Tubblie, the practical joker of Acersville, was poking around where he shouldn’t have been, as usual. This time he was in the Professor’s lab at the University. The Professor wasn’t there which made it all the better for Tubblie to get up to mischief. He went into Professor Astro’s office and found a drawer which looked promising. Tubblie smiled as he carefully pulled it open. The only thing in the drawer was an old ink well, which didn’t contain anything, or so Tubbie thought until he spilt some of it’s contents on the ground! Tubblie watched in awe as the floor where he had spilt the “ink” began disappearing. The ink well contained invisible ink, obviously one of Astro’s greater inventions.

Tubblie cracked a sly smile as the invisible ink gave him an idea.

“I wonder what would happen if…I drank this stuff!” he said to himself as he looked around the room, he finished his sentence as he laid his eyes upon a glass of unfinished Lemonade, that belonged to the Professor.

Quick as a flash, Tubblie poured the remaining ink into the glass containing the Lemonade. He took a sip and looked at his hands, slowly, they began disappearing! Tubblie had made himself invisible! Now he could get up to all sorts of mischief! The invisible Tubblie ran out of the University, eager to get started with his pranks.

Tubblie raced through the streets, he couldn’t wait to find his first victim and then he saw it! Pilot had just sat on a bench in the Park and was just about ready to take a bite out of a slice of apple pie when suddenly it was grabbed out of his hand by an invisible force! Pilot’s eyes widened and he ran screeching through Acersville.

”It’s a ghost, the ghost of Acersville I tell you! He stole my apple pie he did, he did!” he shouted at the top of his lungs. As he did he bumped straight into Rufus and Ruff who were out getting more supplies for their workshop.

“A ghost you say!” said Rufus, very excited at the idea.

“I think we should catch it!”

Pilot almost fainted at the thought!

“What a great idea Rufus.” Said Ruff.

“But how do you catch a ghost?”

“That’s easy!” replied Rufus.

“We know that this ghost likes Apple Pies, so we’ll make a trail of Apple Pies for it to follow. Then when it least expects it, we’ll tip a pot of brightly coloured paint over it’s head! Then we’ll be able to see it and trap it in a blanket or something.” Rufus explained.

The Loopies agreed it was a good idea and each set off to their houses to collect everything they would need for their Ghost Trapping that evening. While they were busy, Tubblie had pulled some more pranks and had scared quite a few Loopies in the process. Dot, Mayor Piney’s wife had even run straight out of her house, enrobed in a bath towel, trying to escape the ghost behind her shower curtain!

That evening Pilot, Rufus and Ruff met in the Park, armed with their Apple Pies, big purple blanket and orange paint. Ruff grinned, this was going to be fun! Pilot had taken the whole Ghost Hunt very seriously and had hung garlic around his neck to protect himself.

“What’s the garlic for Pilot?” asked Ruff.

“It’s to protect me from the ghost!” declared Pilot proudly.

“Ghosts aren’t scared of garlic! They’re scared of lightning.” Said Ruff, who was a little afraid of lightning himself and decided that everyone he knew including the Ghost of Acecersville, had to fear this the most.

“Oh stop you two!Ghosts aren’t afraid of anything! Or maybe they are afraid of one thing, Granny’s cabbage soup!” said Rufus, busily securing the paint on the top of a nearby tree branch.

“We should have brought some with.” said Pilot, his voice shaking slightly.

Just then they began noticing their Apple pie trail getting shorter and shorter.

“It’s the ghost!” shouted Pilot and jumped up into the tree. As the invisible Tubblie got closer, Rufus got ready to pour the paint. Splash! Tubblie didn’t know what had hit him! He was covered from head to foot in orange paint!

“Dive, dive!” shouted Ruff, as he flew out of the tree with the purple blanket straight onto Tubblie’s head.

Once all the commotion was over, Rufus flipped the blanket off of Tubblie and grinned.

“Well boys, looks like we know what ghost’s are afraid of!” he said.

“Getting wet!” he laughed.

Pilot was relieved to see that there was no such thing as a Ghost of Acersville and took the garlic off from around his neck.

“Looks like we won’t be needing this.” He said

“Or any of Granny’s Cabbage soup either!” laughed Ruff.

