errick

aron Von Lodge was the head of a small country known as Lilliland near Switzerland. The time was the early 1900s.

While the Baron and Lady Angela of Alpine Castle, the Baron’s fiancée, were on vacation in England, they decided to visit Britghton. The City of Brighton is located on the shores of the English Channel. It is a beautiful seaside resort.

When the Baron went to City Hall to meet with some officials, he came upon a man, or statue, in the lobby of the building.

A closer look at this older man with a beard looking into space made one wonder if he was a statue or a real person. The Baron spoke to the man and the man replied in a polite soft-spoken voice that his name was Derrick.

Once Derrick was involved in a conversation, he became more animated. He said that he was collecting for a local charity and did not mind sitting quietly for hours on end.

That night at dinner, the Baron and Lady Angela talked about Derrick in a polite manner. Both the Baron and Lady Angela did not understand how someone could sit quietly and so still for such a long period. “Maybe,” the Baron said, “Derrick is normal and we are too active.”

Patience is a virtue and perhaps Derrick had too much patience. “I cannot just sit around and watch life go by. I need to be active and busy and participate in all aspects of life,” the Baron added. “Me too,” Lady Angela added. They left the dinner table and went dancing, followed by a moonlit walk along the beautiful boardwalk next to the sea, in Brighton.

The Baron asked Lady Angela if they should discuss the meeting with Derrick at the next meeting with their chief advisor, Professor Hamblin. They agreed not to because the Professor thought they were both too active anyway.

“Life is for the living, not just for viewing from the sidelines,” the Baron concluded.