Little Red Riding Hood By

Once upon a time there was a dear little girl who was loved by everyone who looked at her, but most of all by her grandmother, and there was nothing that she would not have given to the child. Once she gave her a little riding hood of red velvet, which suited her so well that she would never wear anything else; so she was always called 'Little Red Riding Hood.' One day her mother said to her: 'Come, Little Red Riding Hood, here is a piece of cake and a bottle of wine; take them to your grandmother, she is ill and weak, and they will do her good. Set out before it gets hot, and when you are going, walk nicely and quietly and do not run off the path, or you may fall and break the bottle, and then your grandmother will get nothing; and when you go into her room, don't forget to say, "Good morning", and don't peep into every corner before you do it.' 'I will take great care,' said Little Red Riding Hood to her mother, and gave her hand on it. The grandmother lived out in the wood, half a league from the village, and just as Little Red Riding Hood entered the wood, a wolf met her. Red Riding Hood did not know what a wicked creature he was, and was not at all afraid of him. 'Good day, Little Red Riding Hood,' said he. 'Thank you kindly, wolf.' 'Whither away so early, Little Red Riding Hood?' 'To my grandmother's.' 'What have you got in your apron?' 'Cake and wine; yesterday was baking-day, so poor sick grandmother is to have something good, to make her stronger.' 'Where does your grandmother live, Little Red Riding Hood?' 'A good quarter of a league farther on in the wood; her house stands under the three large oak-trees, the nut-trees are just below; you surely must know it,' replied Little Red Riding Hood. The wolf thought to himself: 'What a tender young creature! what a nice plump mouthful - she will be better to eat than the old woman. I must act craftily, so as to catch both.' So he walked for a short time by the side of Little Red Riding Hood, and then he said: 'See, Little Red Riding Hood, how pretty the flowers are about here - why do you not look round? I believe, too, that you do not hear how sweetly the little birds are singing; you walk gravely along as if you were going to school, while everything else out here in the wood is merry.'
Little Red Riding Hood raised her eyes, and when she saw the sunbeams dancing here and there through the trees, and pretty flowers growing everywhere, she thought: 'Suppose I take grandmother a fresh nosegay; that would please her too. It is so early in the day that I shall still get there in good time.' So she ran from the path into the wood to look for flowers. And whenever she had picked one, she fancied that she saw a still prettier one farther on, and ran after it, and so got deeper and deeper into the wood. Meanwhile the wolf ran straight to the grandmother's house and knocked at the door. 'Who is there?' 'Little Red Riding Hood,' replied the wolf. 'She is bringing cake and wine; open the door.' 'Lift the latch,' called out the grandmother, 'I am too weak, and cannot get up.' The wolf lifted the latch, the door sprang open, and without saying a word he went straight to the grandmother's bed, and devoured her. Then he put on her clothes, dressed himself in her cap, laid himself in bed and drew the curtains. Little Red Riding Hood, however, had been running about picking flowers, and when she had gathered so many that she could carry no more, she remembered her grandmother, and set out on the way to her. She was surprised to find the cottage-door standing open, and when she went into the room, she had such a strange feeling that she said to herself: 'Oh dear! how uneasy I feel today, and at other times I like being with grandmother so much.' She called out: 'Good morning,' but received no answer; so she went to the bed and drew back the curtains. There lay her grandmother with her cap pulled far over her face, and looking very strange. 'Oh! grandmother,' she said, 'what big ears you have!' 'All the better to hear you with, my child,' was the reply. 'But, grandmother, what big eyes you have!' she said. 'All the better to see you with, my dear.' 'But, grandmother, what large hands you have!' 'All the better to hug you with.' 'Oh! but, grandmother, what a terrible big mouth you have!' 'All the better to eat you with!' And scarcely had the wolf said this, than with one bound he was out of bed and swallowed up Red Riding Hood.
When the wolf had appeased his appetite, he lay down again in the bed, fell asleep and began to snore very loud. The huntsman was just passing the house, and thought to himself: 'How the old woman is snoring! I must just see if she wants anything.' So he went into the room, and when he came to the bed, he saw that the wolf was lying in it. 'Do I find you here, you old sinner!' said he. 'I have long sought you!' But just as he was going to fire at him, it occurred to him that the wolf might have devoured the grandmother, and that she might still be saved, so he did not fire, but took a pair of scissors, and began to cut open the stomach of the sleeping wolf. When he had made two snips, he saw the little red riding hood shining, and then he made two snips more, and the little girl sprang out, crying: 'Ah, how frightened I have been! How dark it was inside the wolf.' After that the aged grandmother came out alive also, but scarcely able to breathe. Red Riding Hood, however, quickly fetched great stones with which they filled the wolf's belly, and when he awoke, he wanted to run away, but the stones were so heavy that he collapsed at once, and fell dead. Then all three were delighted. The huntsman drew off the wolf's skin and went home with it; the grandmother ate the cake and drank the wine which Red Riding Hood had brought, and revived. But Red Riding Hood thought to herself: 'As long as I live, I will never leave the path by myself to run into the wood, when my mother has forbidden me to do so.' It is also related that once, when Red Riding Hood was again taking cakes to the old grandmother, another wolf spoke to her, and tried to entice her from the path. Red Riding Hood, however, was on her guard, and went straight forward on her way, and told her grandmother that she had met the wolf, and that he had said 'good morning' to her, but with such a wicked look in his eyes, that if they had not been on the public road she was certain he would have eaten her up.
'Well,' said the grandmother, 'we will shut the door, so that he can not come in.' Soon afterwards the wolf knocked, and cried: 'Open the door, grandmother, I am Little Red Riding Hood, and am bringing you some cakes.' But they did not speak, or open the door, so the grey-beard stole twice or thrice round the house, and at last jumped on the roof, intending to wait until Red Riding Hood went home in the evening, and then to steal after her and devour her in the darkness. But the grandmother saw what was in his thoughts. In front of the house was a great stone trough, so she said to the child: 'Take the pail, Red Riding Hood; I made some sausages yesterday, so carry the water in which I boiled them to the trough.' Red Riding Hood carried until the great trough was quite full. Then the smell of the sausages reached the wolf, and he sniffed and peeped down, and at last stretched out his neck so far that he could no longer keep his footing and began to slip, and slipped down from the roof straight into the great trough, and was drowned. But Red Riding Hood went joyously home, and no one ever did anything to harm her again.
~!~The End~!~

