Jenny And The Dickybird

Jenny And The Dickybird

By Paul McCann

 

Jenny was returning home from her friend’s birthday party and saw a  balloon tied to a letter box with her name and a gold star on it . Then she remembered the sign that the emperor said he would give her whenever he was home so she went up the path and knocked on the door and it opened by itself . When she went inside, she could see him sitting in his chair fast asleep and she called out , .

“Hello I’m  here .”

He opened his eyes and said.

“Ah yes so you are , Welcome back again , would you like to have a walk around my garden ?

‘Yes “

Said Jenny

“Ok do you remember where the key to the door is .

H asked ,

“It’s on top of the bookcase. “

“That’s right , then you better get it . Off you go now “

Jenny pushed the ladder with the wheels and climbed up and got the golden key form the top of the bookcase and pushed the button there that allowed the bookcase to slide across to the left revealing a secret door that was behind the bookcase . Then she climbed down the ladder and put the key into the lock and opened the door to the emperor’s garden where birds were singing and flowers of many colours were growing around the little pathways there .

Jenny closed the door behind her and started to walk along one of the paths .After only taking a few steps a flumpy flip flopper came jumping backwards along  the path towards her . Jenny laughed and stood top one side .

“Please be careful where you’re jumping. “

Jenny said , but the funny creature never heard her and bumped into a tree .
“Oh my giddy goodness , wherever did that come from ? “ 

Said the flumpy flip flopper :

“ I tried to warn you.  Why are you jumping backwards .“

Jenny said with a friendly tone and a giggle in her voice . 

“Well, my dear child , if you must know , that’s what flumpy flip floppers do . We’re not like everybody else you know and if you don’t understand that then there is absolutely  nothing more that I can say  .So I must be on my way . “

 

The flumpy flip flopper looked at her then it jumped away , bumping into different things along the along the path . A little dicky bird in a tree started to laugh and flew down resting on Jenny’s shoulder saying .

“Don’t worry about that silly old thing . He’s having one of those grumpy jumpy days .and never does anything right . “

Then the dickybird started to sing a happy little song and remained on her shoulder as Jenny walked along through the emperor’s garden . Out from a compost patch in front of her some mushroom soldiers jumped up to attention and began marching down the road with their pointed shoes and flat hats . They surrounded her in a circle and began to ask questions “

‘Why are you here in the emperors garden ?”

“I have an invitation and am allowed to come and go without any hinderance  “

Jenny replied .

One by one the mushroom soldiers asked more questions ,

“ “Don’t be getting yourself upset. We’re just doing our job . We have to guard the pathways in here . Are you staying for long ?

“I don’t know how long I’ll be here “

Jenny replied .

“So, do you know where you’re going “?

“No, I’m  just looking around “

Jenny replied .

“Are you with any others ?”

“No .“

She replied.

“Have you been here before ?’

The little dickybird on her shoulders said ,

“She’s not answering anymore questions so if you don’t move aside, I’m going to get the emperor to have a talk to you “

Immediately the mushroom soldiers all made a sing file and marched off back into eh compost patch .

“Thank you, little dickybird.”

The dickybird started singing again and further up the path she saw a little monkey dancing on the branch of a  peanut tree . When the monkey saw her, it hung upside down and stuck out its tongue and began to make funny ouchie couchie sounds .

Jenny laughed and the monkey said , 

“Have you come to eat my peanuts ?”

Jenny said ,

“Well little monkey , I wouldn’t ever do that but if you want to give me some, I wouldn’t say no “

“Ok I am going to give you just a few only because . let me tell you , if you eat my peanuts, they are going to make you giggle and wriggle all over “

Jenny reached out her hand and the little monkey gently placed a few nuts on the palm of her hand .When Jenny ate them, she couldn’t stop giggling and wriggling .

“If ever you want to stop the giggling just go over the pond and the dickybird will whistle for the Fairy Princess and she will bring you some of her Silly  Lily Water which will stop all the giggling and wriggling .

