Every Thursday without fail, well every Thursday since
school finished that is, the Lansdale Monster Hunters meet in Stuart’s tree
house for soda, candies and a monster meeting.
The gang have noticed that there has been a severe
increase in monster activity within their area in the last few weeks. They are
troubled that if they don’t do something soon, the whole problem will get out
of hand. If the monsters take over, who’s to say that the gang won’t be able to
control them.
“I hereby call this meeting to order.” Says Jane, who
watches lots of movies about courts and court cases, too many according to her
mom but then what does her mom know?
The meeting is duly brought to order and Jane introduces
Mia as that evening’s monster hunter. Each week they take it in turns to report
stories, footprints or if they are real lucky, photos of monsters that have
caught their attention.
“Hi, my name is Mia.”
“Hi, Mia” say the whole gang. It is part of the meeting
for everyone to greet that week’s monster hunter.
“You all know, Mrs Coutts” says, Mia.
“I don’t” said Melvin but that was because he stays in
his house most free days playing computer games, except on Thursdays when he
comes to the meeting.
“Everyone, apart from Melvin, knows Mrs Coutts. She
lives on North Broad Street. As we all know there have been a few sightings of
monsters in that area.”
Harry, the gang’s accountant, looks at a sheet and
reports that there have been three sightings in Mrs Coutts’ area since January.
“Thank you, Harry.”
“You’re welcome” says Harry who goes back to reading a
book about pirates.
Mia gives a very important cough before she starts
talking again. She noticed her uncle do that before he gave a speech at a
wedding. She coughs again just to make it seem doubly important.
“I believe that there is a monster hiding in Mrs Coutts’
shed.”
“Wooo!” Says the gang.
“Any idea which type of monster, Mia?” Asks, Hilary.
“I think it might be a first but I do believe that it is
a three-headed-Jumbalee.”
“Wooo!” Says the gang, again.
Harry looks up from his book.”That’s just crazy talk,
Mia. No one has ever seen a three-headed-Jumbalee, well no one except Andrew
and we all know he disappeared soon after.”
Actually Andrew moved with his family to Philadelphia
but that wasn’t as
exciting as being eaten by a three-headed-Jumbalee.
Mrs Coutts, whose shed the monster lived in, had heard
from a friend of a friend that the gang might go looking in her shed. Not being
one to want to disappoint anyone, she feels that if there wasn’t a three-headed-Jumbalee
living in her shed then she might just have to make one, just as a backup.
Mrs Coutts goes down to the library and looks on the
Internet and she can’t find anything about three-headed monsters. So she gets
out her crayons and pencils and decides to invent her own.
What would a monster have? Five eyes on each head, she
decides, so that it could see around corners, and maybe a nose at the front and
a nose at the back so it can smell if any enemy are approaching. It will have lots of hair in the winter and
none in the summer. It has seven ears on each head, some can hear music and
some can listen for dogs barking. You see the three-headed-Jumbalee is frightened
of dogs as they will bark at them. With so many ears, it is a bit painful to
listen to.
Mrs Coutts goes home and makes a three-headed-Jumbalee
from cloth and bits of plastic. It is so good that it almost scares Mr Coutts
who finds it sitting on their bed.
Mr Coutts hides the monster at the back of the shed and
then waits on the gang.
The gang pushes Mia in first to the shed as it is her
monster, when she hasn’t been eaten, she calls out for the rest of them to join
her. When all the gang are in the shed Mr Coutts does a very foolish thing, he
taps on the glass of the shed.
Well you have never seen so many kids run so fast out of
that shed and just for extra measure Mr Coutts roars like a Jumbalee would.
Mr Coutts laughs and laughs but Mrs Coutts says that the
kids will probably have nightmares and he’d better go around to each of their
houses and explain.
He tells all the parents what he has done and they think
it is funny too.
Parents can be strange.
bobby stevenson 2012
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