The Red Shoes By Hans Chiristian Andersen

Once upon a time there was little girl, pretty and dainty. But in summer time she was obliged to go barefooted because she was poor, and in winter she had to wear large wooden shoes, so that her little instep grew quite red. In the middle of the village lived an old shoemaker's wife; she sat down and made, as well as she could, a pair of little shoes out of some old pieces of red cloth. They were clumsy, but she meant well, for they were intended for the little girl, whose name was Karen. Karen received the shoes and wore them for the first time on the day of her mother's funeral. They were certainly not suitable for mourning; but she had no others, and so she put her bare feet into them and walked behind the humble coffin. Just then a large old carriage came by, and in it sat an old lady; she looked at the little girl, and taking pity on her, said to the clergyman, "Look here, if you will give me the little girl, I will take care of her." Karen believed that this was all on account of the red shoes, but the old lady thought them hideous, and so they were burnt. Karen herself was dressed very neatly and cleanly; she was taught to read and to sew, and people said that she was pretty. But the mirror told her, "You are more than pretty - you are beautiful." One day the Queen was travelling through that part of the country, and had her little daughter, who was a princess, with her. All the people, amongst them Karen too, streamed towards the castle, where the little princess, in fine white clothes, stood before the window and allowed herself to be stared at. She wore neither a train nor a golden crown, but beautiful red morocco shoes; they were indeed much finer than those which the shoemaker's wife had sewn for little Karen. There is really nothing in the world that can be compared to red shoes! Karen was now old enough to be confirmed; she received some new clothes, and she was also to have some new shoes. The rich shoemaker in the town took the measure of her little foot in his own room, in which there stood great glass cases full of pretty shoes and white slippers. It all looked very lovely, but the old lady could not see very well, and therefore did not get much pleasure out of it. Amongst the shoes stood a pair of red ones, like those which the princess had worn. How beautiful they were! and the shoemaker said that they had been made for a count's daughter, but that they had not fitted her.
"I suppose they are of shiny leather?" asked the old lady. "They shine so." "Yes, they do shine," said Karen. They fitted her, and were bought. But the old lady knew nothing of their being red, for she would never have allowed Karen to be confirmed in red shoes, as she was now to be. Everybody looked at her feet, and the whole of the way from the church door to the choir it seemed to her as if even the ancient figures on the monuments, in their stiff collars and long black robes, had their eyes fixed on her red shoes. It was only of these that she thought when the clergyman laid his hand upon her head and spoke of the holy baptism, of the covenant with God, and told her that she was now to be a grown-up Christian. The organ pealed forth solemnly, and the sweet children's voices mingled with that of their old leader; but Karen thought only of her red shoes. In the afternoon the old lady heard from everybody that Karen had worn red shoes. She said that it was a shocking thing to do, that it was very improper, and that Karen was always to go to church in future in black shoes, even if they were old. On the following Sunday there was Communion. Karen looked first at the black shoes, then at the red ones - looked at the red ones again, and put them on. The sun was shining gloriously, so Karen and the old lady went along the footpath through the corn, where it was rather dusty. At the church door stood an old crippled soldier leaning on a crutch; he had a wonderfully long beard, more red than white, and he bowed down to the ground and asked the old lady whether he might wipe her shoes. Then Karen put out her little foot too. "Dear me, what pretty dancing-shoes!" said the soldier. "Sit fast, when you dance," said he, addressing the shoes, and slapping the soles with his hand. The old lady gave the soldier some money and then went with Karen into the church. And all the people inside looked at Karen's red shoes, and all the figures gazed at them; when Karen knelt before the altar and put the golden goblet to her mouth, she thought only of the red shoes. It seemed to her as though they were swimming about in the goblet, and she forgot to sing the psalm, forgot to say the "Lord's Prayer."
Now every one came out of church, and the old lady stepped into her carriage. But just as Karen was lifting up her foot to get in too, the old soldier said: "Dear me, what pretty dancing shoes!" and Karen could not help it, she was obliged to dance a few steps; and when she had once begun, her legs continued to dance. It seemed as if the shoes had got power over them. She danced round the church corner, for she could not stop; the coachman had to run after her and seize her. He lifted her into the carriage, but her feet continued to dance, so that she kicked the good old lady violently. At last they took off her shoes, and her legs were at rest. At home the shoes were put into the cupboard, but Karen could not help looking at them. Now the old lady fell ill, and it was said that she would not rise from her bed again. She had to be nursed and waited upon, and this was no one's duty more than Karen's. But there was a grand ball in the town, and Karen was invited. She looked at the red shoes, saying to herself that there was no sin in doing that; she put the red shoes on, thinking there was no harm in that either; and then she went to the ball; and commenced to dance. But when she wanted to go to the right, the shoes danced to the left, and when she wanted to dance up the room, the shoes danced down the room, down the stairs through the street, and out through the gates of the town. She danced, and was obliged to dance, far out into the dark wood. Suddenly something shone up among the trees, and she believed it was the moon, for it was a face. But it was the old soldier with the red beard; he sat there nodding his head and said: "Dear me, what pretty dancing shoes!" She was frightened, and wanted to throw the red shoes away; but they stuck fast. She tore off her stockings, but the shoes had grown fast to her feet. She danced and was obliged to go on dancing over field and meadow, in rain and sunshine, by night and by day - but by night it was most horrible.
