Writing for Fun
December 2018
Alibi - Bob Wendelkin
Scarlett thought how can she go and see her friend Hippo when her Mum had told her she must do her homework? She thought she needed an alibi to explain why she hadn’t done it. I know, she thought, I’ll tell her that there was a very good programme on TV, I’ll tell her that. No, that won’t work, Mum’s too clever to fall for that one. I’ll tell her a story how I went on a trip with Hippo, she won’t believe it but she might like my alibi.
As she walked through the swing doors the world began to change to the magical world of make believe. There to greet Scarlett was her old friend Hippo and her rocking horse Robin, who in life was Pegasus the winged horse.
‘Greetings Mistress,’ said Hippo, ‘Where would you like to go today?’
‘Mummy told me about Leprechauns keeping their gold at the end of a rainbow. Could you take me to see a Leprechaun?’ asked Scarlett.
‘Of course but Leprechauns are not nice people. If you want to see one I think you should dress as a Leprechaun and find one in Ireland,’ replied Hippo.
Both climbed onto Robin’s back and he changed into Pegasus.
‘Find the Leprechaun,’ cried Scarlett
The room changed and the walls disappeared and Robin with his precious cargo flew off towards Ireland.
They circled down to a small cottage. There sat a farmer with his head in his hands.
‘Oh! what am I to do, dat Leprechaun has bewitched me farm and all me animals,’ cried Farmer O’Rafferty’
Then he saw Scarlett and her companions looking at him.
‘Oh no! I’m totally bewitched, what have I done to deserve this. Not only am I being plagued by Leprechauns but I now have a little girl dressed as a Leprechaun, Oh whatever am I to do?’ cried O’Rafferty.
‘You seem very upset,’ asked Scarlett.
‘Upset! You would be upset if your farm was bewitched and you were being asked questions by a little girl wid an English accent and dressed as a Leprechaun,’ replied the farmer.
‘Tell me I may be able to help,’ said Scarlett kindly.
‘Well now,’ said the farmer, ‘Last night in der village we had a grand old time. But we didn’t pay the local Leprechaun some gold for his crock, now he’s punishing us.’
‘How?’
‘How! Are you blind girl, can’t you see that everyt’ing on the farm is running backwards?’
‘Just look at me poor old sheep on the hill.’
Scarlett looked and saw that the sheep were indeed walking and running backwards. It did look funny and Scarlett started to laugh.
‘It’s not funny! I tried to give me dog a bone, and as soon as he tried to run to me to get his bone he ran backwards through the open door across the farmyard and would have gone across the field backwards if he hadn’t finished in the corner of the barn. I followed and gave him the bone, the look of confusion on that dog’s face,’ retorted O’Rafferty.
The dog had already told Scarlett that he was so frightened and that the sheep are confused by walking backwards but then he said sheep are always a little confused, even at the best of times.
Scarlett turn to the farmer. ‘Why aren’t you walking backwards?’
‘Damn it! To walk forwards I have to think of walking backwards, then I can walk forwards if you see what I mean,’ he replied.
‘Why don’t you rid yourself of this Leprechaun?’ asked Scarlett.
‘We would, but we need someone with extra special powers to do it,’ replied O’Rafferty.
‘We’ll do it,’ said Scarlett
‘How are you going to do that?’ asked the Farmer.
‘That is a secret, but we need a Leprechaun’s rainbow,’ replied Scarlett darkly.
To Hippo Scarlett said, ‘I think that we need a suitable place to put this Leprechaun, because although we want him out of the way we don’t want to hurt him.’
A plan was forming in Scarlett’s mind of how she was going to remove the Leprechaun.
Suddenly with an almighty clap of thunder it started to rain and a Leprechaun rainbow formed.
‘Off we go to that end of the rainbow,’ cried Scarlett.
They took off and flew in the direction indicated by Scarlett. Soon they were flying over water to a small Island.
Scarlett said, ‘This is an ideal place, being an island he will have to stay here as Leprechauns can’t swim.’
They circled the island and saw a few deserted houses.
‘Take us to those old deserted houses,’ said Scarlett.
They landed by the houses.
‘Hippo, do some of your magic, I want you to make it appear that these houses are occupied. I want lighted windows, smoking chimneys etc. I want the hamlet to look very prosperous.’
Hippo cast his spell over the hamlet and soon it looked like a very grand place to live.
‘That’s good Hippo. Now take me to that wooded area where Leprechauns like to live,’ said Scarlett.
Soon they were in the woods looking for a place to create a new home for a Leprechaun. Quickly they found an ideal spot.
