocks
by
Matt Zubo

 

Oscar had special building blocks. They said small things like ABC and 123…
Building blocks with Oscar sitting on floor with building blocks, protruding letters and numbers carved into their sides. Parents legs behind him.

But they also said a lot!
Parent leaving door, Oscar, big smile, holding building block away from their direction, watching them leave.

Close up of the A building block (1,2,3 blocks in the background) as the side of it opens up and dozens of little ‘A’ objects pour out. The letter is solid, as is the block frame, but, up close, building block wall has far more patterned texture around the letter, including some gaps where you can see some of the inside. 

Apples, Ants, an Anteater, an Archers, little WW2 Aeroplanes, Acrobats, Apes, Antelopes, Astronauts, Axemen, Anvils, etc…

B block, unfolding, one side of it still standing, so we can still see the letter…

Boxers (one riding a Bike), one carrying Boxes, lots of Balls! A Bull, Bushranger (maybe Ned Kelly) but mostly Birds flying out everywhere. (including a handful of penguins waddling along the ground, Bats, Bulldozer, Butterflies! (hot air) Balloon, balloons, (circus) Bear, Bees, Bananas, Baboon, Bowling Balls…

C from side on, middle wall down to the right, C objects flooding out…
Carrots, Cats! Candles, (racing) Cars, a Crane caring a wooden box of Crabs, a Cook, a Castle can be seen poking out from top of box, Cowboy and Cows, Clouds, Crocodile, Clowns Cups, Crazy man in straight jacket. Cupids flying…

D block is on an angle, due to movement inside. Dinosaurs of all sorts are pouring out

E block has two of its sides open, one of the middle walls and the one on top. Floating out is the Earth. Beneath it, pouring out are Elephants, Eagles, Eggs (with little bird feet/running poking out), Emus, a few Eyeballs are rolling/bouncing out like marbles…

F block has Flames coming from it, its open edges slightly on Fire, Frogs and Flying Foxes, a few frill necked lizards, and one Flamingo are fleeing it. Little Firemen are fighting the fire. Thee are small Fern clusters around the back base of the block, where it is not of fire. Sitting on top of the back of the block, where it is not on fire, is a Fishbowl, with a Flat Fish, and a Fisherman with a rod dangling into the bowl which is surrounded by Fairies. There are Flowers up its side, and carved into the space behind the letter. There is one, lone Flamenco couple dancing to the side of everything.

G block is sitting on top of a number 2 block, and is only slightly open, but has lots of Ghosts pouring out of it, including from small gaps in the side carvings. Ghosts include Gorilla ghosts, Grave diggers, Gardeners, lots of Ghouls, Queens Guards, Grumpy old men, Grommets (kid surfers) Gold diggers (and at least one Groover. Haha), and Jimmy Hendrix (Guitar player).

H block has Horses (running into a Hole in the ground), Hose, a small House half out, someone playing a Harp, Hippos, Humans (very Hairy, eating Hotdogs and Hamburgers, Hats falling behind them, also running to/falling in Hole)…

I block, is frozen with Ice, sitting on its edge, as it is fallen against/ is leaning on the 1 block (on its side).

J block is opening like a trapdoor, jellyfish pouring out, literally, and down into a Jam Jar, surrounded by tiny, prowling jaguars. On top of the block are Jack-in-the-boxes and a Beatnik Jazz Band.

K block has a Knight three times bigger than it, standing 8n it, lower half still hidden by blocks sides. Smaller Knights on horses, on foot, with catapults, wielding swords, holding flags, fighting a dragon, pouring out of the box beneath him. One is flying a Kite. (with Knights emblems on it)

L block, Lizards, Leopard, Lions, Lemons, Lamas, All sorts of Lights and Lamps and Laval Lamps on its Lid, Ladder. There are lots of Legs under the block, running/carrying it. One lequos is standing in front of it, surrounded by Leprechauns, 

M the Box is fully open, flat on the ground. Hovering above it is a full moon. There is a very small Monster or two, one Magician, one Mermaid in a bath, and a few Monkeys here and there on the ground, looking up at it in awe.

N block has its side covered in a Net and a big bent Nail in it, but has Number Blocks 1-10 falling out of it. Each of the Number Blocks is a little open with 1 nurse falling out, then 2 nuns, 3 newsreaders (glasses, desk, etc…), 4 nightwatchmen/women, 5 nans nursing newborns, 6 newspaper selling kids, 7 naughty kids with dunce hats on, 8 people with big noses, 9 people waring t-shirts with the number 9, 10 ninjas!