Rufus, Ruff and Pilot were interested to hear how Tubblie had managed to turn himself invisible in the first place.

“Magician’s never reveal their secrets .” he said as he smiled to himself. And then as the moon rose high over Acersville, he slung his arms around his friends necks and walked them home. Goodnight Tubblie, I wonder what you’ll be up to tomorrow?

© 2009 Ingrid Holtshausen. All rights reserved.

Grumble, grumble, grum,grum, grrrummm. Pancake awoke to the sounds of her tummy grumbling. Pancake was hungry. In fact Pancake was always hungry! Pancake was probably the hungriest Loopie in all of Acersville.

Pancake yawned and sat up in bed, turned on her lamp and squinted at her clock, it was midnight.

Grummmm, grummm, grrrrummmble.

Pancake rolled down the stairs and went to her fridge, she opened it but it was empty! Then Pancake remembered that she had already eaten everything in the fridge for supper. Grrrrrrrrummmmmble, grrrrummmble. Oh dear what was Pancake to do? Without a cookie or sandwich in sight, Pancake had no other choice but to get her coat and shoes and leave the house.

She walked all the way down the street to Acer Square. It was very quiet, every Loopie in Acersville was asleep. She scanned the Square; The Hardware shop, no nothing there would taste good. The hairdresser? She winced remembering the time she had eaten soap, and it wasn’t a good memory! Then, with delight she spotted Crumpet’s Bakery!

Pancake was Crumpet’s cousin and Pancake was certain that Crumpet wouldn’t mind if she ate something from the Bakery – just a teeny-weeny snack, just to end the grumbles in her tummy!

Pancake crept up to the door, she felt guilty for not asking, but it was so late, she couldn’t possibly ask permission now? She turned the door knob, it was open! Pancake tiptoed inside.

The Bakery contained the most amazing and delicious pastries, doughnuts and cakes! Her mouth watered and as quick as a flash she began putting her grumbles to bed! She ate and ate and couldn’t stop, she ate so much she became quite paralyzed. In fact she ate so much that she didn’t even notice the police-men outside! They were shinning their torches into the Bakery windows to investigate the break-in!

Just then she heard sirens and a loud voice saying, “Come out with your hands up!”
Pancake froze. She was so frightened. Were they talking to her? She got up slowly and shook the sprinkles from her skirt and wiped the icing from around her mouth. As she got outside, Police-men surrounded her from every angle, hand-cuffed her, bundled her into their car and sped off to the police station with sirens blaring.

The following day, the Loopies held a trial for Pancake. Every Loopie in Acersville was there, including Crumpet who stood in the court room looking very upset.Pancake was wearing a big orange overall and was led out by two policemen. She was cuffed with heavy chains, and looked like a dangerous criminal. Crumpet gasped when she saw that her cousin was the perpetrator of this crime against her Bakery! Pancake stared at the floor, she felt quite horrible!

The judge looked at Crumpet, “What are the charges against this criminal?” he barked.
“I don’t wish to press charges anymore your Honour.” said Crumpet softly.
Pancake was relieved. The judge glared at her and said, “Then you are free to go.”
“Thank you Crumpet.” She breathed, as the Police removed her chains.
“But!” barked the judge. Pancake jumped at his gruff voice. “There is one thing I am sentencing you to, and that is a few weeks of Community Service!” He banged his hammer and the court was adjourned.

Pancake looked at her cousin. “I’m sorry Crumpet, I was just … hungry.” She admitted, her tummy beginning to grumble yet again.
Crumpet smiled, the judge had given her a good idea!
“How do you feel about waffles and lemonade, Pancake?” asked Crumpet.

Pancake’s mouth watered! “You don’t even have to ask!” she squealed delightedly, thinking of the beautiful breakfast her cousin would be making her!
“Perfect!” said Crumpet. “Then you can get started right away!”
Pancake looked confused, Crumpet only giggled.

So the next two weeks Pancake spent her days squeezing lemonade and making waffles out-side of The Acorn Academy School and selling them to hungry Loopies. Poor Pancake! I hope she’s learnt her lesson!

© 2006 Ingrid Holtshausen. All Rights Reserved.