‘This is the place. Hippo I want you to create a home and six empty crocks to hold gold, for that Leprechaun,’ instructed Scarlett.
‘Now we must go to the other end of the rainbow and find our Leprechaun,’ said Scarlett.
They flew off in the direction of the rainbow’s end where they knew that the Leprechaun lived with his gold.
‘Hippo I want you to remain invisible to him,’ whispered Scarlett.
‘Go carefully as these Leprechauns can be tricky,’ warned Hippo.
They crept up to where the Leprechaun was counting his gold and singing about how the animals were all walking backwards.
Scarlett walked boldly up to the Leprechaun and said, ‘Hello, I’m from the Ministry of Leprechaun Affairs, Housing department. I have come to inspect your house.’
‘Never heard of you!’ replied the Leprechaun.
‘Never heard of us, you must have received our letter telling that we were going to inspect your house. I’m afraid if you don’t co-operate you could lose all your Leprechaun rights,’ replied Scarlett.
Scarlett looked around where the Leprechaun lived, every so often she would shake her head and tut tut.
Then she said to the Leprechaun, ‘I’m afraid this house is not good enough for a Leprechaun of your standing, you will be rehoused in a more suitable location.’
‘I don’t want to leave here,’ replied the Leprechaun.
‘Nonsense, you need to be rehoused’ said Scarlett very firmly. With that she produced a clipboard out of thin air; actually Hippo handed it to her.
The Leprechaun was impressed with Scarlett’s magic and he knew that she must have more power than him. He conceded and said to her, ‘Before I agree to go from here I want you to show me the new place.’
‘Of course, leave all your bits here you will not need them,’ said Scarlett.
They mounted Robin and Scarlett told the horse to go to the island that they had prepared for the Leprechaun.
Robin took them over the houses to show the Leprechaun that they were prosperous cottages. The Leprechaun thought that they must belong to very rich humans and they will soon fill many crocks with gold.
They landed in the woods where they had prepared the Leprechaun’s new home. The Leprechaun liked what he saw especially the six crocks made for the gold.
‘I might be persuaded to take it,’ said the Leprechaun.
‘However there is some paperwork to do,’ said Scarlett.
Scarlett produced a form for the leprechaun to sign.
‘Now, Mr Patrick O’Donovan if you would sign here,’ said Scarlett.
‘I’m not Patrick O’Donovan, I’m Sean O’Donovan.’
‘Oh dear! I’m sorry Mr O’Donovan you can’t have this place it’s for a Grade 2 leprechaun and you are only a Grade 4, this place is too grand for you,.’ said Scarlett pretending to feel sorry for the leprechaun.
‘I want this place, you brought me here, you must sort it out, but whatever happens I’m not leaving,’ said the Leprechaun.
‘We must go back to your old home to pick up your things,’ said Scarlett in a crafty manner.
The Leprechaun suspected a trick, refused to go back suspecting that if he went back Scarlett would not let him return because he is only a Grade 4 Leprechaun.
Scarlett seeming to concede to the Leprechaun’s demands said, ‘I have some discretionary powers, I’ll arrange for you to stay. You will have to sign this form saying you agree to stay here and that you revoke all claims to your former home, its goods and remove any spells that you have placed upon the local humans.’
Willingly,’ said the leprechaun, sensing he had won.
‘Very well we must leave now, enjoy your new home, if you can,’ said Scarlett.
It was that ‘If you can’ that sowed doubts in the leprechaun’s mind that he may have been tricked.
Scarlett climbed upon the horse’s back and told him to go back the Leprechaun’s old home.
‘You have a crafty way of dealing with people,’ said Hippo.
Scarlett smiled, ‘All I did was to show that greedy Leprechaun something that he couldn’t resist, then I threatened to take it away, I knew that he would demand to stay.’
Soon they were at the leprechaun’s old home. Scarlett went into the house and found his crock of gold.
‘Now off to Mr O’Rafferty,’ said Scarlett.
From the air they could see that the spell had been lifted and the animals were now walking properly.
‘Ah! Mr O’Rafferty I have brought you the Leprechaun’s gold. Will you return it to the village people? I don’t think you will be troubled by him any more, he’s marooned on an island.’
‘Now I must go home for my tea,’ said Scarlett.
They climbed on to the horse’s back and Scarlett told him to take them home. Soon they were circling down to the Magic room.
Scarlett climbed off Robin’s back, she gave Hippo and Robin a big hug and said her farewells.
As she walked through the swing doors the magical world faded into the real world.
Now to see if Mummy believes my alibi.