Monthly Archives: October 2012

Once upon a time, there were three billy goats

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Once upon a time, there were three billy goats. They were brothers, one was small, one was middle-sized and one was huge, and they lived in a valley, eating the grass of the meadows.

Every day, they looked across the valley at the lush green grass on the other side, but they couldn’t get over to eat it, because the only bridge over the rushing river was guarded by a terrible troll who ate all passing creatures.

The goats thought how they might defeat the troll to cross the bridge.

One afternoon, the smallest goat approached the bridge. His little hooves went “tip, tap, tip, tap” on the bridge, and out came the troll, shouting “WHO’S THAT TIP TAPPING OVER MY BRIDGE? I’M A BIG SCARY TROLL AND I’LL EAT YOU FOR LUNCH!!!”

“Err, I’m only a tiny billy goat, mostly skin and bones, don’t eat me mr troll sir” trembled the little goat “my brother is coming along, he’s much bigger and fatter than me, you should eat him instead”
“VERY WELL THEN” bellowed the troll “OFF YOU GO, BUT WHEN YOU ARE BIG I’LL GOBBLE YOU TOO”

The little goat tip-tapped across the bridge and away, and the troll sat drooling under the bridge, anticipating his lovely goaty dinner.

Later that day, along came the middle goat, Trip Trap Trip Trap, on the bridge. Out came the troll, shouting “WHO’S THAT TRIP TRAPPING OVER MY BRIDGE? I’M A BIG SCARY TROLL AND I’LL EAT YOU FOR DINNER!!!”

The middle billy goat replied (his knees trembling a little) “I’m really not much bigger than my little brother, not very much of a meal. Our big brother is coming along, he’s biggest of all, you should eat him.”

“VERY WELL, OFF YOU GO, BUT WHEN YOU’RE FAT I’LL EAT YOU TOO”

The middle goat Trip-Trapped off to join his brother, and the troll settled under the bridge to await his feast.

Later still, along came the biggest goat “BOOM, BOOM” went his hooves on the bridge. Out came the troll, “WHO’S THAT BOOM BOOMING OVER MY BRIDGE? I’M A BIG SCARY TROLL AND I’LL EAT YOU FOR SUPPER!”

The huge goat lowered his head, showing his big curly horns, and replied “I’m a big scary billy goat, and I’ll eat YOU for supper!”, and the goat charged at the unfortunate troll, knocking him clean off the bridge, up into the air. The troll landed with a splash in the rushing river and was never seen again.

The three goats, however, ate the lush green grass and in time were all as big as each other, and they all lived Happily Ever After

The End

Back when the world was brand new

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Back when the world was brand new, and half of it still had the wrappers on, there lived a frog called Tiddalik. He was greedy, he had always been, there was no other way for him to be.

One day he went to the watering hole. The other creatures greeted him, but Tiddalik just smiled his broad smile, as frogs do, and began to drink. He drank so much that he drank the watering hole dry, then he waddled off to find more water.

He went to the mighty river Nile, and drank it from the delta to the source. He went to the blue oceans and drank those too.

By now, he was the size of a mountain, and still as greedy as he ever was.

The creatures stood in the hot new sun, and they were thirsty, some were dying from thirst.

Now it just so happened that there was a creature who could help. He was called Echidna, and mostly he walked alone, because his back was covered with spikes, and nobody could get too close without being prickled.

The creatures begged Echidna for help, so he crept up behind Tiddalik, turned his back on the enormous creature, and fired his spines. Where the spines landed, they punctured Tiddalik’s leathery skin, and shoots of water came out, filling up the oceans, the rivers and the watering holes. Tiddalik was unhappy, as his stretched skin flapped around him, his wide mouth made an impressive frown, but the creatures told him “never again will you be so greedy, Tiddalik, the water is for all of us to share”

Tiddalik found a home under the sands, and hid there as he was ashamed. To this day, if you look carefully, in just the right places, you can still find Tiddalik hiding under the desert sands, full of all the water he can drink, for though ashamed, he is still greedy!

Ben and the Midnight Mouse

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Once upon a time there was a little boy called Ben. He was playing in his bedroom when he noticed a toy he’d never seen before, a tiny mouse toy with a pink nose. He picked it up, and touched his nose to the mouse’s, and the mouse came to life! The mouse said his name was Sam, and he was a travelling mouse. Wherever Ben wanted, they could travel, but only for an hour at midnight, because the midnight hour is the most magical.

Ben waited until midnight, asked to visit the moon, and Sam Mouse took him there in a shake of his tail.
 
They played among the moon rocks until their hour was up, then Ben found himself back in his room.
 
The next night they went to Rio and joined in a carnival, dancing and celebrating until the hour was up.
 
Each night they had adventures in different places until one day Ben came back from school to find his mum had tidied his room. All his toys were neatly put away, but Sam Mouse was nowhere to be found!
Ben’s mother said that as she was tidying she saw a little girl crying outside, and had given her the mouse to cheer her up.
 
Ben grew up to be an adventurer, travelling the world to see all the places he’d visited with Sam Mouse. Eventually, he met the little girl who his mother had given Sam mouse to (she in turn had passed it on to another child) and they travelled together, and lived Happily Ever After
 
The End.