Dorothy's Annotated Little Lulu

Today I overheard Dorothy cheerfully chanting what sounded like some kind of incantation as she pored over a volume of Little Lulu comics.  Listening closer, it turned out she was repeating this phrase:

"In the Mama's belly, grows, grows, grows, grows, grows, grows, dies!"

Dorothy's experienced a lot of fear and dread of dying over the past several months.  It wasn't from anyone in our family or circle of friends dying...  She became aware that people die, and it hit her hard.  Lately, she's seemed to come out of it, but what was this?

So, trying not to react, I approached and watched what she was pointing to as she said each word.

The following is a self-contained Little Lulu strip, wordless, featuring Lulu's younger neighbor, Alvin.  Let's listen in on Dorothy's commentary...

"In the Mama's belly..."

"Grows..."

"Grows..."

"Grows..."

"Grows..."

"Grows..."

"Grows..."

"Dies!"

(This said with no trace of sadness.)

Once I was watching, she began adding comments to the last three panels as well:

"Amazed."

"Gets up."

"Cries!"

This particular strip never really appealed to me before.  I just didn't think Alvin's delayed reaction to losing his gum (does he even lose the gum?  Or just the bubble?) was all that funny.

Now that Dorothy's shown me this strip may be read as a metaphor for the loss of a loved one, possibly a child, it seems like the deepest thing anyone's ever put to paper.  ESPECIALLY Alvin's delayed reaction.  It's like someone's extremely personal version of the stages of grief, distilled down from five stages to three.

I'm now unable to look at this strip with anything OTHER than Dorothy's interpretation.  I can't even imagine the cartoonist could POSSIBLY have meant anything else.  I realize that's crazy, and I don't care.

I've been driven insane by Little Lulu comics and a three-year-old.

Now THAT'S a weekend!