by Dan Mazur
WEIRD WILD STUFF:
SHORT STORIES FOR KIDS
Copyright 2016 Dan Mazur
Table of Contents:
The Creepy House on the Corner
Leave Me Alone!
Heart ‘O Gold
“Just a Girl”
Magic Land
Dina and the Dinos
THE CREEPY HOUSE ON THE CORNER
My friend Daphne and I had been playing outside all day. It was starting to get dark so we started heading home when a friendly black cat came up to us. He let Daphne pick him up as he started to purr. Suddenly he bolted from Daphne's arms and ran away. We decided to chase after him.
The cat, that we had named Pluto, ran towards the creepy house on the corner of our street. We were told to stay away from that house by our parents. People said that it was abandoned and haunted by ghosts. I wanted to find the cat and I was a little curious about what I'd find inside the house.
The front door was open so we quietly entered the house. The floor creaked beneath our feet. It looked as though nobody had lived here for years. The furniture was old and dusty and there were spider webs everywhere. As we looked for the cat, I felt like we were being followed. "Daphne?" I whispered, "Are you there?" When I turned around Daphne was gone.
Guess this house was just too spooky for her. I continued to look for Pluto when I spotted him under a table. "Here kitty" I said. While I tried to coax the reluctant cat from under the table, I felt like I was being watched. I slowly turned around only to be face-to-face with a ghost. "Get out of my house. Boooooooooo!"As he started to chase after me, the ghost tripped and fell over the table. Pluto jumped into my arms startled by the noise. The "ghost" started to moan and groan in pain. I could see a pair of legs and feet poking out from the bottom of the white sheet. That was no ghost, it was a person!
An elderly man emerged from the costume. "Are you okay?" I asked. "More embarrassed than hurt." Pluto jumped from my arms and started to nuzzle against the old man. "Is this your cat?" "No but he seems to like it here. He's the only one I'll let inside, until now." "I lived here with my sister Madeleine but she passed away a couple of year ago. I haven't left the house since."
I couldn't sleep that night as I kept thinking about that poor old man. I dare not tell my parents about going into the strange house. There had to be something I could do for him. He was so afraid to leave his house and seemed so very sad. He may have given up but I wasn't about to give up on him. Besides, if Pluto liked him so much, there had to be a good heart under all of that sadness.
Over the next couple of weeks, Daphne and I would visit the old man, Mr. Usher. We'd pick up groceries for him and help tidy up his house and yard. He was quiet at first but soon he began to feel comfortable around us. He and his sister were orphaned at a young age and for most of their lives, it was just the two of them. No wonder he was so sad and lonely after she passed away.
Daphne and I spent hours outside removing weeds and washing the windows. Soon other people from the neighbourhood started helping us. Some of them did repairs on the house while others mowed the lawn or painted. The house was totally refurnished with donated chairs, tables, and sofas. Mr. Usher was so moved that he bought pizzas for the entire neighbourhood.
After everybody left, Mr. Usher hugged Daphne and I. He had a huge smile on his face. In the few short weeks that we had known him, we never saw him smile. "Thank you girls. Thank you for everything. Come by and visit Pluto and I anytime you want." "So you're keeping him?" I asked. "This is his house now. We're ALL going to be so happy here!"
Mr. Usher said goodnight to Pluto and just before he blew out the candle he was holding, said goodnight to Madeleine’s ghost.
THE END
LEAVE ME ALONE!
"Henry, where do you think you're going?" "I'm going to be late for the bus. I'll do the dishes later." "No you'll do them now!" I ran out and just managed to catch the bus. My Mom has really been nagging me lately about doing my chores. I don't like washing dishes or taking out the garbage. I'd rather just read my comics.
I can't even sit in my seat on the bus and read without some loudmouth bothering me. "Whatcha reading' nerd?" one of the other kids asked. "Bat-Ben, issue #43." "Let me take a look." "No!" I yelled as he ripped it from my hands. "This is so silly" he said as tossing my comic book out the window. I was so angry but he was twice my size so I sat and stewed for the rest of the ride.
My day went from bad to worse when Mr. Bee returned our assignments. I got an F. I worked hard on that project and now he wanted to see me after class. I was a good student and I thought my short story was interesting. Mr. Bee thought one of my parents wrote it for me. "Take a deep breath Henry" I told myself. I wish people could just leave me alone sometimes.
During my lunch break all I wanted to do was sit outside, eat my sandwich, and read my comic books. But one of the school bullies threw a basketball at me almost breaking my glasses. Angered I threw the ball back hitting him in the head. He walked over to me looking for a fight but thankfully Mr. Bee broke it up. Why can't bullies like Donald just leave me alone?
I wasn't the best athlete. I was clumsy and preferred to read or write. I dreaded going to gym class. I'd often pretend to have a tummy ache and call my Mom to come get me. I couldn't do that today because she was probably still upset with me. I dropped a few fly balls and was teased by the other boys. "Leave me alone" I said getting angrier and angrier. "LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!!!"
