Thursday, 19 June 2008
I found an interesting story book in my shelf. it looks quite old. it is called "Time and Again Stories" by Donald Bisset. the first story is called the river of words.
Once upon a time there was a river which was made of words. it flowed down to the sea and the sea was made of story books.
As the river flowed along, the words and the letters tumbled over each other and buffeted the rocks just like upon ordinary rivers.
"I know," said the river. "Let's write a story! Once apon a time...."
"Hooray!" shouted all the other words. "That's the way to begin a story. Now what comes next?"
This is the story that the river told them.
Once upon a time there was a river made of words and it was going down to the sea and all the words were going into story books, when suddenly a little otter swam across the river and the words got into the wrong order so that instead of writing "Once upon a time" it wrote "on a Once up time" and it got in a frightful muddle.
"Oh, you are a naughty otter," the river said to the otter whose name was Charlie. "Now you've spoilt our story."
"I'm terribly sorry!" said Charlie. "Perhaps if I swim back again it'll put thins right."
He swam back and then clambered on the bank and looked at the words, "time upon a Once," he read. "Surely that's not right!"
However the river swirled about a bit and soon got it right. "Once upon a tim, "he read, "there was an otter whose name was Charlie."
"Why that's me! My name's Charlie. It's a story about me!" He got so excited and jumped up and down and then slipped and fell in the river and jumbled up the words again. Oh, the river was annoyed!
The otter got out as quickly as he could and looked at the words:" otter was Charlie time upon a Once." Worse and worse!
"what do you expect? said the river." Every time we start you fall in and get it all jumbled. Now we've got to start all over again."
to be continued....
19:04