Flopears and the Silly Black Rabbit
Dad had a fund of Flopears stories, first rehearsed with Derrick, then Douglas and me, then in turn to all the next generation. He finally typed some of them out (on his Amiga computer in the living room) and gave them to Malcolm, with this hand-written covering note:
Dear Malcolm
I meant to correct & edit these stories but I haven't had much time recently. Someday maybe I'll do it.
Love
Grandpa Jock
I'm going to retype them here, one by one, for posterity. Dad used all upper case italics and many colours. As far as possible, I'm copying that too. He didn't type any titles, so I've made them up.
------------------------
FLOPEARS AND THE SILLY BLACK RABBIT
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A WEE BABY RABBIT CALLED FLOPEARS WHO LIVED IN A BURROW WITH HIS MUMMY AND HIS DADDY AND HIS FOUR BROTHERS AND FIVE SISTERS, AND FLOPEARS WAS A VERY HAPPY BUNNY AND VERY FOND OF LOOKING FOR ADVENTURES. WELL THIS MORNING JUST AFTER HIS MUMMY HAD GIVEN HIM HIS BREAKFAST OF TWO SMALL CARROTS FLOPEARS DECIDED THAT HE WOULD HAVE AN ADVENTURE AND MAYBE ALSO GET SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT. SO OFF HE WENT HOPPITY-HOP, HOPPITY-HOP UP THE HILL WHICH FLOPEARS CALLED HIS MAGIC HILL, BECAUSE HE ALWAYS HAD AN ADVENTURE WHEN HE CLIMBED IT. WELL THIS TIME WAS NO DIFFERENT. HE HAD NO SOONER REACHED THE TOP OF THE HILL WHEN HE SAW A HOUSE THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE. THROUGH A HOLE IN THE FENCE FLOPEARS SAW LOTS OF LOVELY JUICY VEGETABLES AND OF COURSE HE SUDDENLY FELT VERY HUNGRY, SO IN HE WENT. BUT BEFORE HE COULD EVEN HAVE ONE BITE HE HEARD A VOICE, "HELP ME! HELP ME!" CRIED THE VOICE AND FLOPEARS LOOKED UP AND SAW A GREAT BIG BLACK RABBIT INSIDE A GREAT BIG BOX COVERED WITH WIRE. "GOODNESS" SAID FLOPEARS. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?" "I LIVE HERE" SAID THE RABBIT. "IT REALLY IS VERY COMFORTABLE AND I GET LOVELY OATMEAL AND TEA-LEAVES FOR MY DINNER". "COULD I SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE?" SAID FLOPEARS. "I'VE NEVER SEEN A HUTCH BEFORE". "WELL", SAID THE BLACK RABBIT "IF YOU JUMP UP AND PUSH THAT CATCH, I'LL LET YOU COME IN FOR ONE MINUTE". "OH! THANK YOU" SAID FLOPEARS AND HE PUSHED THE CATCH AND OPENED THE DOOR AND JUMPED IN. AS SOON AS FLOPEARS JUMPED IN THE HUTCH THE BIG RABBIT JUMPED OUT AND BANGED THE DOOR SHUT. POOR WEE FLOPEARS COULDN'T GET OUT. WHEN HE SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE SAID TO THE BIG RABBIT "THANK GOODNESS I'M SAFE AT LAST, NOW THESE BIG WILD ANIMALS OUT THERE WON'T BE ABLE TO EAT ME UP LIKE ALL MY FRIENDS, EVERYBODY ELSE BUT ME HAS GONE ALREADY". "OH!" SAID THE BLACK RABBIT, "I DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN UP. PLEASE LET ME BACK IN BESIDE YOU, I PROMISE I'LL LET YOU HAVE HALF OF MY OATMEAL". SO THE BIG RABBIT OPENED THE DOOR AND JUMPED IN AND FLOPEARS JUMPED OUT AND SHUT THE DOOR AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AT THE SILLY RABBIT.