She danced out into the open churchyard; but the dead there did not dance. They had something better to do than that. She wanted to sit down on the pauper's grave where the bitter fern grows; but for her there was neither peace nor rest. And as she danced past the open church door she saw an angel there in long white robes, with wings reaching from his shoulders down to the earth; his face was stern and grave, and in his hand he held a broad shining sword. "Dance you shall," said he, "dance in your red shoes till you are pale and cold, till your skin shrivels up and you are a skeleton! Dance you shall, from door to door, and where proud and wicked children live you shall knock, so that they may hear you and fear you! Dance you shall, dance!" "Mercy!" cried Karen. But she did not hear what the angel answered, for the shoes carried her through the gate into the fields, along highways and byways, and unceasingly she had to dance. One morning she danced past a door that she knew well; they were singing a psalm inside, and a coffin was being carried out covered with flowers. Then she knew that she was forsaken by every one and damned by the angel of God. She danced, and was obliged to go on dancing through the dark night. The shoes bore her away over thorns and stumps till she was all torn and bleeding; she danced away over the heath to a lonely little house. Here, she knew, lived the executioner; and she tapped with her finger at the window and said: "Come out, come out! I cannot come in, for I must dance." And the executioner said: "I don't suppose you know who I am. I strike off the heads of the wicked, and I notice that my axe is tingling to do so." "Don't cut off my head!" said Karen, "for then I could not repent of my sin. But cut off my feet with the red shoes." And then she confessed all her sin, and the executioner struck off her feet with the red shoes; but the shoes danced away with the little feet across the field into the deep forest. And he carved her a pair of wooden feet and some crutches, and taught her a psalm which is always sung by sinners; she kissed the hand that guided the axe, and went away over the heath.
"Now, I have suffered enough for the red shoes," she said; "I will go to church, so that people can see me." And she went quickly up to the church-door; but when she came there, the red shoes were dancing before her, and she was frightened, and turned back. During the whole week she was sad and wept many bitter tears, but when Sunday came again she said: "Now I have suffered and striven enough. I believe I am quite as good as many of those who sit in church and give themselves airs." And so she went boldly on; but she had not got farther than the churchyard gate when she saw the red shoes dancing along before her. Then she became terrified, and turned back and repented right heartily of her sin. She went to the parsonage, and begged that she might be taken into service there. She would be industrious, she said, and do everything that she could; she did not mind about the wages as long as she had a roof over her, and was with good people. The pastor's wife had pity on her, and took her into service. And she was industrious and thoughtful. She sat quiet and listened when the pastor read aloud from the Bible in the evening. All the children liked her very much, but when they spoke about dress and grandeur and beauty she would shake her head. On the following Sunday they all went to church, and she was asked whether she wished to go too; but, with tears in her eyes, she looked sadly at her crutches. And then the others went to hear God's Word, but she went alone into her little room; this was only large enough to hold the bed and a chair. Here she sat down with her hymn-book, and as she was reading it with a pious mind, the wind carried the notes of the organ over to her from the church, and in tears she lifted up her face and said: "O God! help me!" Then the sun shone so brightly, and right before her stood an angel of God in white robes; it was the same one whom she had seen that night at the church-door. He no longer carried the sharp sword, but a beautiful green branch, full of roses; with this he touched the ceiling, which rose up very high, and where he had touched it there shone a golden star. He touched the walls, which opened wide apart, and she saw the organ which was pealing forth; she saw the pictures of the old pastors and their wives, and the congregation sitting in the polished chairs and singing from their hymn-books. The church itself had come to the poor girl in her narrow room, or the room had gone to the church. She sat in the pew with the rest of the pastor's household, and when they had finished the hymn and looked up, they nodded and said, "It was right of you to come, Karen."
"It was mercy," said she. The organ played and the children's voices in the choir sounded soft and lovely. The bright warm sunshine streamed through the window into the pew where Karen sat, and her heart became so filled with it, so filled with peace and joy, that it broke. Her soul flew on the sunbeams to Heaven, and no one was there who asked after the Red Shoes.
~~The End~~

