Aloysius and the Ghost of Uncle Harold

Aloysius, a sensitive teenager, mourns the death of his beloved Uncle Harold, a comedian who loved to tell jokes—though Aloysius was the only one who laughed—and sing and dance and was always so much fun to be with. Aloysius misses Uncle Harold so much that his "ghost" often appears to him as playful and entertaining as he was in life. When Aloysius tells his grandmother that "sometimes it feels like Uncle Harold is standing right behind me," she answers "That's because he's grieving. As you get older," she tells him, "that feeling will go away, and you'll gradually start forgetting Uncle Harold." But Aloysius decides that he's not going to get old so he won't forget Uncle Harold. His grandmother shakes her head and says, "You won't have any choice in the matter. You have to get old. Mister Time will grab you by the hand and drag you along. You can kick and scream all you like, but it won't do you any good. And the next thing you know—you ain't a child anymore." The struggle of Aloysius to fight off Mister Time and remain a child is challenged by the adventures of life. Among these adventures, he discovers he has feelings he didn't know he had when he meets Annie, a young waitress, and doesn't realize that he has fallen in love. Most of all, he confronts Mister Time, who appears to him in a "waking-dream." Mister Time makes a deal with Aloysius and offers to show him his future life. What Aloysius discovers about himself and life is how important and wonderful his life can be if he is willing to live it to the fullest—even if it means getting old—even if it means giving up the ghost of his beloved Uncle Harold.