Dobson Comes to Town

Writing in his journal, John Whittaker marvels that so much is happening in Odyssey all at once - the radio broadcast is going daily, animated videos are being made, and on top of it all, Whit's End has just received a very special visitor.

Connie Kendall is working behind the counter when a dazed gentleman wanders in and asks, quite seriously, where he is. He can hardly believe he is standing in Odyssey. When Connie asks what he does for a living, he explains that he hosts a radio program, works as a psychologist, and has written several books - none of which Connie has ever heard of, to his mild dismay. He introduces himself as Dr. James Dobson, and he suspects the new animated videos have something to do with why he is here.

While Connie takes a phone call, young Melanie Jacobs approaches, hoping to talk to Mr. Whittaker about something that is clearly weighing on her. She recognizes the visitor from the pictures on her parents' bookshelves and is thrilled to meet the Dr. Dobson, though she politely refuses to share what is bothering her. Instead she dashes off to tell her father, the editor of the town newspaper, that a celebrity has come to Odyssey.

Eugene Meltsner comes along next and greets the doctor with a lecture on the Dobsonfly, then invites his professional opinion on why Connie reacts so negatively whenever Eugene says something intelligent. The doctor gently turns the question around on both of them. He helps Connie admit that she is a little jealous because Eugene has a part in the new videos and she does not, and he leads Eugene to see that a truly gifted mind would choose not to provoke an argument in the first place. Both are humbled, and Eugene declares the doctor remarkably analytical.

Whit arrives, delighted, and gives his guest the grand tour of Whit's End - the workshop, the train station, the Inventor's Corner, the Bible Room, and the Imagination Station - ending at the little theater, where dialogue for the videos is being recorded. There they are ambushed by Melanie's father, Dale Jacobs, who is so starstruck that he fires off a dozen interview questions without letting the doctor answer a single one. When Dale calms down, Dr. Dobson mentions his earlier talk with Melanie and asks about her problem. Dale realizes it must be about her good friend, whose family is moving away. He admits he has been too busy with the newspaper to give Melanie the attention she needs, and the doctor quietly suggests that she may need her father even more than the paper does.

Whit then shows off a clip from the first video, The Night Travelers, in which a cartoon villain named Fred Faustus - along with his henchmen Niles and Edgar Bass and his beloved pet snake - unveils a scheme to control people's minds with a gadget he calls the Manipulation Station, built from Whit's stolen invention. Whit explains that the story follows a boy and the stray dog he rescues as they join Whit to stop Faustus, and that both videos carry a spiritual message, this one about storing up treasures in heaven rather than on earth.

When Melanie returns, Dale apologizes for the past few weeks and tells her that she comes first. He has no magic formula to make her feel better about her friend moving away, but he is there for her. Dr. Dobson adds that his own best friend moved away when he was in seventh grade, so he knows how much it hurts - but God is not sitting in heaven thinking up bad things to happen to her. He loves her and wants the best for her, even when that means some pain and heartache along the way. Melanie thanks him, then observes that he sounds just like Mr. Whittaker.

At last the doctor must return to his own studios, and Whit knows just the way to send him: the Imagination Station. A nervous Dr. Dobson climbs aboard, protesting that the only machine he has ever operated is his exercise bike, while Connie and Eugene say their goodbyes and Whit assures him there is nothing to it - just push the flashing red button. With a whir, the visitor is off. Closing his journal, Whit reflects that Dr. Dobson touched all their lives a bit, and whether Odyssey will ever see him again, only the Lord truly knows - though Whit plans to keep a goodly supply of his books on hand, just in case.