A Long, Leggedy Time Ago

Before putting the kids to bed I would always begin each nightly storytime by saying, "A long, leggedy time ago... I would then leave blanks for the kids to fill in and let the story take its own course. Now, our house no longer has anyone to tell stories to. Because the grandkids are spread out across the country I want to use the blog to tell them stories, but they must contribute. It may take a few days to complete a story, but it will be worth it. Have each of the grandkids respond (or help them) to fill in the blanks where their name appears. Enter the blanks for each one in the comments box and I will edit the story and re-post. Remember, I need all the answers from each child before I can post. I never know where the stories go, but it will be fun to find out. Let's begin....

Once upon a time, a long, leggedy time ago, there were five super-heroes. The first was named (Connor) Flaro. He was called “Flaro” because he had special powers to be able to shoot fireballs. The second was named (Claire) Animorphysis because she was able to change herself into any animal she chose. The third was named (Rafe) Rafe-o, a true decendant of the ancient Jedi who had inherited all the powers and rights of the ancient order itself. The force was always with him. The fourth (Holland) possessed the ability to fill a magic diaper with anything she chose, which could come in handy, if you think about it a little bit. Because of this ability she was often called “Pack-and-go,” but more commonly known as "Super Pooper." The fifth (Grant) was blessed with the ability to fly. Everyone knew him as Dyecees, which means “dinosaur” and is pronounced like “Pisces.” Flaro lived in a land that fell from the planet Venus, which is much too close to the sun. It was through his childhood that he first learned to shoot fireballs. His only weakness was, obviously, water. It tended to dampen his spirit.

Animorphysis lived in the deep, dark jungle. It was here she first learned from the spirits of the jungle how to change into various animals. Her only weakness was the ever increasing pollution that threatened her kingdom.

Rafo was born in the dark, and finds his Jedi powers most effective in twilight hours. Wherever there is darkness, he shines the brightest. His only weakness was "dark stuff," which eminated from the forces of darkness.

Super Pooper is a vagabond, traveling about with no permanent place to live. This enables her to ever be "on the go" and prepared for anything. Her only weakness was constipation, which severly inhibited her ability to move, and slowed her down considerably.

Dyecees lives in the "great valley" (where the dinosaurs from Land Before Time commune). There, among his giant brothers, he developed and perfected the art of flight. His only weakness was the distrcting power of the videos Dumbo, Curious George, and The land Before Time VI. Whenever these videos were shown, he would lose concentration and sit transfixed until the shows were over.

Into this peaceful world came a most dark and sinister figure, known as "Shadowghast the Dark. Shadowghast live in the dark, evil valley of Ragedusk. He was once known as Jeff, a delightful, pleasant, outgoing man who loved others and especially loved his team, the Utah Jazz. However, there was an evil brewing inside this pleasant soul, and evil so dark and loathesome that only rage and anger could bring it out of him. This rage spawned from his team's inability to win a championship, year after year.

At first, he was merely disappointed, hoping the next year would bring hopes anew. However, after years of punishment and betrayal by the powers that be in the NBA, this pure form of evil finally overtook Jeff and he became Shadowghast the Dark, Emperor of Ragedusk. He delighted in destroying the hopes of people everywhere, especially children. Since his dreams were never fulfilled, he vowed that no one would ever see their wishes come true. He was recently successful in thwarting the hopes of his evil twin Abdul-Jafar.

He lived alone; he had no friends; his life was spent in complete darkness. Deep down, there may be some good left in him, but for now, he remained the most evil presence you will ever see. Whenever anyone makes a birthday wish, tosses a quarter into a pond, or wishes upon a star, Shadowghast sweeps in on his dark horse and intercepts these wishes, dashes them to pieces before he searches for the soul who was foolish enough to cast them. So beware of Shadowghast, young children, for he lurks where you least expect him. AND each of you could be next!

The five superheroes decided to unite their magical powers to reclaim their fallen brother, Shadowghast, and bring him again to light. They felt there was still some good in him. Flaro suggested that they take advantage of his ability to make fire. He said, "I will use my fire for light, which Shadowghast is sure to see in the dark place where he lives. That will get his attention, because he does not like light. When he comes closer and tries to put out my fire he will be near enough for the rest of us to unite our powers against him."

Animorphosis agreed. "That is a great idea. When he comes close enough, I will turn into a rhino and buck him. Then Rafo added that he would then be in perfect position to turn into "Grievous," his alter-ego and get him with his light saber.

Then, after much thought, Dyecees added, "But if we really want to change his evil heart, we must capture the image of Shadoghast in action, sweeping in on his dark horse and intercepting the wishes of the hopeful, dashing them to pieces before searching for the soul foolish enough to cast them. And behold, such a fool was found, with shaved armpits and all. The attack was swift and deftly executed. Once again Shadoghast was victorious, then slurked back into the shadows awaiting yet another opportunity for vengeance.

Super Pooper reached into her magic diaper and pulled out an orb and said, "This is our magic weapon, it will suck up wishes others cast so that Shadowghast does not hurt them

And so the trap was set. As they approached the Jazz arena, they were shocked to see Shadowghast with water balloons ready to extinguish Flaro. But that was not all. He had sacks of garbage ready to pollute the world so that Animorphosis could not change into animals he could not recognize. He also had bombs packed with dark stuff, specially made to neutralize the force coming from Jedi Rafo. In addition, he had bricks of cheese, specially made to constipate Super Pooper, as well as a personal DVD player showing The Land Before Time, which would surely distract Dyesees and his gigantic friends.

But the superheroes were determined to their cause, to save the hopes and wishes of children everywhere. Shadowghast, in a fit of rage, decended below the Jazz areana where he could call upon other evil forces to help him in one final assault. As he burst into the room at the bottom of the arena he found the room completely dark, except for a small campfire which had been prepared by Flaro. The five superheroes sat quietly around the campfire, laughing, talking and roasting marshmallows. Shadowghast approached in rage and shouted with a terrible roar. Rafo put his finger to his lips. Shhhh. You’ll disturb the show and weaken the force. Animorphysis had turned herself into a small group of fireflies and was spelling out words in the darkness above the campfire: “Friends Forever.” Shadowghast fell silent. “Why aren’t you afraid of me?” “Do we have reason to be?” asked Super Pooper. “We forgot to send you one of these,” she said as she reached into her magic diaper and brought out an envelope. “What is this?” shouted Shadowghast, but not as loudly as before. “You must keep your voice down, you are disturbing the fireflies,” whispered Dyecees. “Ever since the days of the dinosaurs it has been forbidden to argue or fight as long as the fireflies are dancing.” “How do you know this?” asked Shadoghast. Super Pooper looked into her orb. “You can see the wishes and dreams of children that you have stolen are recorded here. And this is the secret wish that we found.” Rafo read the wish carefully. “This one has your name on it.” Shadowghast swallowed hard. The wish said, “I wish I had a friend.” Flaro said, “When we saw that, we knew we had the secret weapon. We are so glad that you came to our party.” Slowly Shadowghast began to change. The darkness around him began to fall like rain and turn into splashes of light as it hit the ground. Before you know it, the room was filled with light. Before them stood Jeff, the same that loved his team, the Utah Jazz. Suddenly a golden cloud appeared and the dreams he had previously stolen floated down like silver flakes of snow, floating silently past the dancing fireflies. Everyone sat quietly in the joy of the moment, their faces lighted by the warm campfire. “It’s good to be here,” whispered Jeff, “I like being around friends. But still, it would be nice if the Jazz could win a championship.” In the meantime, the fireflies continued to dance. The moral of the story: The best way to destroy your enemies is to make them your friends.