Giggle's Holiday Book

by BobA. Troutt

  *****

  Giggle’s Holiday Book

  Rattles

  “Hooray,” yelled Spookie, the ghost. “Halloween is almost here.”

  “I can’t wait,” cried Spookie’s ghostly friend Boo, “to do tricks and eat treats.”

  “Me, too!” replied Boo, Jr., the smallest ghost, as he flew around Spookie and Boo. “It’s going to be the best Halloween ever.”

  “Booooo, Booooo, Booooo,” they all cried.

  Suddenly Howie, the weirdwolf, walked up. “What’s howling?” he asked as he ran a comb through his hair.

  “What’s spooking?” questioned Spookie.

  “What it is?” said Boo.

  “Halloween is almost here!” cried Boo, Jr. “There will be tricks and treats for all.”

  “That’s right!” howled Howie. “It will be a lot of fun.” He howled again as the three ghosts went “Booooo.”

  “Howie, where are you going in such a hurry?” asked Spookie.

  “I’m on my way to see Witchie about getting some of her brew for my howl,” he replied. “It’s been a little dry and cracked lately. I want to see if she can help me.” Then he howled once more. “I have to get it ready for Halloween night.”

  Quickly, Boo spoke up, “Let’s go with him and see if Witchie has any new tricks we can do on Halloween night.”

  “That’s right!” replied Boo, Jr. “She always has new tricks and gadgets to try.”

  “Come on,” yelled Howie. “Let’s go.”

  They took off down the road, and it wasn’t long before they came up on Rattles, the skeleton, sitting beside the road. He looked sad and blue.

  “What’s wrong, Rattles?” asked Spookie. “Why are you down and out?”

  Rattles sat with his head down. Suddenly, Boo spoke up, “Halloween is a few days away, Rattles. You should be happy, jolly, laughing, and rattling those old bones.”

  “I know you’re right, Boo!” cried Rattles. “But I can’t.”

  “What’s the matter?” asked Boo, Jr.

  “I’m not myself,” he cried.

  “You are not yourself,” replied Howie. “You’re always the life of the party and a real jokester.”

  “Not anymore, Howie,” he mumbled. “I don’t feel good.” As Rattles began to cry, his bones shook and rattled.

  “Don’t cry,” replied Boo, Jr. “You’ll get to feeling better. Halloween will soon be here.”

  “I’m afraid not Boo, Jr.” he cried. “I’m not going to celebrate Halloween this year.”

  “NOT CELEBRATE HALLOWEEN!” they screamed.

  “Rattles needs help,” yelled Spookie. “Something is wrong with him.”

  “What are we going to do?” asked Boo.

  “I don’t know,” replied Spookie. “We have to help him. I now you’re down, Rattles, but you must keep your chin up. Why, look around you at those who love you. Isn’t that worth turning the ends of your mouth up for?”

  “Do you think Witchie can help him?” asked Howie.

  “I don’t know,” replied Spookie. “We can try.”

  “Spookie, do you think Witchie can help me?” asked Rattles shaking and rattling all over.

  “Sure she can,” answered Boo, Jr. “She can fix anything. Come with us.”

  They took off down the road. Not far away, they came to a little cottage beside a brook.

  “Do you think she’s home?” asked Howie.

  “I don’t know,” replied Spookie. “But I see her broom hanging beside the door.”

  “She’s at home,” said Rattles, “she never leaves without her broom.”

  As they stepped upon the porch it snapped and popped. Knock, knock, knock, rapped Howie’s hand upon the door. All was quiet; even the wind had stopped blowing. Knock, knock, knock went the hand again. The door slowly opened. Howie and Rattles peeped in to see Witchie standing over a big black kettle. She was laughing and talking to herself when—Poof! In walked Boo, Jr. through the door.

  “What’s up, Witchie?” he shouted as she quickly turned around.

  “Ayieee!” screamed Witchie. “A Ghost!” Rattles shook, Howie howled, Spookie and Boo flew across the room. They all began to laugh…..

  EXCEPT RATTLES.

  “What’s going on?” asked Witchie. “Getting ready for Halloween…Hahaha!” she laughed.

  “Yep, we can’t wait,” cried Boo, Jr. Booooo went the ghost, rattle went the skeleton, and howl went the wolf.

  Suddenly, Witchie stopped laughing and closed one eye and rubbed her chin.

  “Howie,” she asked. “Do I hear some dryness and a crack in your voice?”

  “Yes, ma’am, you do,” he replied. “It’s been that way for weeks.”

  As Witchie turned toward her she declared, “We have to fix that voice. Halloween is almost here.” Witchie then mumbled to herself, Wings of bat, eye of lizard, toad stool powder. “Let’s see,” she said, “here it is! Wet dew drops and willow bark syrup. Howie try this for a few days. This should fix you right up.”