When I opened my eyes, everything had gone dark and nobody was around. I figured the other boys must've turned the lights out on me. As I walked out of the locker room I noticed that the entire school was empty. I didn't even hear birds chirping or cars driving by. I wondered what was going on so I walked outside. It was completely silent. Where did everyone go?
I decided to go home. During my walk I noticed that there were no cars on the road nor was there anybody around. The only thing I heard was the pounding of my heart in my ears as I ran. When I got home the door was locked so I used the spare key. "Mom? Dad?" No reply. Just silence. Scared and hungry I ended up eating cookies for dinner. I read my comics before eventually falling asleep.
Being able to eat all the junk food I wanted should have been a dream come true. But it made me sick. I was starting to get lonely. Finally I had the peace and quiet that I had always wanted but I was bored. The silence was too much for me to handle. I needed some background noise or someone to talk to. I walked around town, past my school in search of someone, anyone to talk to.
For the first little while it was fun staying up late, eating whatever I wanted, and doing anything I felt like. I had the entire world to myself but I felt empty inside. Having quiet time to yourself is a wonderful thing. But too much of anything is never good. My Mom wanting me to do my chores, problems at school, the occasional run-in with a mean kid were all part of life.
As I walked toward the library I heard a voice say, "It's not fair, it’s not fair" over and over again. "What's not fair?" I asked. "Oh, never mind. Henry Bemis I presume?" "Yeah. How'd you know?" "I was just like you. I wanted to be left alone, away from people and the stress of everyday life. Didn't work out for me either."
"You have to be careful what you wish for." "I guess so. I want to go home and see my family and even go back to school. But I'm stuck here." "Not necessarily. Quick, hand me your glasses!" "Why?" "It's a long story." I handed him my glasses and everything went dark again.
"Good morning Mom! I washed the dishes and am putting away the last one. I'll take out the garbage after dinner." "Well someone's in a chatty mood this morning" "It just fee
ls good to be back." "Back? From where?" "Uh, never mind.........time for school!"
THE END
HEART ‘O GOLD
Every day on our way to school, my friend Dexter and I would see a couple of homeless men. They were dressed in ragged clothing and held out cups looking for spare change. I felt bad for them so sometimes I would give them my lunch. Once my parents found out, they told me to take a different route to school.
I told my parents how helpless I felt when I saw people who were struggling. "You have a good heart Bernie, but you have to be careful around 'those people.' There's really not much you can do for them." "But....." "You can't go around trying to save the world. Now go wash your hands. It’s time for dinner." I felt so empty inside as I let the water run in the sink upstairs and stared blankly in the mirror.
The next day, as Dex and I were walking to school, a big gust of wind sent my baseball cap flying. We both went running after it. The closer we got, the further away the wind would blow it. Finally I was able to grab the hat as it blew up against a big rock. Great! Now we were going to be late for school. Wait a minute, what's that in the bushes?
"Look at this Dex. It's some sort of map." "Maybe it's a treasure map that was hidden by pirates" he replied. "We're already late for school. Why don't we follow this map and see where it takes us." "I don't know. We could get into big trouble." Dex was such a worrier. "C'mon!" I prodded. "Okay. Let's go for it!" He never needed much convincing when it came to going on an adventure.
We followed the map for a while but ended up walking in circles. "Guess we should head off to school now. Looks like we'll be getting detention for sure" I said. "Wait, did you hear that?" Dex asked. "Look, something's moving over there. Let's chase after it." It could have been a wild animal as far as we knew but began running after it anyways.
We finally caught up to whatever we were chasing and were shocked by what we saw. "Look, it's the guy from the cereal box!" I shouted. "That's me Cousin Seamus. I'm Harrigan the Leprechaun. I suppose you want me pot 'o gold now?" "The chocolates?" Dex asked. "No! A pot of real gold coins. You lads are going to be rich. Follow me."
"There it is lads, me pot 'o gold. Well, it's all yours now. You can spend it any way you like. You can do whatever you want, go wherever you want, and buy whatever want. But will that buy you happiness? I guess that's up to you. Good luck lads." Dex and I had no idea what to spend our new-found fortune on first. But one thing was for sure, we were going to have the time of our lives.
The first thing we bought was a hot air balloon. It was amazing. We were so high up in the sky. Everybody looked like ants down below. We could even see our classmates outside for gym class. We floated up in the sky for a couple of hours. It was incredible being so close to the clouds. We could actually reach out and touch them.
We then headed out on the high seas. We had our very own luxury yacht. It was so cool to have the entire ocean to ourselves. This was so much better than sitting through another boring History class. The warm sun and cool breeze felt so good against my skin. I was really starting to enjoy being rich and having no responsibilities.
Dex and I felt like kids in a candy store, maybe that's because we were. We had all the candy a kid for ask for and then some. I think I may have eaten too much as my stomach started to hurt. Or maybe it was something else. I had everything I ever wanted yet I didn't feel good about it. I knew that I didn't deserve it.