The Twelve Dancing Princesses

There was a king who had twelve beautiful daughters. They slept in twelve beds all in one room and when they went to bed, the doors were shut and locked up. However, every morning their shoes were found to be quite worn through as if they had been danced in all night. Nobody could find out how it happened, or where the princesses had been. So the king made it known to all the land that if any person could discover the secret and find out where it was that the princesses danced in the night, he would have the one he liked best to take as his wife, and would be king after his death. But whoever tried and did not succeed, after three days and nights, they would be put to death. A king's son soon came. He was well entertained, and in the evening was taken to the chamber next to the one where the princesses lay in their twelve beds. There he was to sit and watch where they went to dance; and, in order that nothing could happen without him hearing it, the door of his chamber was left open. But the king's son soon fell asleep; and when he awoke in the morning he found that the princesses had all been dancing, for the soles of their shoes were full of holes. The same thing happened the second and third night and so the king ordered his head to be cut off. After him came several others; but they all had the same luck, and all lost their lives in the same way. Now it happened that an old soldier, who had been wounded in battle and could fight no longer, passed through the country where this king reigned, and as he was travelling through a wood, he met an old woman, who asked him where he was going. 'I hardly know where I am going, or what I had better do,' said the soldier; 'but I think I would like to find out where it is that the princesses dance, and then in time I might be a king.' 'Well,' said the old woman, 'that is not a very hard task: only take care not to drink any of the wine which one of the princesses will bring to you in the evening; and as soon as she leaves you pretend to be fast asleep.'
Then she gave him a cloak, and said, 'As soon as you put that on you will become invisible, and you will then be able to follow the princesses wherever they go.' When the soldier heard all this good advice, he was determined to try his luck, so he went to the king, and said he was willing to undertake the task. He was as well received as the others had been, and the king ordered fine royal robes to be given him; and when the evening came he was led to the outer chamber. Just as he was going to lie down, the eldest of the princesses brought him a cup of wine; but the soldier threw it all away secretly, taking care not to drink a drop. Then he laid himself down on his bed, and in a little while began to snore very loudly as if he was fast asleep. When the twelve princesses heard this they laughed heartily; and the eldest said, 'This fellow too might have done a wiser thing than lose his life in this way!' Then they rose and opened their drawers and boxes, and took out all their fine clothes, and dressed themselves at the mirror, and skipped about as if they were eager to begin dancing. But the youngest said, 'I don't know why it is, but while you are so happy I feel very uneasy; I am sure some mischance will befall us.' 'You simpleton,' said the eldest, 'you are always afraid; have you forgotten how many kings' sons have already watched in vain? And as for this soldier, even if I had not given him his sleeping draught, he would have slept soundly enough.' When they were all ready, they went and looked at the soldier; but he snored on, and did not stir hand or foot: so they thought they were quite safe. Then the eldest went up to her own bed and clapped her hands, and the bed sank into the floor and a trap-door flew open. The soldier saw them going down through the trap-door one after another, the eldest leading the way; and thinking he had no time to lose, he jumped up, put on the cloak which the old woman had given him, and followed them. However, in the middle of the stairs he trod on the gown of the youngest princess, and she cried out to her sisters, 'All is not right; someone took hold of my gown.'
'You silly creature!' said the eldest, 'it is nothing but a nail in the wall.' Down they all went, and at the bottom they found themselves in a most delightful grove of trees; and the leaves were all of silver, and glittered and sparkled beautifully. The soldier wished to take away some token of the place; so he broke off a little branch, and there came a loud noise from the tree. Then the youngest daughter said again, 'I am sure all is not right -- did not you hear that noise? That never happened before.' But the eldest said, 'It is only our princes, who are shouting for joy at our approach.' They came to another grove of trees, where all the leaves were of gold; and afterwards to a third, where the leaves were all glittering diamonds. And the soldier broke a branch from each; and every time there was a loud noise, which made the youngest sister tremble with fear. But the eldest still said it was only the princes, who were crying for joy. They went on till they came to a great lake; and at the side of the lake there lay twelve little boats with twelve handsome princes in them, who seemed to be waiting there for the princesses. One of the princesses went into each boat, and the soldier stepped into the same boat as the youngest. As they were rowing over the lake, the prince who was in the boat with the youngest princess and the soldier said, 'I do not know why it is, but though I am rowing with all my might we do not get on so fast as usual, and I am quite tired: the boat seems very heavy today.' 'It is only the heat of the weather,' said the princess, 'I am very warm, too.' On the other side of the lake stood a fine, illuminated castle from which came the merry music of horns and trumpets. There they all landed, and went into the castle, and each prince danced with his princess; and the soldier, who was still invisible, danced with them too. When any of the princesses had a cup of wine set by her, he drank it all up, so that when she put the cup to her mouth it was empty. At this, too, the youngest sister was terribly frightened, but the eldest always silenced her.
They danced on till three o'clock in the morning, and then all their shoes were worn out, so that they were obliged to leave. The princes rowed them back again over the lake (but this time the soldier placed himself in the boat with the eldest princess); and on the opposite shore they took leave of each other, the princesses promising to come again the next night. When they came to the stairs, the soldier ran on before the princesses, and laid himself down. And as the twelve, tired sisters slowly came up, they heard him snoring in his bed and they said, 'Now all is quite safe'. Then they undressed themselves, put away their fine clothes, pulled off their shoes, and went to bed. In the morning the soldier said nothing about what had happened, but determined to see more of this strange adventure, and went again on the second and third nights. Everything happened just as before: the princesses danced till their shoes were worn to pieces, and then returned home. On the third night the soldier carried away one of the golden cups as a token of where he had been. As soon as the time came when he was to declare the secret, he was taken before the king with the three branches and the golden cup; and the twelve princesses stood listening behind the door to hear what he would say. The king asked him. 'Where do my twelve daughters dance at night?' The soldier answered, 'With twelve princes in a castle underground.' And then he told the king all that had happened, and showed him the three branches and the golden cup which he had brought with him. The king called for the princesses, and asked them whether what the soldier said was true and when they saw that they were discovered, and that it was of no use to deny what had happened, they confessed it all. So the king asked the soldier which of the princesses he would choose for his wife; and he answered, 'I am not very young, so I will have the eldest.' -- and they were married that very day, and the soldier was chosen to be the king's heir.

