Rowley and the rare toy

116.Once upon a time, in a mansion as grand as a city, lived a peculiar 11-year-old boy named Rowley Jefferson. Rowley was far from an ordinary boy. He had the reputation of being quite the dim bulb and often found himself amidst all sorts of peculiar escapades - an endless source of amusement for his high society parents. However, this pleasantly vast mansion filled with an enviable collection of toys, antiques, and eccentricities was about to see a new addition.
One sunny afternoon, as the family was having their customary lunch - a splendid spread of egg, ham, and chips - Rowley's father revealed that he had procured an exceedingly rare toy. It was a figurine from his favourite television show, called "The Drunken Pub." This show was not just a casual preference but a cultural artifact - it had been entertaining audiences since 1958, and if there was any trivia about this show that you desired to know, Rowley's father was the man to consult. He reverently produced the figure from its protective casing - a toy from 1959, a year after the show had started airing. Despite their opulence, the figure had been a difficult find, thereby amplifying its rarity.
Rowley Jefferson, though, did not quite understand the concept of 'rarity,' or its enticing potential. He had his collection of Captain Arseface action figures and cards, which in his innocence he chewed on when bored or used for spitballs - the thought of them being 'rare' or 'collectibles' was alien to him. And so, driven by the universal kid’s curiosity, Rowley asked his parents if he could excuse himself – his excuse to trump seeming more preferable than him wrecking havoc at the table. Obligingly, they untied his napkin - which was more of a miniature food mound, and allowed him to leave.
Instead of taking care of his business, though, Rowley sought out his father's new toy. He snuck into the study and found the golden box housing the treasure. He couldn't resist the temptation and started playing with it. He grouped it with his toys for a grand adventure that lasted a solid five hours. Meanwhile, his parents were wrought with worry about Rowley's unusually long absence.
Rowley's father finally spotted him in the front garden, engrossed in his extravagant play. As he called out to Rowley, checking on him, Rowley dropped the toys out of shock. But lo and behold! None other than Dusty, the Stray dog, darted forward to seize the rare toy, and to everyone's horror, chewed it to pieces. No trace of the rare figurine was left, the likelihood of any salvageable remnants appearing later seemed impossible.
Then, and quite unexpectedly, Rowley's father, the usually composed gentleman, threw a fully-fledged, ground-thumping tantrum, howling in dismay at the loss of his rare toy. Rowley and his mother merely shook their heads at the sight of this 61-year-old man mourning the loss of a toy. Unfazed by his father's histrionics, Rowley and his mother concluded the day with the simple pleasure of a choc-ice from the fridge, all the while reflecting upon the peculiar tale of Rowley and the Rare Toy