I had my very own amusement park that I bought with Dex. We didn't have to wait in lines and had access to all the rides. That should've been enough to have made any kid happy. But not me. What was going on? This should've been a dream come true. I could have bought anything in the world. I never had to go to school or work a day in my young life. It's kind of hard to explain but I felt empty inside.
Something didn't feel right. Even Dexter was starting to sense that this wasn't what we wanted. We lied around in a big pile of gold because we thought that's what rich people do. But that got boring. Being rich was fun at first but we just wanted to be two normal kids. We decided to discuss our plan for the gold with Harrigan.
"Well I'm totally gob smacked lads" Harrigan said. "You're the first ones to ever return me gold. Are you sure about what you want me to do with it?" "Yes. 100% sure." "Alright then lads. So be it. I'll make your gold is well spent." It was almost a relief not to have all of that gold. We were too young and irresponsible to enjoy it. We really didn't need it but we knew some people who did.
A few days later “Dignity House” was built giving those in need a place to stay, a warm meal every day, and somewhere to rest their head at night.
THE END
“JUST A GIRL”
Tawnya was a bit of a tomboy. She preferred to play sports with the boys than hang out with the girls from school. Her favourite thing to do was to watch hockey on Saturday nights with her Dad. Often they would go outside and play catch. She threw a mean fastball.
As an only child, Tawnya liked to spend a lot of time alone. The fresh air and the quiet relaxed her. She liked to go for walks in the woods and visit her animal friends. She was a brave little girl as creepy spiders and slithering snakes didn't scare her one bit.
While she loved sports and hiking, Tawnya's absolute favourite thing in the world was comic books. She collected and read them every chance she got. She knew all of the characters and saw all of the movies. What made her a little sad was that most of her heroes were male.
Frustrated by the lack of female superheroes, Tawnya decided that she would create her own superhero. And SHE would be awesome! Tawnya spent hours writing and drawing her own comic books. She even sold some to the kids in her Grade 5 class at 10 cents a copy.
Not only did Tawnya read and write about superheroes, she wanted to be one. And would fight crime alongside her dog Gibby. And nobody would know their secret identities. "Terrific Tawnya and Power Pup to the Rescue!"
Tawnya started to get caught up in our own adventures when she heard a knock on the door. "Time for bed Tawnya. It's past your bedtime" her Dad said. "When we're superheroes we won't have a bedtime. Isn't that right boy?" Gibby just yawned, licked his paws, and fell asleep on the floor. He'd need some superhero practice Tawnya chuckled to herself.
At recess the next day, all of the kids were talking about some bad guys who robbed a bank the night before and that made them afraid. Their teacher, Mr. Berry, told the kids that there was nothing to worry about. He then went home for lunch and never came back.
"Crime in my city?" Tawnya thought to herself. No! Tonight, 'Terrific Tawnya' and 'Power Pup' would make their debut. Well, after dinner, homework, Gibby does his business and then her bath. But after that, look out bad guys!
That night, the bad guys struck again. The sound of police sirens blared throughout the city. Tawnya rushed through her spelling homework and started to head outside. "Where do you think you're going?" asked her Dad. "I, uh, um....." "Time for your bath young lady." "Awwwwwwww!"
Just as her Mom began to run the bath, she got distracted by the news. "Our city is in danger tonight. There are bad guys everywhere. Police are urging everyone to please remain inside." Her Mom and Dad sat there watching it all on T.V.
"Now's our chance Power Pup. We're going to be superheroes and save our city." The pair climbed out the bedroom window and fell into some bushes. Gibby started to whimper as if something was wrong. "What is it boy?" And then she turned around to see two of the meanest bad guys around. "Oh Oh Spaghetti-O's!"
"Look. They're backing off. They're afraid of us. They must've heard all about Terrific Tawnya and Power Pup". Gibby started to whimper again. This time when she turned around she was in for a big surprise. Standing behind was a real life superhero!
And just like that, the hero took care of the bad guys saving Tawnya and Gibby. "Thank you Mr. Superhero. We had things under control but we appreciate your help." The hero then turned to face the two. He had a giant suit made of steel. He slowly took off
his mask.
"You're right Terrific Tawnya. You and Power Pup helped to save the day. By way, it's Ms. Superhero. Girls can be superheroes too you know." Unable to speak, Tawnya just stood there in awe, her mouth wide open.
OMG! A female superhero and in her city of all places. Tawnya was in shock. "You two should probably go home now. I've got more work to do. I'm not "just a girl", I'm a superhero too! Still in shock, the only response came from Gibby who barked enthusiastically.
"Tawnya? Tawnya? There you are. We have been looking all over for you. Are you okay?" "No Dad. I'm awesome!" she replied with the biggest smile in the world. She had just met her new hero, someone just like her. The next morning, she woke up and took down all the posters on her wall. There was only room for one superhero now. And that's because girls rock!
THE END
MAGIC LAND
For centuries, a small village made up of elves, fairies, and a kindly old gnome has secretly existed without anyone knowing. It is a wonderful place where everyone feels like one big family. Magic Land is filled with happiness, charity, and love.