The End

Grow Your Own Gargoyle. by Valerie Hardin

Wendy clutched her Slime Sisters comic book. She saved her allowance to buy all kinds of things that were in the back of the comic. She had bought talking fish, dancing dolls, living pet rock, giant super heroes, and all kinds of other stuff.
She'd run to get the mail. "My giant super heroes are here." Wendy had opened it up, but they weren't as big as a child like in the ad. In small print were the words "not actual size."
All the other things she had sent for didn't work right either. The dolls didn't have batteries and broke after just two days. The living rock was not alive, and all the other toys and games she bought were lying twisted and broken in a heap on her bed.
She sat on the floor and frowned.
"Can I come in?" her Mom, Mrs. Delane, asked.
Wendy nodded. Mrs. Delane moved some of the junk away and sat down. She had a tiny package in her hand. "Maybe you shouldn't send for any more toys?" Mrs. Delane said, "but you have one more package."
Wendy took the package. It said "The Living Gargoyle Co."
"I forgot all about this," Wendy said. She opened the package and there were two very small gargoyles with pointy ears, and a small piece of paper.
Grow Your Own Gargoyle
Put each gargoyle in a large bowl of water. (Don't put them in the same bowl; the gargoyles need space to grow.)
Wait overnight and they will have grown more than twice their size.
Dry them off with a towel.
P.S. Gargoyles are very cranky at first, so plan activities they will enjoy like picnics and tag. No, they can't fly.
"I might as well try. I think Stacy had a sponge toy like this and hers grew." Wendy smiled and removed the junk from her bed. "Mom, can you get me two bowls of water?"
"If you promise to clean your room." Her Mom said, and got her the bowls and tucked Wendy in.
Wendy went to sleep and dreamed the gargoyles grew as big as her house and were very mean looking.
She felt something wet on her ear and woke up. The gargoyles were on her bed.
"Dry me," said gargoyle one.
"No, me first," said the other one.
Wendy didn't scream because the directions said they'd be real cranky. "Okay, I'll dry you both." Wendy dried them off with towels.
Wendy named one Lester and the other one Tina, because one of them was a boy and the other one was a girl. When Wendy was off at school, they'd get into pillow fights and make her room a mess.
"You have to clean up your room," Mrs. Delane said. "Your Dad almost fainted when he saw your room."
"But Lester and Tina made the mess."
"They're your gargoyles and you have to clean up after them."
Wendy gave them crayons to draw with, but they ended up drawing all over the walls and it took Wendy hours to clean the walls.
As soon as she was done with that she had to clean sticky bubble gum off of Lester's wings.
"This place is so much fun," Tina said. "Most of us are sent back to the company."
"And the kids get their money back?" Wendy asked.
"Nope," Lester said. "You have to pay the company."
Tina shook her head. "The other gargoyles are much crankier than us. The reason I'm nicer to you is I like it here. I never want to leave. I like you too."
"Well, there are those pillow fights," Wendy replied.
"We won't have them any more." Tina smiled.
"No, I don't mind if you have pillow fights as along as I'm allowed to join in."
They tossed pillows and sang songs. Afterward they cleaned up the mess. Mrs. Delane made Wendy, Lester and Tina cups of hot chocolate and tucked them into bed. Tina started to snore.
"Maybe you can order more gargoyles," Lester said.
"No, two are all the gargoyles I can handle." Wendy closed her eyes and fell asleep.

THE END

Little Miss Mary And The Monster Take Over. By G.G. Toropov and Cleone Cassidy

Little Miss Mary was tired of shopping -All day on her feet she'd been merrily hoppingFrom boutique to salon, from one to the other,While asking for THIS and for THAT from her Mother...
"I want to have this and I want to have that!These shoes that I bought will look nice with that hat.My open-toed sandals are just, SOOO passé!If I wear them to school, what WILL the girls say?
I need: a new skirt, and a dress, and a jacket,For tennis, new trainers to match my new racket,New t-shirt. New blouse. A new Fendi bag -The one on display, with a WHOPPING price tag!"


Little Miss Mary's Mommy was proud -She too always spent to the limit allowedOn the gold credit card, which her husband had given -She KNEW her excesses would soon be forgiven.
Little Miss Mary was a chip off the block.If she could shop, she would shop and right round the clock!Three-sixty a year and twenty-four-seven,Impressive for someone who just turned eleven...
But hardly a coup, when ALL posh Mommies cooInto Porsche baby prams: "Gucci-goo, Gucci-goo."No wonder that Mary's first words to her nannyWere: "Pla-da, Ga-ba-na, Lac-wa" and "A-ma-ni!"
"Moschino? Versace? Where shall we go next?""That's enough for today, you maxed-out the AmEx.Any more shopping must wait till tomorrow,There's plenty more money that Daddy can borrow."


On hearing the news Mary drew a deep sigh:"But there's SOOO much more that I wanted to buy.Sooo many shoes that I kept a keen eye on,Sooo many dresses I wanted to try on."
But Mommy had already summoned assistants,Who replied to her call in no more than an instance.In a blink of an eye they were all in position,Eager to please (as they worked for commission).
They loaded their bags in the big four-by-four.They filled up the boot and they covered the floor,Till there was no space left, no place left to pack,So they piled even more bags above the ski-rack.


And off home they drove - Mother and DaughterHydrating themselves with Evian water;Mom at the wheel of her new Chelsea Tractor,Miss Mary behind her, poised to distract her...
With pertinent problems like: "How can one tellBetween bags that are bootleg and REAL Chanel?"Or questions like: "Mom why don't WE have a butler?"And other BIG issues from Vogue and from Tatler.

The traffic, amazingly, wasn't too bad.They arrived in no-time at their posh Mayfair pad;A GORGEOUS, split-level, detached pied-à-terreWhere Little Miss Mary lived with-out a care.
And that's where we find her - tired from shopping,Exhausted from all of that running and hoppingFrom salon to boutique with Mom as her caddie,Buying up Bond Street and all on her Daddy...


