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.

Pilot ruffled through the papers on his drawing board. He grinned; his plans were coming along brilliantly. He pulled his lamp closer to inspect his drawings and then went back to his building.
KNOCK, TAP, TAP, TAP, KNOCK, KNOCK.

The Loopies living next door to Pilot were all very excited. They couldn’t wait to find out what it was that Pilot was getting up to each night. Every night they would hear loud banging and hammering, knocking, nailing and tapping sounds coming from his workshop.

The Loopies were so inquisitive that Jingle, Pilot’s next door neighbour, had placed a ladder against the wall to peer over into Pilot’s yard and stare right into his workshop with his binoculars! Pilot got so angry he shot marbles at Jingle with his slingshot and broke his binoculars lenses!

Later that day Crumpet went over to Pilot’s house. She had brought him a big Apple–pie, Pilot really liked Apple-pie, so Crumpet thought she would be able to bribe him with it to see what he was up to. But Pilot was too clever for Crumpet.
“Thanks for the trouble!” he said grabbing the pie and slamming the door.
“But I thought that I could come in and see what you’re busy with?” protested Crumpet. But all she could hear were the muffled noises of Pilot tucking into the juicy Apple-pie.
“That’s it! No more freebies for him!” said Crumpet, fuming.

Pilot went back to his workshop. He was expecting Rufus and Ruff to drop by later with some paint and needed to finish up before they came. It wasn’t long before Pilot heard the two brothers walking up the lane to his house.
“Hold her steady Ruff, we’re nearly there.” said Rufus, as he and Ruff slopped some paint out of the bucket they were carrying. Pilot locked up his workshop and went out to meet his two friends.

“So what’s the paint for Pilot?” asked Ruff inquisitively.
“Well I suppose everyone will find out soon enough. Can you keep a secret?” asked Pilot.
Rufus smiled at his brother Ruff. “Ruff and I are the kings of secret keeping in Acersville!”
Pilot took them into his workshop and switched on the light.
“A plane!” gasped Rufus.
“How will you power it?” asked Ruff.
“With extra sweetened ginger-beer!” he grinned.
“Can you do that?” asked Rufus quite puzzled.
“I assure you that I know of no law against the use of ginger-beer while driving – especially while flying!” replied Pilot.

Rufus and Ruff agreed to paint a big poster of Pilot’s plane and hang it in Acer Square early the next morning, along with clearly marked signs stating the time and place of Pilot’s take-off. Pilot was pleased and said goodbye to his friends. He then set to work on painting his plane.

The next day the Square was buzzing with excitement. All the Loopies had seen the posters and began making their way up to Buttercup Clearing on top of Sentinel Hill to watch Pilot make his triumphant first flight.

They cheered when they saw Pilot’s plane but Pilot motioned for them to settle down.
“Start me up boys!” he said to Rufus and Ruff, who were standing ready. They began to clip corked bottles of extra sweetened carbonated ginger-beer in place under the wings of Pilot’s plane. Ruff showed Pilot a thumbs up when all the bottles were in place. Pilot smiled, slung his scarf triumphantly over his shoulder and peddled his plane down the hill.

As Pilot raced his plane down the hill all the bumping and rattling caused the ginger-beer bottles to shake violently. And we all know what happens when you shake carbonated drinks! Pop, pop, pop. One by one the corks began to pop off of the bottles, giving Pilot’s plane more and more power. Eventually Pilot was half way down the hill and the last cork popped off. It gave Pilot enough power to swoop into the air like a red eagle. Up, up, up he soared and then leveled and … he was flying!!

The Loopies below could hardly believe their eyes. They clapped and cheered. Pilot marveled as he flew! It was so beautiful to see Acersville from so high up! Mayor Piney from down below began smiling as he imagined himself flying in to his next election.

Eventually Pilot landed. The Loopies stormed towards Pilot.
“Can we have a chance too?” they asked.
Pilot smiled, “Of course!” he said, “Just one at a time though!”
The Loopies cheered. The rest of that day the Loopies took turns flying in Pilot’s plane, what an exciting day!

© 2006 Ingrid Holtshausen. All Rights Reserved.