Dear Malcolm
I meant to correct & edit these stories but I haven't had much time recently. Someday maybe I'll do it.
Love
Grandpa Jock
I'm going to retype them here, one by one, for posterity. Dad used all upper case italics and many colours. As far as possible, I'm copying that too. He didn't type any titles, so I've made them up.
------------------------
FLOPEARS AND THE SILLY BLACK RABBIT
ONCE UPON A TIME THERE WAS A WEE BABY RABBIT CALLED FLOPEARS WHO LIVED IN A BURROW WITH HIS MUMMY AND HIS DADDY AND HIS FOUR BROTHERS AND FIVE SISTERS, AND FLOPEARS WAS A VERY HAPPY BUNNY AND VERY FOND OF LOOKING FOR ADVENTURES. WELL THIS MORNING JUST AFTER HIS MUMMY HAD GIVEN HIM HIS BREAKFAST OF TWO SMALL CARROTS FLOPEARS DECIDED THAT HE WOULD HAVE AN ADVENTURE AND MAYBE ALSO GET SOMETHING ELSE TO EAT. SO OFF HE WENT HOPPITY-HOP, HOPPITY-HOP UP THE HILL WHICH FLOPEARS CALLED HIS MAGIC HILL, BECAUSE HE ALWAYS HAD AN ADVENTURE WHEN HE CLIMBED IT. WELL THIS TIME WAS NO DIFFERENT. HE HAD NO SOONER REACHED THE TOP OF THE HILL WHEN HE SAW A HOUSE THAT HE HAD NOT SEEN BEFORE. THROUGH A HOLE IN THE FENCE FLOPEARS SAW LOTS OF LOVELY JUICY VEGETABLES AND OF COURSE HE SUDDENLY FELT VERY HUNGRY, SO IN HE WENT. BUT BEFORE HE COULD EVEN HAVE ONE BITE HE HEARD A VOICE, "HELP ME! HELP ME!" CRIED THE VOICE AND FLOPEARS LOOKED UP AND SAW A GREAT BIG BLACK RABBIT INSIDE A GREAT BIG BOX COVERED WITH WIRE. "GOODNESS" SAID FLOPEARS. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING THERE?" "I LIVE HERE" SAID THE RABBIT. "IT REALLY IS VERY COMFORTABLE AND I GET LOVELY OATMEAL AND TEA-LEAVES FOR MY DINNER". "COULD I SEE WHAT IT IS LIKE?" SAID FLOPEARS. "I'VE NEVER SEEN A HUTCH BEFORE". "WELL", SAID THE BLACK RABBIT "IF YOU JUMP UP AND PUSH THAT CATCH, I'LL LET YOU COME IN FOR ONE MINUTE". "OH! THANK YOU" SAID FLOPEARS AND HE PUSHED THE CATCH AND OPENED THE DOOR AND JUMPED IN. AS SOON AS FLOPEARS JUMPED IN THE HUTCH THE BIG RABBIT JUMPED OUT AND BANGED THE DOOR SHUT. POOR WEE FLOPEARS COULDN'T GET OUT. WHEN HE SAW WHAT HAD HAPPENED, HE SAID TO THE BIG RABBIT "THANK GOODNESS I'M SAFE AT LAST, NOW THESE BIG WILD ANIMALS OUT THERE WON'T BE ABLE TO EAT ME UP LIKE ALL MY FRIENDS, EVERYBODY ELSE BUT ME HAS GONE ALREADY". "OH!" SAID THE BLACK RABBIT, "I DON'T WANT TO BE EATEN UP. PLEASE LET ME BACK IN BESIDE YOU, I PROMISE I'LL LET YOU HAVE HALF OF MY OATMEAL". SO THE BIG RABBIT OPENED THE DOOR AND JUMPED IN AND FLOPEARS JUMPED OUT AND SHUT THE DOOR AND LAUGHED AND LAUGHED AT THE SILLY RABBIT.
Comments
Post a Comment