Who works all day long, all night long in the CityAs Chair Of The Board and as Head Of Committees;Earning big bucks so that she can look pretty -NO EXPENSE SPARED on his "Sweet Little Kitty".
Little Miss Mary made her Daddy proudBy jumping in queues and by pushing through crowds,By spending his money in ALL sorts of placesFrom Moscow to Paris, from Harrods to Macy's.
Mary would COME, she would SEE, she would BUY!From Cannes to Hong Kong, from Milan to Dubai.If there was a contest, then she would be crowned:"The world's greatest shopper!" (pound for pound).


But now she was tired and lay on her bed.Musing if this season's black would be red.Mulling the fate of poor fabric exportersIf all the designers cut skirts by three-quarters.
She put on her eye-mask and drifted to sleep;Counting sheep, after sheep, after sheep, after sheep,But all the while thinking: "How it would be betterTo use all their wool for a Burberry sweater."


Soon Little Miss Mary was out like a light,But she didn't sleep long and woke up with a fright!She opened her eyes and was very surprisedWhen a huge, hairy Monster... MATERIALIZED!

The Monster yelled "BOO!" to give Mary a scare,But Mary just fixed the great Beast with a stare.She looked up and down from his toes to his hairWith total disdain while the Monster stood there.
"Why!" asked the Monster "You show me no fear!?""Have you looked in the mirror? You're just SOOO last year!Your tail isn't bad, but is there a reason...For sporting those horns, which are just SOOO last season?


The Monster was stunned. At a loss what to say.His prey wasn't screaming or running away!He wasn't accustomed to such a response,He was used to HYSTERICS not pert nonchalance.
But Mary stayed poised as a lady should be,She displayed no attempt or desire to flee.She turned on the light so that he could see clearerAnd showed the big Monster his FACE in the mirror.


He gawked for a while at his wretched reflectionHe winced at his wrinkled and withered complexion."My skin feels like leather, I have crusty eyes!""What did you expect when you don't moisturize?"
"My nails are all broken! My teeth are all yellow!My fur is in clumps!" He let out a BELLOW!"My horns are askew and my coat is molting."He started to sob... "I am... truly... revolting!"
"Come on now don't cry." Said Little Miss Mary."You DO have a choice, you don't HAVE to be scary!Behind that snarl and that piercing stare,You're just a big softy - a HUGE teddy-bear!"


But the big hairy Monster was not quite as certain -Embarrassed he wrapped himself up in a curtainAnd told Little Mary that with-out a doubt,He's a HIDEOUS creature and he'll NEVER come out.
Miss Mary agreed: "You are ugly for sure,But it's something you really don't have to endure.So you haven't been blessed with the best of genetics;Who needs Mother Nature, when we have cosmetics!?
For each of your problems you'll find there's a cureFrom a deep cleansing facial to a French pedicure.To NUMEROUS methods for rogue hair removalSo what do you say? Do I have your approval?


Would you like to be pampered and fashioned and styled?MADE-OVER BY MARY?" - The big Monster smiled.
"I can tell from that smile that it's been quite a whileSince you've seen a toothbrush, or have used a nail-file.And I sense from your stench, or at least I presume,That you're also a stranger to soap and perfume."


While Little Miss Mary stood pinching her noseThe big Monster blushed from his head to his toes."Don't worry" said Mary "We'll give you a showerWe'll soak you and clean you, we'll scrub and we'll scour.
We'll cleanse and we'll tone, we'll wax and we'll pluck,We'll snip and we'll peel, we'll nip and we'll tuck!If you want to look pretty you're on the right path.Lets start with the basics... You're having a bath!"


She dragged the big Monster inside her en-suiteFull of lotions and potions all fragrant and sweet,Full of loofahs and sponges to rub and to scrubAnd rose scented candles lit round the tub.
Once there the Monster forgot ALL his troublesIn bath salts and oils and white, fluffy bubbles.And as he relaxed, Mary started her mission;She began by shampooing and then she conditioned...


She used tinted toners, tonics and creams,She applied elbow grease (as weird as it seems)Because THAT, for Miss Mary, was EX-tremely rare.After all, she was heir to a millionaire.


She rolled up her sleeves and got stuck in her task.She smeared on a Dead Sea, firming face masque.She lathered and foamed, she combed and untangled,Till the Monster emerged spick-n-span and newfangled!
"Well there you go, you no longer smell foul."Said Little Miss Mary, handing over a towel."And now for the fun part, lets start from the topTo be brutally honest your hair is a MOP!


I have to be frank - I am not even sureOf how to approach this kind of coiffure.Maybe a fringe? Or a crop? Or a bob?Or perhaps a French Plait will do just the job?
Whatever we do you will first have to swear;In future you'll take better care of your hair.How on EARTH did you ever expect to make friendsWith split-ends that have their OWN split-ends?"
The Monster's face faded by at least several shadesOnce he spotted the glint of the sharp scissor blades.Frightened, he opted to keep his eyes shutAnd chewed on his nails, through his first haircut.


Mary danced round his head like a crazed ballerina,Like a MAD matador in a bullfight arena;Dodging his horns while clipping his ears,Which, it has to be said, only worsened his fears.
The Monster's anxiety did not diminishUntil Little Mary announced: "I AM FINISHED!"He opened his eyes and was over the Moon!It looked like his cut was by Vidal Sassoon!
His hair was no longer the nest of a vulture;It was "modern-art" like an avant-garde sculpture.Geometric yet flowing. Organic yet neat...And that's just the mound that lay at his feet!


