Daymond and the Paw Prints

A new corporate-sanctioned school campaign. What could go wrong?

It’s the first day of school!

Ten-year old Daymond Petinski rushes around the house packing his bags with the new 48 pack of Crayola pencil crayons, his new 8 pack of Staples Optiflow pens, and of course, his 5 Five Star binders - one for each subject. Daymond was ready to clean up this year and fill his head with useful knowledge so he could become a useful adult. 

“Remember Daymond…” says Daymond’s mom as Daymond’s feet shuffle to the door, the weight of his school supplies not able to weigh down  his excitement, “to get to school, just follow the yellow paw prints.” 

“Mommm! Of course I will! We all got the school’s memo.”

BEAR Paint and Supply Co. - a do-it-yourself painting company that had exclusive paint supply contracts with elementary school across the nation - had an adorable new campaign unveiled over the Summer. To help the kids get to school, they spray painted bear foot prints on sidewalks toward Oakwood Elementary. It was an easy, fun and adorable way to ease busy parents’ minds and help encourage young kids who were old enough to walk to school on their own. All parents had to do was tell the kids, “follow the yellow paw prints!’

The day before, Daymond’s mom had shown him where on the sidewalk the first set of prints was. There was a new set at every intersection to guide Daymond the exact right way. It was no more difficult than a game of hopscotch. Daymond would be in school in no time at all - learning the important things he needed to know. Things like what "BEAR Paint and Supply Co.” is.

Daymond, a good boy doing everything he was told, found the first set of footprints no problem. Right there on the sidewalk at the end of his street. Just where mom showed him. Leading him toward Cedar St. and Maple Ave. 

And when he reached the intersection of Cedar and Maple he found the second set. He was heading toward the corner of Maple Ave. and Oakwood Dr. However, halfway there, Daymond noticed another set of yellow footprints - not heading toward the intersection, but instead into the winding wooded park trails. 

Daymond paused. He felt the weight of his very full Herschel-brand backpack and thought to himself, “this doesn’t seem like the right way.” But looking down at the yellow footprints, and seeing no others nearby, he pulled the backpack straps tight, straightened his back, and even said aloud, “oh boy! A shortcut!” 

This next step of yellow footprints was so clear, and eventually veered off the path into the woods that were on the outskirts of town. Daymond looked at his Captain America wristwatch seeing it was already 9 o’clock - time for school! He started hustling. The trees were growing thicker, some smacking him in the face and ruining the perfectly gelled Dipity-doo hair. But Daymond knew he was on the right track. The footsteps were still there. Even brighter and clearer than the first set his mom had shown him. 

“I’ll get to school eventually,” Daymond thought. Though looking at his wristwatch it was already 9:30.

“I’ll just have to go faster!”

And faster he went. The paw prints were getting thicker and thicker. So he had to be close. Every step, the prints were packed closer together. And while he couldn’t run, he shuffled between foliage the whole way. Around the tree with the print. Over the river with prints on either side. He saw bushes, and flowers, and birds, and more bushes, and more flowers, and more birds. All covered in prints.

Daymond’s backpack got stuck on a branch. And he thought again, “maybe I’ll turn around? Maybe I’ve made a mistake following these prints?” 

But the paw prints were looking brighter and brighter. That couldn’t be true. 

“I must be getting closer.” he thought. He picked up his bag and kept moving.

Then finally. A clearing. 

“I’ve made it!” Daymond said - finally noticing the soreness of his shoulders, the cuts on his face, and the air leaving his lungs. 

But there was no school in sight. 

The footsteps led to the middle of the clearing. And stopped where a big grizzly bear was sitting with a can of schoolbus yellow BEAR paint. The bear’s front and back paws were caked in yellow.

“Gotcha!” the Grizzly growled as he lunged toward Daymond.   

Daymond, realizing his mistake, threw down his heavy backpack and headed back against the footprints to where he came from. But it was too late. Grizzly bears are very fast and this bear easily caught Daymond and gobbled him up. The Grizzly then cleaned up his prints with a Magic Eraser and set a new trap in a different neighbourhood for the next obedient child to find. Daymond Petinski was never seen again.

Kids, the moral of this story is: don’t trust Capitalism.