Once
upon a time there was a place called Gingerbread Town. People lived
there a long, long time ago before things were as they are now. It
was a time when it only snowed on the mountains and it only rained on
the oceans and the fields were watered by brooks and streams and
there weren’t any storms and there wasn’t any sickness and nearly
everyone had fun doing the things that made them happy.
That
was especially true in Gingerbread Town. When visitors came, they
always mentioned to each other how sweet the town was. They said,
“This is a really sweet town.” The people who lived there loved
it, especially the children. They ate whatever they wanted and played
with the toys their parents gave them.
Jared,
R.J., and Michael were children who lived in Gingerbread Town. They
were friends who loved their toys and we know just how much boys love
their favorite toys. They took really good care of them because they
wanted them to last for a long time. Some of their toys had belonged
to older brothers and sisters, why some even belonged to their own
parents kept since they were children themselves. All those children
really loved toys.
There
were many other boys and girls in the town for them to play with.
They had playgrounds made of pretzels and candy and giant
marshmallows to jump on. There were rows of these marshmallows from
their houses all the way to school so they could spring and jump to
school instead of walking.
One
day a man with a very tall hat came to town. His name was Mr.
Twister. He wore a black frock coat and he seemed very mean. The
children never saw anyone who looked so unhappy! He certainly wasn’t
happy when he came into Gingerbread Town and he frowned at the
beautiful Lemon Drop Clock in the Gingerbread Tower.
He
carried a bent metal stick and when he pointed it at the children,
the earth shook and strange light and dark gray puffs called clouds
covered the sun and filled the sky. All the people came out of their
houses to see what was shaking the peacefulness of Gingerbread Town
and all the children stopped playing by the chocolate stream in
Jellybean Park.
Mr.
Twister told the people there was too much fun in Gingerbread Town.
He told the children they had to bring him their toys, all their
toys.
The
parents exclaimed, “No, Mr. Twister, not the toys. They love them
so!”
“Yes,
all of them,” he demanded, “or I will make it RAIN! Rain, do you
know what that
means?
Water will pour from the sky and this village will melt.
The
people in Gingerbread Town had never seen it rain. They lived in
gingerbread houses and had gingerbread stores. The roofs were made of
cookies and were covered with sugar icing. All the streets were paved
with licorice.
“Why
pouring water from the sky would ruin us!” the grown-ups said.
People went back to their homes and the children grew very afraid.
What would become of their town if it rained.
One
mother stayed behind and asked Mr. Twister what he would do with the
toys, but he wouldn’t say. He just raised his stick and the
rumbling began.
Jared
and R.J. bounced on the marshmallows to the school where older
children were learning what older children needed to learn.
“Help!”
they cried, “Help! Help!” A man in a big black hat and coat wants
to take our toys or he will melt the town. What can we do? “Help!
Help! What can we do?”
The
students came out with their teachers and soon their parents came
along to tell them what had happened. They quit having fun. Their
parents would have to give away all their toys. They apologized to
the children. The students went back to class but now they were very
unhappy.
Michael
stayed at home. He was the youngest boy at the playground. He had
seen Mr. Twister scare everyone. When they came in from outside, his
mother closed the door and put her finger to her mouth,
“Shhh...”
she said, “I have a plan.”
Michael
loved his Mom, but he didn’t know she could do magic. He was about
to learn about her special skills. She went to the bedroom and took a
multicolored scarf from a secret box made of rock candy and hard
strawberry taffy.
“This
scarf can make some things disappear,” she told Michael. It can’t
make them go away, it just makes them invisible. I know it would be
nice to cover that mean man with the scarf and make him go away, but
it doesn’t work that way.”
“Go
tell your friends, Jared and R.J. and the others to tell all the
children to get their very favorite toys and bring them to our house.
Have them come through the back door so that Mr. Twister won’t
see.”
Michael
followed the sugarplum path to the giant marshmallows that led to the
school. He told the children his mother’s plan. The teachers
decided it was time for the students to go home.
Jared
and R.J. went to Michael’s house. His mother asked them to try to
talk to the man. They went out to the street and began talking to Mr.
Twister. “Why aren’t you happy in Gingerbread Town?” they asked
him.
