Mr Justabout - Version 4 - 1263 words

Brian pulled his covers up to his chin.
It had been a good birthday, one of the best.
Smiling he looked at all his present, planning which he would play with first
But that would be tomorrow after school, and after swimming.
He stopped smiling.
He liked swimming.
But he didn’t like being pushed under the water
Or having elbows dug into his sides as he tried to stay afloat.
He didn’t like how the other boys laughed when it happened.

Brian decided right there and then not to swim anymore.
He turned to look at another of his presents, an enormous poster of a steam train rushing out of a long dark tunnel.
Then a soft breeze blew across his face.
Sleepily he climbed out of bed and checked his window, it was closed.

Then the strange wind ruffled his hair and the scent of flowers and freshly cut grass filled his room.
Slowly he searched his room to find where the breeze was coming from.
Standing in front of the poster wind rushed out of the tunnel.
Spreading his arms Brian leaned forward and laughed.
He had never been so excited , this really was the very best birthday.
Looking down the tunnel he could just see a small spot of sun light.
It was getting bigger, getting closer, but how ?
He was inside the tunnel with the huge engine.
He pushed himself flat against the cold black wall as the crashing sound of the trains whistle filled his ears.
The train thundered down the track.
Then the warm wind brushed his face again and he turned towards it.
He reached the end of the tunnel and stared in amazement.
The grass stood waist high and wasn’t green as it should be, it was every shade of blue with orange, red and yellow tips
Waves of colour washed and rolled down the hillside in the soft breeze.
“Wooow” he said eventually.
Brian walked towards a distant tree.
The grass felt more like the silk scarves his Gran wore than the grass in his garden.
The huge tree was smooth like glass, and just as shinny.
Leaves of orange,and red floated around the.
Some leapt between them like tiny squirrels in summer.
Brian began to feel worried, his stomach tingled and he felt hot.
He wanted to go back to his room, back to his presents, back to Mum and Dad.
Turning back he set off.
“Wonderful, quite wonderful” came a voice from behind him.
A small man appeared from behind the shiny tree.
He was the same height as Brian, but much older.
He wore a long purple coat, blue trousers and his hair was shocking pink and stood like a handful of straw dropped on a head with little care, and his nose was the longest nose Brian had ever seen, so long in fact it was starting to curl up at the end.
The two stood and looked at each other.
“Hello. My name’s Brian, What’s yours ?”
“Hello Brian what’s yours, I’m Justabout right”
“No, just Brian” said Brian trying to correct the misunderstanding.
‘Very sorry, no just Brian, now let me see, I’m not too tall, I’m not too short, not too thin or too fat, I’m justabout right , don’t you think ?”
‘Absolutely’ Said Brian enthusiastically
The little man’s face glowed with excitement as he muttered to himself.
“Justabout right absolutely, no no that won’t do. Justabout absolutely right”. “aha” he said snapping his fingers.
“No no, you can’t be absolutely right, not absolutely"
Then he threw his hands in the air.
“ I have it, - Absolutely Justabout Right”
Bowing extravagantly he said
“Hello, my name is Mr Absolutely Justabout Right, or Mr Justabout or Mr Absolutely.
One should always start a new friendship with a new name, don’t you think ?’
“I really don’t know, Won’t that confuse your friends, if you keep changing your name like that ? “ Said Brian
“No no Friends always know your name, or they give you a new one, isn’t that right Mr Simply Won’t ?”
From behind the tree walked a very very tall man, so tall in fact that his legs were longer than Brian was high, and his head seemed to be a very long way from the ground.
“ Hello, I’m Mr Simply Won’t”
He said in a sad, fed up sort of voice.
“Hello, I’m Brian, how do you do”
“Not very well actually”
“Oh” said Brian. Not knowing what else to say,
“Coming” said Mr Justabout.
“Were to ?” Said Brian
“That way” he pronounced, then walked behind the tree.
Slowly Brian followed onto a long beach of yellow sand lying against a deep blue ocean.
“No no that won’t do, it simply won’t do” said Mr Justabout who seemed a little upset.
“It looks fine to me” Said Brian
“No no not fine, not fine at all, it too blue, far too blue”
Mr Justabout ran down to the waters edge and climbed to the top of a giant tap, he sat on the handle singing as it spun round like a fairground ride.
From out of the spout gushed a stream of colour.
Slowly the sea under the tap turned from blue to red and purple then slowly it a became a light warm rosy pink.
“Now that’s right, Justabout absolutely right for swimming, Don’t you think ? Cold and blue simply won’t do, not for swimming, for swimming you want warm and rosy.
Mr Justabout threw off his jacket to reveal the longest pair of swimming shorts Brian had ever seen.
“But I Don’t” said Brian.
“Don’t, don’t what ?” asked Mr Justabout.
“I Don’t like to swim”. Said Brian.
“Can’t swim, Can’t swim” chorused Mr Justabout
“ I said I don’t like to swim”
“Can’t swim, Don’t swim, it’s all the same thing, just what have you been doing with yourself. It simply won’t do”
“I can swim, I just decided I don’t like to anymore and that’s all there is to it.”
Mr Justabout turned to Brian and said.
“ Bye then” and ran down to the water’s edge leaving Brian on the beach watching.
“Why don’t you go for a swim”
“I won’t if you don’t mind” Replied Mr Simply Won’t.
“Oh” said Brian, “Can’t you swim ?”
“Yes I can swim, I swim very well, I simply won’t that’s all”
“But that’s silly” replied Brian
Mr SimplyWon’t sat down in the yellow sand.
“Yes it is isn’t it ?”
looking down Brian saw he was wearing his favourite swimming shorts .
He looked at Mr Justabout then at Mr SimplyWon’t.
He was being silly.
He could swim, he wanted to swim, so he should.
He decided there and then that he would be more like Mr Justabout and not become a SimplyWon’t.
Brian raced down the beach leaving Simply Won’t behind , he ran until the water reached above his knees then dived forward for all he was worth.
He was warm and laughing when he plunged out from under the surface and back into his bed, his blankets wrapped tightly around him.
Brian climbed out of bed and walked over to the poster.
The train was back in the tunnel just as it had been.
Then he noticed something different, sat in the first carriage was a very very tall man looking out of the window.
Then in the drivers cabin, just poking out Brian saw a nose.
A nose so long it had started to curl up at the end.