O block. Oscar, standing, puzzled, looking at O block as dozens of little Oscars run and tumble out, laughing, angry, leapfrogging, at least one has its fingers wide, thumb to nose, blowing him a raspberry. There are a few owls flying above and up from them, another on one of the little Oscars shoulder. One Oscar has an octopus attached to his horrified back.

P block has Pirate Ship coming out of it, Pirates fighting each other, there are a few Panthers in their midst, some Pirates are eating Pizza. One breaking a Plate on another pirates head. There are a few Pink and Purple flags. On a lifeboat beneath the Pirate Ship there are a Pig. Panther, Puppy, Panda, Porcupine. A Piano, with Pirate Playing it is attached to haul ropes on side of ship, Carved into the side of the block, behind the letter P are all the Planets.

Q block. Standing on top of it, waving a royal hand, palm up, is a Queen (pref dark skinned). Standing below, looking up at her from fallen block side are a set of Quadruplets, ducks going Quack, Quack! A nanny seated, making a Quilt, A few Quails, and few Quolls and big Question Mark flags behind them.

R block has Red Rocket rising out of it, while, Running from Rocket plume are Rabbits, Rats, Rhinos… The plume has its own little Rainbow. Lid of block has been flung open, lots of Red Robots are on top of it, hanging on or falling off. One of them is climbing over the ledge of the block. Block has Red Roses growing from its cracks. Oscar is looking startled, protecting himself from Rocket.

S block as a big sun that has risen from it. Underneath are Snails, Snake, Smile, Sloth going down a Slide, Snakes, Spiders, Seals, a Sailor on a Scooter carrying a Shovel, Other sailor on skates, holding up umbrella for Shade for Snowman from Sun, a container Ships bow, Shoes, kitchen Sinks, Sheep, a Skunk on a Skateboard, a Spy finger to mouth saying Ssh! Superhero flying up, swimming down are Shark and Stingray. A Slob on Stilts eating Spaghetti, Starfish stuck to everything. Everybody Smiling or looking Sad.

T block has a Tree growing from its centre. Roots squeezing through cracks, dangling down. In the Tree are Tigers, Toucans, a few girls in Tutus, one is holding a Tambourine, Under them all, on the ground beneath the block are Turtles.

U block has a Unicorn standing proudly on top. The carvings behind and around the letter are of Underpants and Umbrellas.  

V block has Vampires around its open edge, clinging to it, hiding behind it, some Vampires with sunglasses on are venturing out using Vacuum cleaners, a vault mechanism on one of the blocks standing sides, and ice-cream Van driving out, Vampire behind the wheel, one lone Vampire playing a Violin. Violets growing on far side, a Valkyrie on flying horse, banner held high. Some Vampires around a wine Vat, having a drink of red. Tumbling out, like large boulders through the middle of this are Vegetables. A Viking Boat is sailing the tumbling giant Vegetables.

W block has Whale, water spray everywhere, busting out of it. The side is a Window, with stained glass W. Water is flowing over side of table, creating a waterfall, there is a man in a barrel in its fall. Witches are running from Whale Water, Wheeling Wheelbarrows full of Watermelons. Wombats are running everywhere.  

X block is being held by Oscar, we can see the frame and the letter on the side, but everything else is transparent. Where the box is in line with Oscar we can see his skeleton, like an x-ray.

Y block has a Yellow Yacht, with Yellow sail coming out of it. It, and the ground around it, are overflowing with Yacks using Yoyos.

Z block is a cage with a metalwork Z on its bars. The front of the cage has a metalwork word ‘Zoo’ on it, and a huge lock. The lock has a huge old school key in it, that Zorro is swinging from. That side of the block is swinging open, and all the Zoo animals are pouring out. Chief amongst them are the Zebras.

Oh no! Here comes Mum!
Oscar, what are you up to? Mum asked.
All the blocks around Oscar are clamping shut as the door opens behind him. We do not actually see the parent other than legs and dress.

Final image of Oscar, sitting in middle of floor, looking up, smiling, surrounded by his scattered letter and number blocks. If you look close, you can see a tiny, still Wombat, and puppet-without-strings Flamenco Dancer.

“Alphabetting…” Oscar said.
Above him are the letters ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ    

 

The End