"I'm so HAPPY Miss Mary I could give you a kiss!""While you have halitosis, I'll give that a miss;There's still so much more that needs to be done.Don't think this is over. The fun's JUST begun!"
Mary brushed up his teeth until they were white.She polished his horns so they weren't such a fright.She curled his eyelashes and buffed every nail.She fluffed up his wings and she straightened his tail.


His immense monobrow was trimmed and then tweezed,The spots on his nose were steamed and then squeezed,She plucked his disgusting, unsightly nose hairs,She peeled and exfoliated LOTS of skin layers...
With Caviar Granules for Derma-abrasionTMWhich Mommy's been saving for special occasions,Who swore that the tiny, dried eggs from a SturgeonWere better than dating a TOP plastic surgeon.


The results were AMAZING! Not a wrinkle in sight!The Monster could hardly contain his delight.He clapped his big hands and he stomped his huge feet,But Mary's makeover STILL wasn't complete!
She waited for calm and then said: "I suppose,It's time that we found some suitable clothes.My Daddy's quite fat, so I'm sure we can findA suit that would fit your ENORMOUS behind."


They went to the wardrobe and opened the door,It was haute-couture HEAVEN from ceiling to floor.There were shoes, there were suits and dresses galore!GAULTIER, GIVENCHY, CHANNEL, and DIOR!
The Monster was slack-jawed, his eyes open wide,He hadn't the SLIGHTEST clue how to decideBetween: Prada, Armani or Gucci, or Boss.In this maze of designers he was quite at a loss!
But thankfully Little Miss Mary was ableTo find her way through the labyrinth of labels.She scoured the shelves and rummaged through rails,Convinced that the Monster would look great in tails...


Mary searched for her father's bespoke formal wear,After all it was Daddy, who made her aware"That even a MONKEY dressed up in a tuxHad a GOOD chance to look like a million bucks."
She furnished the Monster with J.P. Tod's shoes,A Ralph Lauren shirt, then proceeded to chooseA STUNNING tuxedo from Louis VuittonAnd with bated breath waited - as he put it on.

Within a few moments Miss Mary could tellThat the dressing-up part wasn't going so well.It became pretty clear his suit wouldn't fitWhen the Monster bent down and his trousers split!
Propriety precludes me from telling you where,But it was, as you guessed, an embarrassing tear.The pants weren't designed for a beast of his size.And the rest of the clothes met a likewise demise...
The tailor-made tailcoat was torn into shreds!The shirt was reduced to some buttons on threads!The waistcoat was wasted! The shoes were too small;His toes burst through them, but then, worst of all...
The Royal Ascot top hat, which was worn to the races,Got impaled on the Monster's big horn of all places!The final result was the tux was in TATTERS...The Monster had turned haute-couture into schmattas!


"I cannot believe I could be so naïve!"Said Little Miss Mary a little bit peeved:"I ought to have guessed it SOOO much fasterThat getting you dressed would end in disaster!"
But the big hairy Monster was simply ecstatic,He tingled all over (though it may have been static)So what if his clothes were ripped at the seams?They MORE than exceeded his WILDEST dreams!
"I want to thank you so much, I don't know where to start?Instead of my gut, there's a place in my heart.For Mary you've changed me both inside and out.I was going to devour you... Now I'm DEVOUT!


I can't wait to get back to the big monsters' lairTo show them my clothes, my skin and my hair.I shall teach other Monsters how not to be feared!"He thanked her once more and with that... disappeared.
After waving good-bye Mary drew a deep sigh,Lay back and imagined new things she could buy,But hard as she tried her dreams weren't the same,Compared to the Monster they all seemed so... tame.
Her entire short life she'd behaved like a bratWith a "Can I have this?" and a "Can I have that!"But it looked like she'd finally found her passion;Not JUST for herself, but for big monster fashion.


She never imagined one day she may yearnNot for dresses or shoes, but a Monster's return.When all of a sudden, she heard something creaking.She sat up and listened to scraping and squeaking...

The closet doors opened and through them came outA motley of monsters with horns, tails and snouts;Sharp teeth and long tentacles, talons and trunks,Some hairy, some scaly ALL smelly as skunks!
It's hard to find words to describe their features;They were, beyond doubt, the UGLIEST creatures!Every single one weird, every single one wild,Every single one there to be fashioned and styled.
What do you do, when you're faced with such freaks?Do you faint? Do you run? Do you hide? Do you shriek?Miss Mary's solution was typically chic:"I will open the world's first MONSTER BOUTIQUE!"






~ The End ~

Pirate's Treasure By Carole Moore

"Ten steps from the porch and twenty steps from the rose bushes," growled Bluebeard in Jimmy's dream one night. "There be treasure there! Aawrgh." So the next day Jimmy began to dig. He dug until the hole was deep and the dirt pile was high. He kept digging. The hole got deeper and the dirt pile got higher. He dug until the hole was deepest and the dirt pile was at its highest. He sighed. "I'm too tired. I can't dig anymore." Then he spied something ...but it was only one of Woofy's bones. Instead of treasure, all Jimmy had was a dog bone, a hole, and a big pile of dirt to fill it in with. He thought "That pirate lied to me!" But when Jimmy's mother saw what he had done, she clasped her hands and smiled a smile from here to Sunday. "Oh, thank you, Jimmy. I always wanted a rhododendron bush planted just there. Here's $5.00 for digging that hole."
~ ~ The End ~ ~

