(You are still loving the park and the chilly fall weather isn't deterring you!)
(You make yourself right at home at Pottery Barn for Kids Ellie- right down to that stuffed animal your clutching... thank you for making me smile so many times everyday!)
Hi Bean,
So this morning, I was talking more with you about
changing houses (trying to prepare you for our move next month). While we
were in the car to daycare, you looked really worried and I asked what was
wrong. You inquired, "Mama, are they going to have a potty
there?" as in the new house. I said of course and you proceeded to
ask, "Will you know how to work it?" I said (while completely
straight-faced), “Yes, Ellie. It will be
just like here.” Then, you wanted to know if they had a step stool
there. I thought that was so interesting that you are stressing too about
this move! But I promise Ellie, this is
going to be so good for our family and I think we both need to get past our
anxiety and get EXCITED!!! We are moving
HOME!
And now here is our yearlong bedtime story/stories (with
many chapters to write!) for you.
So as for our weekly guidelines: I write a piece one week in
regular font, and then your Mimi will write a piece in italics the next
week. The only things your Mimi and I
agreed on were the characters- Ellie and a magic teapot and the setting (a
forest with trolls). Anything else is
fair game and will make our adventure a new tale. We also need to figure out an illustration to
go with our part. Our goal Ellie is to
have a beloved bedtime story for you and future generations. And so we will continue our third piece of
fiction.
Ellie and the Magic
Teapot: Into the Secret Forest Part 11
Colonel Muster Troll gave a nudge that seemed an awful lot
like a push. “Hey! Keep your hands to yourself! Didn’t your Mom teach you the Golden Rule? Do unto others as you would have them do unto
you,” Lion said to the ogre as he reluctantly shuffled a bit faster despite the
blindfold. Lion was afraid to go too
fast since he couldn’t see. He didn’t
want to trip!
Colonel Muster all of a sudden became solemn. “It’s been a long time since I’ve seen my
mom,” he replied with tears in his eyes.
“I’ve been working for Trudy for so long. Maybe she will reward me for bringing you two
in! Maybe I’ll get a vacation home! Although I don’t think my Mom will recognize
me.”
“Why won’t your Mom recognize you?” Ellie inquired
curiously.
Colonel Muster shot her an annoyed glance. “I haven’t always been a troll,” he
snapped. That surprised Ellie and Lion
into a stunned silence. It was at that
quiet moment that they heard singing. It
was not melodic like Rockin’ Troll.
Instead it was a very off-key sound.
It reminded Ellie of when her cat Joe cried to get into her room at
night and would meow loudly and very screechy.
“Giggle, giggle coo
Chuckle, chuckle hey
Give me all your laughter
I want it today!
Once I’ve taken it
A troll you will be
The only way to break my spell
Is to try and stop me
The secrets in my hat
For it holds the key
That will unlock the gate
And set you free!”
“I’m not sure what that song means Lion, but I have a
feeling that those words are very important!
Remember that part about the key being in the hat to set us free!” Ellie
whispered exasperatedly to Lion. She
squeezed his hand in reassurance. She
was scared being blindfolded. The dark
can be really frightening but when you have your best friend with you, it makes
it seem much brighter.
Ellie, Lion, and Colonel Muster Troll then heard the voice
say, “Find me giggles, find me laughter, and find me those that I should go
after…. Oh and look at what I see here through my magical glasses… Ellie and
Lion are just about to enter my cave!”
The duo heard a door opening and they were shuffled through
a threshold. The blindfold was removed
and they could finally see the one they had been dreading… Trudy! Ellie didn’t think she looked that scary… if
it weren’t for her green skin and miserable face, she actually reminded her of
her great-grandmothers with their grayish white hair, soft skin, and hearing
aids. As Ellie observed Trudy, it was
Lion who looked around the cavern, which was Trudy’s home. But before he could adjust his eyes to the
gloomy decorated living room, both he and Ellie were ushered out a rear door
into Trudy’s backyard. It was there that
Lion’s eyes took in the Giggle Grabber machine (that he didn’t completely
understand yet); he saw some movement in a dark corner near the fence just
beyond the machine. Lion focused and
realized it was Oliver, Trudy, and Sebastian (held captive in a cage together)
trying silently to get his attention by moving around in waving motions. Lion poked Ellie in the side and with his
eyes motioned over so she would see what he did. Ellie nodded to show she understood. They would have to find a way to set their
friends free too.