  “Thanks!” replied Howie. “Thanks a lot!”

  “Do you have any new tricks or gadgets for Halloween?” asked Boo, Jr.

  “Sure I do,” she laughed as she reached behind a chair.

  “WOW! thanks,” cried Boo, Jr. “Witchie you are the greatest!”

  Spookie spoke up. “What about Rattles, Witchie?” he questioned. “He’s all sad and blue. He’s not going to celebrate Halloween.”

  Witchie turned to him and slowly walked around the room. “Is this true, Rattles?” she asked. “Have you lost your joy and humor?”

  “Yes, Witchie, I believe I have,” he replied.

  “Let me look at you a minute,” she said getting out a giant magnifying glass. Rattles tried to stand up, but he couldn’t for crying and shaking. Witchie looked at him. She checked this and that. Suddenly, she jumped back. “Huh!” she said as she looked again. She jumped back again, only this time with her hands on her hips. “Yep! Just as I suspected.”

  Everyone got quiet. There was no boo, no ayieee, nor even a howl, only the rattling of Rattles’ bones.

  “What is it?” asked Rattles.

  “Will he be all right?” whispered Boo, Jr.

  “I don’t know,” replied Witchie.

  “What’s wrong with him?” asked Spookie.

  Witchie, laying her magnifying glass down, nodded her head and said, “Rattles has lost his funny bone!”

  “Lost his funny bone?” they yelled. “But how and where?”

  “I don’t know,” replied Witchie. “If he doesn’t find it, he’ll never laugh again.”

  “Never laugh again!” yelled Boo, Jr.

  “Yeah,” replied Witchie. “Never again, not even a smile.”

  “We have to help him,” cried Boo. “But what can we do?”

  “You have to find his funny bone,” exclaimed Witchie.

  “Where could it be?” asked Howie. “Where do we start?”

  Spookie turned to Rattles and said, “Rattles, we are going to have to back track every place you have been and search for your funny bone. Where do we start?”

  “Follow me,” yelled Rattles.

  They searched everywhere.

  “Are these the only places you have been?” asked Howie.

  “I think so,” answered Rattles.

  “Think Rattles,” cried Spookie. “Is there anywhere else that we might look?”

  “Yes there is, Spookie,” he remembered. “I almost forgot. I was at the pumpkin patch looking at pumpkins when I fell.”

  “That’s it,” yelled Spookie as they hurried off to the pumpkin patch.

  When they neared the patch, the sky was dark and gray. The wind blew through the trees, shaking the limbs. Across the field lay hundreds of yellow and orange pumpkins of all shapes and sizes.

  “Come on!” yelled Spookie. “Spread out and search the field.”

  “I beg your pardon,�
� a deep voice spoke from behind a broken fence.

  “Who said that?” asked Boo.

  “Over here!” yelled Boo, Jr. “It’s Jolly and Happy, the pumpkins.”

  “What are you up to?” asked Jolly.

  “We are looking for Rattles’ funny bone,” replied Spookie. “We believe he lost it in the pumpkin patch.”

  “Lost his funny bone,” laughed Happy. “I’ve never heard of such a thing.”

  Jolly and Happy laughed so hard that they rolled over on their side.

  “Sure,” giggled Jolly. “I have never heard such. Search all you want.”

  The gang began to spread out across the patch to search. But, they found nothing.

  “It’s got to be here,” yelled Spookie. “It has to be.”

  Rattles went over and sat down on a pumpkin, feeling sorry for himself. “I’ll never be happy again,” he cried. “I’m going to be sad the rest of my life.”

  “We can’t give up,” shouted Boo, Jr.

  Howie waked over to give him a hug and a pat on the back. Suddenly, Howie looked down behind Rattles. One of Rattles’ ribs had a little hump on it. Quickly Howie looked closer, he motioned for the others to come and see.

  “Here it is!” cried Spookie.

  “We found it!” shouted Boo.

  Rattles became so excited he raised up so quick that his funny bone, which had been lodged behind his rib, broke loose.

  A big smile crossed Rattles’ face as Howie spoke up. “It must have gotten lodged behind your rib when you fell.”

  “I have learned a very important lesson,” replied Rattles. “It takes a lot more effort to frown than to smile.”

  “Hooray!” they all shouted as they danced around the pumpkin patch, laughing and screaming.

  Rattles paused for a moment and said, “A good laugh can make all the difference in the world.”

  His friends looked at one another and yelled out, “We know!”

  Rattles’ face quickly turned red as he blushed.

  “It goes to show you, Rattles,” said Boo, “behind every cloud there is a silver lining.”

  “And behind every rib cage is a funny bone,” laughed Rattles. “It takes good friends to help you find it.”

  High in the evening sky, you could see the faint shadow of Witchie flying by laughing, “Hahahahahahahaha!”