Invisible Alligators By Hayes Roberts

For the red furies
young monkey named Sari woke up one morning and knew there was trouble.She hopped out of bed and found that the bridge on her favorite castlehad been broken in the night, and it took her forever to fix itThen she found her stairs covered in toys.She tripped on one and had to pick them all up.THEN she couldn't ride her llama to school because the whole herd was running loose.It took her six tries to get them onto a pointy rock so they would calm downand quit trying to eat her homework.She was so late that she missed almost all of her favorite class, Algebra II.And her homework was covered in bites and hoof prints.She'd had enough.Tonight Sari would put a stop to this.That night she stayed awake long after bedtime.Long enough to hear the rustling of long tails under her bedShe flipped her bed over and found invisible alligators all over her room."What's going on here?" she demanded."Sari, we're the invisible alligators and we do this for everyone,"one alligator explained."We're just trying to help; let me show you."So she followed him deep into the alligator catacombs.As they walked he explained, "You see, we cause trouble in all kinds of ways."In this house I'm hiding the remote controland this sheep will search his house for a week.""And in this house we're stealing the chocolate cake mixand putting out fresh broccoli instead.""And in here we're singing this hippo to sleep in the bath so he gets all pruney." "I just don't understand why you would do all of these things," Sari said."Why do we have to have so many things go wrong?Why can't you just make everything right?""Yes, good point," the alligator sighed, "but let me show you one more thing,"and he took her into the invisible alligator main headquarters."This is your book, Sari.All the things listed in this book are the troubles we've caused you--and all the things you've learned how to do in your whole life."It was a big book.He looked at her expectantly."Nope. I don't get it." she said sadly, and left the alligators' lairso she could go back home and get in bed. "Bye."The stairs leading home were covered in rocks.Sari took a moment to pick them all up as she walkedso no one would trip and fall.She came to a bridge that was snapped in two,and a herd of wild blue goats which we all know are very dangerousunless someone knows how to herd them onto a pointy mountain top.Sari didn't even have to think.She knew exactly what to do--fixed the bridge,herded the goats, piled the rocks out of the way in a safe placeand was safely in bed in no time at all,fast asleep and dreaming about Algebra II.How did she do it?If you are lucky maybe the invisible alligators will visit you tonightand cause trouble for you.
The End

The Journey of the Noble Gnarble by Daniel Errico

Far below the ocean waves, a gnarble lay in bed,
All night long his gnarble dreams kept swimming in his head.
He dreamt a dream of swimming up to see the sky above, Lit up by the sun in colors
he just knew he'd love.But gnarbles never swam that high, their fins were much too small,
Their tails were thin and floppy, which didn't help at all.

This gnarble liked his fins and had no problem with his tail,
So when he woke he knew that he just couldn't, wouldn't fail.
"I'm swimming up above the waves to see the sky of blue;
I've never seen it even once, and now it's time I do."
But the other gnarbles warned him that he shouldn't swim so high,
As did the blyfish family that always swam close by.

"No gnarble's ever swam that high, it simply isn't done,
A blyfish might just make the trip, but we know you're not one."
"Gnarbles don't have flappers like all us blyfish do,
You don't even have koggers like the swimming gungaloo."
But the gnarble didn't listen and he left his friends behind.
No silly blyfish family could ever change his mind.
He swam up past the boulders made of spongy gishy-gosh,
And flew right by the herd of floating feeding fipple-fosh.

His fins were getting tired but he knew he couldn't stop,
So he kept swimming faster, trying hard to reach the top.
Just then a hungry warckel blocked the gnarble with his fin.
He grabbed him by his tail and brought him right up to his chin.
"I've never had a gnarble, this would be a tasty treat,
But you're much too thin and tiny for big old me to eat."
So the gnarble just kept swimming, and didn't dare to stop,
Until he heard the sound of a great big bubble POP!
He turned around to see that he was in a bit of trouble.
The sound he heard was that of a silver subbalubble.

The gnarble tried to hide somewhere that he could safely stay.
But the subbalubble saw him and was headed right his way.
"Oh Mister Subbalubble, please don't eat me up for lunch,
I'll bring a yummy plant instead, for you to sit and munch."

"I've never seen a gnarble try to swim this high before.
What is it, little fishy, that you're up here looking for?"
"If I could see the sky just once, I'd be a happy fish.
To do one flip above the waves would be my only wish."

"Well sorry silly gnarble, but I cannot let you go.
It's subbalubble dinner time--you should've stayed below."

The gnarble cowered back in fear and shook from fin to fin,
But then he saw a school of fish called shiny glimmy glin.
The glimmy glin swam right past the subbalubble's face,
And the gnarble grabbed a glimmy fin and quickly left that place.
The gnarble swam up higher still,
until he saw some light.
He knew it had to be the sun and, oh was it a sight!
Closely by a plink was sleeping, lying on his back.
He rubbed his giant belly as he dreamed about a snack.
The gnarble smiled happily
and set his fins a swimming
But he didn't see the plink wake up, for he was busy grinning.
The gnarble almost made it to the surface of the sea,
But the plink chomped down and swallowed him as if he were a pea.
The gnarble sat inside the plink and started softly crying.
He'd never make it out, so was there any point in trying?

But the Gnarble knew he'd come too close to quit and give up now,
"There must be someway out of here. There's got to be somehow."
So the gnarble swam around inside, trying very hard to think,
And while he did, his floppy tail was tickling the plink.
The plink was very ticklish and he couldn't hold it in.
He tried to cover up his laugh with his giant plinkish fin.
But his mouth was open long enough for the gnarble to swim free.
He swam so fast the hungry plink did not have time to see.
Far above the ocean floor, above the gnarbles' homes,
Above the blyfish families and dancing water-gnomes,
Above the swimming gungaloo and slimy dundledun,
A gnarble flipped above the waves and smiled at the sun.

The End.