The Secrets of "I Don't Know Mountain"

by Marilyn Fabricatore

Harry Hammer, Sylvia Scissors and little Larry Lightbulb lived together in the small red and white Tool Box at the edge of Hardware Corners. (All the tools you misplace, come here to live, so it is a lively place.)

"Work! Work! Work! Complained Harry Hammer one morning. "I’m always fixing something around this house." As he pounded the last few nails into the shutter, little Larry Lightbulb looked up from the bushes.

"Work! Work! Work!" Echoed little Larry, holding his clippers. "All I do is clip and trim. Clip and trim." He stopped and looked at Harry for sympathy.

Inside the neat house, Sylvia Scissors admired her new curtains. "We have the nicest house in town," she thought, "but the boys HAVE been working hard."

"How about a picnic?" Sylvia called to her friends from the window.

"Great idea!" said little Larry Lightbulb. His face lit up with pleasure.

"I will make the sandwiches," offered Harry. "Everybody loves peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches." So he made half a dozen and put them in the picnic basket.

Sylvia packed three bottles of witches’ brew. (Really their homemade root beer over which they had chanted a silly little rhyme..)

"Here’s our shade tree," puffed little Larry. He dragged out a purple polka-dotted stick.

"That’s our picnic umbrella," laughed strong Harry. "Here, let me carry that."

Sylvia Scissors handed little Larry Lightbulb six moonbeam cookies. (you know the kind with the little silver balls around them.) "Don’t drop them," she warned. "They break easily."

Then the three happy friends headed up the path and into the woods on "I Don’t Know" Mountain.

All of a sudden--- Kerplop! They fell through a mossy hole in the ground. With a soft thump, they landed, picnic basket and all.

"Where are we?" cried little Larry.

"I don’t know," answered Sylvia.

"There’s a sign," said Harry, and pointed to a keyhole shaped door. The sign above it said, "BEWARE! MEANIE LAND."

"What now?" asked little Larry. His heart kerboomed.

"I don’t know," answered Sylvia. Her heart flip-a-thumped.

"Don’t be afraid," said Harry stoutly. But even his heart went boom-diddy diddle. "Come on," said Harry. "Just stick together." They pushed opened the door and stepped in.

"What are you doing in MY land?" cracked a raspy voice.

Sylvia shivered, Larry ducked behind her, but Harry stood firm. "Who are you?" he demanded.

"I am Water Witch, Queen of Meanie Land. Give me your lunch or I will squirt you and turn you into Meanies!"

"Never!" shouted Harry. Grabbing the yellow polka-dotted umbrella, he pushed it open and called to his friends. "Run! Run! He yelled. They all raced ahead under the umbrella. As Water Witch tried to squirt them the drops just rolled off the protecting umbrella.

"Quick! This way," called Harry. As they rounded a corner, they stopped short at another door.

"Where are we now?" cried little Larry, still clutching his cookies.

"I don’t know," answered Sylvia, still hanging on to the picnic basket.

"There’s a sign," said Harry, pointing to an eggbeater shaped door. The sign over it said, "BEWARE! GRABBY LAND."

"What now?" asked little Larry. His heart kerboomed.

"I don’t know," replied Sylvia. Her heart flip – a – thumped.

"Don’t be afraid," said Harry bravely. But even his heart went boom-diddy diddle. "Come on," said Harry, quickly folding the umbrella. He pressed the Eggbeater door handle and the three passed through the revolving door just as Water Witch came around the corner.

"Drat! Drat!" She fumed, and then puffed away.

"What are you doing in my land?" rumbled a deep voice.

Sylvia shivered, Larry ducked behind her, but Harry stood firm. "Who are you?" Harry demanded.

"I am Hexapus, King of Grabby Land! Give me your umbrella or I will grab you and eat you all up!"

"Never!" shouted Sylvia. As Hexapus tried to grab them, Sylvia threw their six sticky peanut butter and jellyfish sandwiches at him and he got one stuck in each hand. What a mess!

"Quick! This way!" Harry called to little Larry and Sylvia and they ran from the grabby, sloppy Hexapus. They ran until they were almost out of breath.

"Where are we now?" cried little Larry, still grasping his cookies.

"I don’t know," answered Sylvia, hanging on to the picnic basket.

"There’s a sign," said Harry. Pointing to a lamp shaped door. The sign over it said, "BEWARE! DARK LAND."

"What now?" asked little Larry. His heart kerboomed.

"I don’t know," gasped Sylvia. Her heart flip- a- thumped.

"Don’t be afraid," said Harry firmly. But even his heart went boom- diddy diddle. "Come on," said Harry. "Just stick together." With a pull on the lamp switch, the door swung open and into a dark, black room went the three friends.

"What are you doing in MY land?" droned a dreary voice.

Sylvia shivered, Larry ducked behind her, but Harry stood firm. "Who are you? He demanded.

"I am Gloom, King of Dark Land. "Give me all you have or I will eat you up."

"Never!" shouted little Larry Lightbulb, as bravely as he could. With a stout heart he began to glimmer. Holding up his moonbeam cookies, they began to sparkle in the dim light.

"No! No!" cried Gloom. "Stop the light. I can’t stand light!" And Gloom melted back out of sight.

"Quick! This way!" called Harry to little Larry and Sylvia. They ran by the light of the moonbeam cookies until they were all out of breath.

"Where are we now?" cried little Larry, holding up his moonbeam cookies.

"I don’t know," replied Sylvia, still clutching the picnic basket.

"There’s a sign," said Harry, pointing to a question marked door. The sign over it said. "GUESS WHAT?"

"What now?" asked little Larry. His heart kerboomed again.

"I don’t know," answered Sylvia. Her heart flip-a-thumped again.

"Don’t be afraid." Said Harry bravely. But even his heart went boom-diddy diddle again. "Come on." Said Harry. "Just stay together." And they all gave the question marked door a big shove. And guess what? It didn’t open.

"Don’t give up," exclaimed Harry. And they all gave the door a very hard push. And guess what? Surprise! Surprise! The door swung open to a flower covered path leading to their village. The three friends ran down the path, back to their own little house, almost out of breath again.

"From now on," said a happy Sylvia Scissors, "we will always enjoy a picnic in our own back yard."

"Right!" said a relieved little Larry Lightbulb.

"Absolutely!" agreed a content Harry Hammer.

THE END

© Marilyn Fabricatore 2003