Cul de Sac by Richard Thompson for September 18, 2023

He’s more a mover and shaker. And possibly not real.

Why? Because Petey couldn’t imagine him as a REAL crossing guard ? I’m getting visions of Eric Cartman on his Big Wheel, wearin’ shades, goin’, " YOU WiLL RESPECT MY AUTHORATIE

My take: this is Petey’s dream, a long one, which would explain why his mother at times sees Ernesto. We never see him wake up, a la Bob Newhart.

The last panel sums these two up pefectly.

Ernesto is fired up today!

Alas, we shall never know if Eresto is truly real or a figment of Petety imagination.

There’s always one annoying nerd in the crowd.

In grades one through four we walked the half mile between home and school. In fourth grade, I got to be one of the line monitors for the walkers, complete with an orange vest. Our job was to keep the smaller kids from running ahead or going off the sidewalk. Of course, once the line was dismissed, everybody went out to play on those same streets. Thankfully it was not a high traffic neighborhood.

Hands off the Otterloop, Ernesto.

Must have printed his own sign. :)

He’s real enough for his mother to notice him.

Panel #3 – is he trying to push Pete into the street? A good way to lose your junior crossing guard status!

Ernesto, the Imaginary Assistant Junior Crossing Guard, is officious, isn’t he? Good thing he’s not real. Way, way back, I would have outranked him, anyway. I was a full-fledged Crossing Guard….