“Oh you two are smart,” cackled Trudy, “I can’t wait to
steal your infectious giggles and turn you into my smartest trolls yet!” She stepped in between Ellie and Lion and
grabbed their hands to lead them into her machine. Trudy then told Colonel Muster Troll to
leave. He gave her a second glance in
question and she bossed, “Go on, get out!”
And he halfheartedly went out the door they came in (Colonel Muster
seemed disappointed at the lack of attention he received; he had hoped he would
at least get a pat on the back if not a reward).
At first Ellie and Lion were baffled as they had never seen
anything as complex as the Giggle Grabber but it didn’t take long before fear
engrossed them. Lion tried to shake his
paw free but Trudy was much stronger than her frail body looked. He shot Ellie a panicked glance but Ellie
smiled, winked, and nodded. He knew she
must have a plan. He looked at her again
as Trudy was guiding them toward her contraption. Ellie motioned ahead at the swing that Trudy
was going to force Ellie and Lion to sit on.
One step before they reached it, Ellie stretched out her leg and kicked
the closest end of the wooden swing causing the other end to lift up…. And hit
Trudy square in the forehead. As the
swing fell back into place, Trudy’s hat flew off like it was hit by a catapult
landing just in front of the cage that held Oliver, Sebastian, and Tad. “Quick, the magic key that will set you free
is hidden in her hat! Get it and unlock
yourselves!” Ellie yelled desperately to
her friends.
The hat was just far enough out of the cage that Owl’s wings
or Tad’s legs couldn’t reach but Sebastian was able to shimmy enough of his
slithery body to get his tail around it and rope it in. Elle and Lion didn’t see Sebastian grab the
key from the hidden inside pocket and let out Tad and Oliver, as well as
himself. That was because Lion and Ellie
were forced (with a bit more strength now) onto the repositioned swing by
Trudy’s firm grasp (Trudy did her best not to rub the bright red bump forming
just above her brow- she didn’t want to seem weak in their eyes). “Oh let them free,” she scoffed as she saw
the owl, snake, and toad running for their freedom, “It’s you two who I was
after anyway!”
Lion looked at Ellie desperately, “Why didn’t you save the
key for us? If you knew it was magic, it
could have gotten us out of here!” he sniffled as Trudy backed out of the
Giggle Grabber machine locking them in.
“Lion, I have faith in my friends. I saw an opportunity to help them and I know
they will help us. I’m not afraid. Trudy is an angry old lady and we need to
show her kindness. I was so afraid upon
entering her cavern that I realized I’m scared of the unknown. But now that I am here, I am ok and I know
that WE will be ok. Just have faith,”
Ellie spoke softly so Trudy wouldn’t see what she saw… Oliver, Sebastian, and
Tad linked together on the overhang above Trudy’s patio near the back door. Tad was getting ready to grab Trudy’s glasses
(his legs were held on by Sebastian, who’s tail was hooked by Oliver who was
firmly planted on the trunk of one of the beams of the cave)! Ellie winked at Lion, “She can’t see very
well Buddy! We are going to get out of
here!” But just as she said the words, the machine started, the fans whirled, and
the spaghetti noodles came up and started to tickle their toes. Dread filled Lion’s face as he couldn’t help
but spew out giggles as his paws were his ticklish spot. “Help me please Ellie!” Lion cried out in
between bursts of laughter. It was then
he realized, the more he giggled, the more green his fur became…
We love you Ellie!
Love,
Mom & Mimi
No comments:
Post a Comment