On Lou Creature’s birthday
she got a pet spider,
a lava lump
and a woolly hat knitted by Grandma.
But she didn’t get what she really wanted.
At her party
she blew out all the candles
on her cowpat cake.
But she wouldn’t eat any.
“Crispy on the outside
and gooey on the inside,” said Mum,
“just how you like it, stinkle-toes.”
But Lou shook her head and sulked.
“What’s wrong with you today?” asked Mum.
“I want Pink!” roared Lou.
“I want pink cake,
a pink dress
and a pink pony!”
“Pink wouldn’t suit you,” said Dad.
“It’s princessy and nice.”
“I want to be a princess,” said Lou,
“and I want to look nice.”
She stomped off down the mountain-side.
At the playground
Lou made friends with Sophie,
who was wearing a pink dress.
“Pink!” roared Lou.
“Mum makes me wear it,” said Sophie.
“I like brown.”
Lou tried to be dainty,
like a princess.
But the swings looped-the-loop
when she swung on them.
The roundabout took off like a frisbee.
The seesaw sent Sophie soaring,
and the rocking horse galloped away.
They had so much fun
Sophie invited Lou home for tea.
“I’m a Creature,” said Lou,
“but I want to be a princess.”
“I’m a girl,” said Sophie,
“but I want to be a monster.”
“Then let’s do a swap,” said Lou.
“I’ll be you and you can be me.”
Sophie’s clothes didn’t fit Lou.
So she squeezed into
Sophie’s Mum’s wedding dress,
high heels
and a tiara.
“You look lovely,” said Sophie.
“Just like a princess.”
Lou gave Sophie a makeover.
A baggy brown jumper suited her
down
to the
ground.
“You look horrible,” said Lou.
“Just like a monster.”
Then they swapped places.
“Bathtime, little monster,” said Lou’s Mum to Sophie.
Mud-baths were great, thought Sophie,
as she squelched
and belched
and splattered
and oozed.
“Bathtime, snugglekins,” said Sophie’s Mum to Lou.
Princess-baths were great, thought Lou,
as she splashed
and gargled
and grew a pink afro.
But in the gloom of Lou’s bedroom
Sophie began to feel strange.
She couldn’t find a towel,
a toothbrush
or a teddy,
and her bed was as hard as a rock.
And in the dazzle of Sophie’s bedroom
Lou began to feel dizzy.
Her eyes stung,
her fur itched
and her bed was as soft as marshmallow.
“Time for your bedtime story,” said Lou’s mum.
“The Thing slithered out from under the bed …”
Sophie shivered.
She wished her friend Lou was there.
It was more fun being a monster with Lou.
“Then Princess Tinsel went shopping,” read Sophie’s mum.
Lou yawned.
She wished her friend Sophie was there.
It was more fun being a princess with Sophie.
Outside the Creature cave
thunder rumbled and lightning flashed.
Sophie jumped out of bed.
The cave walls lit up and she saw
a small brown wild-eyed mud monster
staring back at her.
“Nyyaaarrgggh!” she shrieked.
“That can’t be me!”
In Sophie’s bedroom
Lou stared into the mirrorball
and saw
a gang of scary pink princesses
staring back at her.
“Waaaarrgggh!” she howled.
“That can’t be me!”
“I don’t want to be a monster anymore,” whispered Sophie
“I don’t want to be a princess anymore,” croaked Lou.
“I want to go home!” screamed Sophie and Lou.
Half way down the mountainside
they bumped into each other and swapped back:
SPLUMPH !
Sophie got home
in time to watch Cinderella with Mum.
And Lou got home
in time for the last piece of cowpat cake.
Lou and Sophie stayed the best of friends.
But they were never
all Creature
or all Princess
again.
They were a stinky pink mixture of both.
Ends
© Nick Walker 2012
WalkerWords 