Jenny and the dickybird made her way over to the pond and sitting there on a lily pad was the fairy pond princess . The dickybird whistled out to her and she flew over and when she saw Jenny buckled over wriggling and giggling immediately, she brough her a cup of her silly lily water that brought her back to her normal self . Jenny was so grateful and she took deep sigh and she thanked the Fairy Pond princess and went on her way . All around the pond were glider spiders making multi-coloured  webs that hung from trees and bushes like artistic nets to capture the sunlight .

Beautiful as it was Jenny continued to walk along the path through the emperor’s garden . On top of a wall sat a funny looking bunny rabbit with big pink feet and two big white buck teeth and these big blue poppy out eyes . The bunny wore a suit and tie and, in his hands, he had a briefcase . When he saw Jenny, he jumped down off the wall and said .

“ Hello, my dear , with all respect, tell me are you here to collect or just to inspect ?”

Jenny replied.

“ Hello there .  Are you who I think you are ? “

The rabbit replied,

“Well, I guess I am, that is, if you know who I am ?’:

“Of course , everybody knows you . You’re the Easter Bunny”. 

Jenny said and the rabbit opened up his brief case and presented her with a chocolate Easter egg and said ,

 “Congratulations you have won first prize and as a reward , take this wonderful treat for you to eat that will be the sweetest Easter Egg that  you have ever tasted .“

Jenny took the egg and walked along the path .

Up ahead the two lion statues came to life with a friendly roar they stood in front of the door that they guarded . The dickybird flew away and Jenny walked towards the lions . One of them asked .

‘ So, I suppose you want to get out the door then ? “

‘Yes, I have to go home .Mammy and Daddy will be wondering where I am:

She said.

;Before we let you go , we need to ask you a few questions .”

The other lion said and then they started to ask her questions .

“Did you happen to see a flumpy flip flopper jumping backwards on a path “

“ Yes, indeed I did  “

Jenny said with a laugh .

 

“And you even hear a dickybird sing a happy song ?”

“I surely did “

She said .:

“Did you meet the meet mushroom soldiers walking on the path with pointed shoes on their feet 

“Yes”  came the reply.

“Did you eat the funny monkey’s peanuts and then drink the silly lily water from the fairy pond princess “

Jenny giggled and said.

“Yes, I did all that. “

“Did you get an easter egg surprise from the Easter Bunny >

‘I did : Jenny replied ,

 The two lions stepped away from the door and one of them said.

“Well then you better be on your way .“

The other lion said ,

“But you must hop , hop . hop all the way to the door “   

And the other lion said ,

“Then you have to  knock, knock,  knock,  three times for the door to open for you “

Jenny did as she was told and the door opened up and then she walked through the door . On the other side of the door the emperor was sitting in his chair and he smiled and standing up he asked her

“Did you have a nice walk through my garden today ?”

“ Thank you Emperor I did .“

Well, I will leave you a balloon so please come back soon and I’ll be here , but before you go, I’d like to give you three gifts to take home. He took a crystal ball from a shelf and he said “

“Just look into this ball and you will see the magic Kingdom of another world  that only innocent eyes can see “

He put the ball into a bag along with a watch he took from a drawer and he said.

“If you turn the hands of this watch back it will bring you back to the past and when you put the hands forward you will be taken into the future but the destinations are unsure , you must trust and go to wherever the watch portal brings you . “

Jenny looked at the two gifts and  she said .

‘Thank you Emperor I will treasure these gifts “

The emperor opened a cupboard and took a cloak that was hanging there and said ,

“The last gift I want to give to you is this cloak of invisibility . When you wear it, you will become invisible .  No one will be able to see you “

Then  he placed the three gifts into a bag and handed them over to Jenny .

“Goodbye Emperor , thank you for letting me walk through your garden and for the gifts you have given me. “

She walked out the door and made her way home.

 

The End