“I’m
not happy anywhere. I don’t want anyone else to be happy either.
“Show
me your crooked silver stick” R.J. said to the big black-coated
man. “Show me how it works.”
“It’s
working now,” he screamed and the sky became as dark as the man’s
strange coat.
“Are
you sure they will be safe here?” the children asked Michael's mother.
She
assured them that they would and she helped them bring the toys
through to her bedroom. Soon every child in town had brought her
their toys, the ones they felt so close to, the ones they couldn’t
bear to be without.
“Mom,”
Michael asked her when they were stacked in the bedroom, “how can
the scarf work when there are so many toys? It can’t cover them
all.”
His
mother winked at him. “Oh, yes it can! It’s a magical scarf.”
She
closed her eyes and began to sing of birds and sunshine and flowers
in bloom. In a minute the scarf had begun to dance across the toys
and as each was touched it faded from sight. She continued to sing of
candy and streams and kittens and happy boys and girls. When Michael
looked around the room, not a toy could be seen.
“Where
have they gone?” he asked.
“They’re
still here,” his mother told him. “They’re just out of sight
until we need them again. Go tell Jared and R.J. that it’s time all
the children brought the remaining toys to Mr. Twister.”
Soon
they had gathered the toys to bring to Mr. Twister. They came back to
the town center and laid them at his feet. The sky was falling. Water
and sugar and bits of the roofs were dripping by the time the last
ragged little doll was placed in front of the tall dark stranger.
“What!”
thundered Mr. Twister. “Is this all of the toys? This isn’t
enough. This town is known for having the best and the most toys, and
I want them now! I will have to search your homes.”
He
headed for Michael’s house. Michael became afraid.
It
began to rain harder. Jared and R.J. had thought they were very
brave. They wanted to save Gingerbread Town. They had given all their
unnecessary toys to the man who was making it rain, but now he wanted
more.
R.J.
cried out, “You go ahead, Mr. Twister, but they are all here.”
The
whole town was in the square. They all nodded their heads. No one
said anything as Mr. Twister walked up to the door.
Michael
looked at his mom. He whispered, “Will he see them?”
“No
he wont.” She reassured him.
He
was still worried. Michael thought and thought about how unhappy Mr.
Twister was. He tried to think what made him happiest and he
remembered his good luck charm. A crystal prism that dazzled him
everyday and which delighted everyone who saw it.
“Mr.
Twister, Mr. Twister, come with me,” he shouted to the scowling
man. “I have something to give you.”
“What
is it?” He turned and frowned at the little boy.
Michael
took him to his room. He got it from his chest and ran back outside
onto the sticky licorice street. Mr. Twister followed him outdoors.
Then, in sight of everyone, Michael reached up and gave the man a brilliant cut crystal.
“What
is this? What can I do with this?” Mr. Twister held up the
beautiful prism.
“When
you hold it in the sunlight, it makes colors dance all over the
world.” Michael told him.
“I
don’t see any colors,” he said.
All
of Gingerbread Town was quiet except for the drops falling to the
ground. Everyone was so sad.
“You
see, it needs sunshine.” Michael explained. The rain has to stop
before it will work. It’s my favorite thing and you may have it.”
“Hmm.
I can stop the rain, but it better do what you say,” Mr. Twister
said. He laid down the stick and shortly the clouds left and the sun
began to shine again.
Mr.
Twister held the crystal to the light and colors danced along the
lanes and across the houses. “
“What
a wonderful toy!” he cried and for the first time he smiled a big
sunny smile. “This is better than all the rest. I will take this
piece of sunshine with me and give you back your toys and your
Gingerbread Town.”
The
people watched as the sun dried out their houses and hardened the
licorice streets. They waved goodbye to the man who had wanted to
take all their toys away. But now he had left with only the crystal
and the toys were still there.
Over
the next few hours the children came to Michael’s house to retrieve
their favorites now visible in the room where they had disappeared.
“It’s
good to have our town back, Mom”. Michael said.
“Yes
it is and thank you,” she said hugging him.
Michael
went out to play with all the other children. It was good to be with
his friends in Gingerbread Town.
(c) Gay Reiser Cannon * All Rights Reserved
