(Author’s note: August is David Crockett’s birth month. I’m a direct descendent, and I’ve spent most of my adult trying to find the real Davy instead of the Hollywood Davy that most of us know. This story is complete fiction, but I think it’s closer to the truth than most biographies.)
Ben loved his grandpa very much. His grandpa took him hunting, told him stories and tickled him to make him laugh. Everybody loved Ben’s grandpa. He was Davy Crockett. Everybody knew who he was. Everybody knew he was the best hunter anywhere. His grandpa was a brave man who fought in the Indian wars. Everybody wanted his grandpa Davy to be a leader.
One day he went to his grandpa’s house and he was could tell something was wrong. There was his grandma patting Grandpa Davy on the back. Ben’s uncle and two aunts looked very sad. Ben stopped in the doorway and was very still.
“Is something wrong?” Ben asked.
“Nothing is wrong at all,” his grandma said. “Isn’t that right, grandpa. Nothing at all.”
Ben’s uncle Robert walked to him. Robert was a big boy who was nineteen years old. Ben liked Robert because he had always been nice to him. He took Ben hunting and played with him when Grandpa Davy had to go away to a big town called Washington.
Robert kneeled in front of Ben.
“You know how it always made you sad when Grandpa went away because he was one of our leaders? Well, he doesn’t have to go away anymore. The people decided they didn’t want him to be one of their leaders anymore.”
Ben wanted to be happy because Grandpa Davy was going to be home and take him hunting but he could tell Grandpa wasn’t happy at all. He could see tears in his grandpa’s eyes.
Tiptoeing over to the chair where his grandpa sat, Ben patted him on the back.
“I’m sorry, Grandpa.”
Davy looked up and smiled at Ben.
“You know I kilt me a ba’r when I was about your age.”
“I believe you, Grandpa.” Ben put his arms around his grandpa as he started crying again.
Ben laid his head on his grandpa’s shoulder. He had never seen him act like this before. Grandpa Davy had always been happy and had always been right. Grandpa Davy never did anything wrong, and nothing bad had ever happened to him. A little tear escaped from Ben’s eyes.
“One of these days you’ll teach me how to kill a bear too.”
Ben decided that maybe Grandpa Davy did not really know everything or could do everything or make everything all right. Grandpa was just like everybody else, even just like him. That made Ben love him even more.