THE NIGHT THAT MR. POOKA DIED, PART 2

Sunday morning, when knew the Pooka was dead, the yellow and red witches went to Mr. Pooka's house and stole food and drinks for a party. They also knocked over tables and chairs and did other damage to the house. "Stupa-dupa-poopa won't need it any more," the Yellow Witch said.

Then they flew back to their cold, mountain cave and had a party. All their sister witches were there, too, like the purple witch, black witch, green witch, blue witch and many more. They drank frog-noggen-snorker-dorfen juice (made from frog brains, bat eyes, rat tongues and the blood of a monster).

Sunday afternoon the Bonnewell family returned home early from the lake. Lily and Slone had fun, but they wanted to see how Mr. Pooka was doing. They called him on the phone, but he didn't answer.

They asked their Momma and Pappa if they could ride their bikes to Mr. Pooka's house and they said, "Yes, you may do that, but don't stay long. Be home for dinner."

Slone and Lily ran out the door, climbed on their bikes. Slone zoomed away really fast on his fart bike. His farts made him go a lot faster than Lily could go. He got there first, but waited for Lily.

Lily said, "Riding behind you is really stinky. Pew, pew, pew. You're a stinky poo."

They knocked on the door, but got no answer. They looked into the windows, but did not see Mr. Pooka. They knocked again, then went into the house. The house was a mess and they wondered why and how it happened.

Shelly, the turtle, and Hoot, the owl. came to the door. It was a funny sight with Hoot riding on the back of Shelly. They both had tears in their eyes. Hoot said that they had sad news. Mr. Pooka was dead and buried in the tunnel that went to "The House of a Thousand Doors (THTD)."

Lily and Slone wondered what exactly had happened. Shelly told them that the Yellow Witch (YW) and the Red Witch (RW) blew-up both ends of the tunnel while Pooka was in the middle of it and now Pooka was buried. He must have run out of magic powder, Shelly told them.

"Show us. Show us, quickly," yelled Lily.

"Fast, fast," screamed Slone.

"It happened Saturday morning. It's too late now," Hoot said.

"Wait! Slone. We have to get some of the Pooka's hidden magic powder. Remember? He told us where he hides it. It's at the bottom of the garbage can, in a Zip-Lock plastic bag."

"I don't want to reach into the garbage can and get all slimy. You do it," said Slone.

"Oh, don't be such a chicken," Lily yelled at him. We just have to take the garbage can bag our and take out the bag of magic powder. It's not inside the garbage bag. It's under the garbage bag. We can us the magic powder (mp) to save Mr. Pooka."

"OK, sorry I complained. Let's do it."

Lily and Slone ran into the house. Slone pulled the garbage bag out of the can and Lily reached into the can and picked up the mp bag. They ran outside, sprinkled magic power (mp) all over Hoot and changed him into a very large owl. Lily and Slone climbed onto Hoot and Hoot flew them to the tunnel in the woods.

Shelly was left behind and was not happy. He Yelled at Lily, Slone and Hoot, "You are all MEANY-WEENIE-BOOGER-EATERS."

When they arrived at the tunnel, Lily and Slone jumped off of Hoot and ran to where the tunnel used to be.

"Oh, no," Slone said. "The tunnel is caved-in. Mr. Pooka is probably dead and we weren't here to help him against the bad witches. He must have run out of "mp" or he would have been able to save himself."

"Well, we can't just give up. We can see where the tunnel was because the ground sinks where it collapsed. You spread some mp at the end of the tunnel and I'll spread it on the beginning of the tunnel and we will meet in the middle. You know, spread it on top of the ground where the ground sinks down a little bit. The tunnel runs in a straight line so it shouldn't be hard to see."

"Yeah, I can see it now," Slone said.

So Lily and Slone spread the mp on top of the ground where the tunnel had collapsed inward.

Slone said, "We need big ears now so we can hear if anything is breathing or moving down there."

"Great idea, Slone," Lily told her brother. "That's a good way to use your stinker."

"What? I didn't fart. I used my brain."

"Yeah. That's what I mean. You used your stinker. That's your brain. It's a stinker, not a thinker."

Lily and Slone spread mp over both their ears and they grew big. They could hear the worms talking to each other under the ground. But most importantly, they heard shallow breathing, but no movement, and it was not the worms breathing.

"I hear Mr. Pooka breathing, but it's as if he is almost dead," Slone said. "Do you hear it?"

Lily moved near Slone and listened. "Holy-marfin-folly-dolly. I do hear breathing. But it not in the tunnel. Move over here a little bit."

"Yeah, I know. It's a little ways away from the tunnel, like there was another tunnel that went away from the tunnel that we used."

"Oh, yes, yes," Lily yelled. "Mr. Pooka must have tried to dig another tunnel so he didn't get trapped in the old tunnel when it collapsed. How very smart of Mr. Pooka."

"But he's still trapped. He didn't have enough air to breath and he got weak. He must have fainted because all his air is disappearing. Good thing it lasted as long as it did, and good thing we came home in the afternoon and not late at night.

"Pooee on you sister. You have a stinker for a thinker, too."

'OK. Enough. Put your big ear to the ground and listen. I'll do the same."

In a minute Lily's and Slone's heads came together. Slone said, "We found it, Lily. This spot is exactly over the Pooka's head."

"Yeah. This is where the breathing is the loudest. Mr. Pooka sounds like a hibernating bear, like he knew that he had to be asleep for a long time."

"Let's dig," Slone said.

"Hoot. Hoot," said the owl. "I can get Mr. Woodchuck to dig faster than you can. We call him Woody."

Hoot screeched and Woody came out of the bushes. "I was wondering when you'd think of me. I can dig fast. Watch me."

Woody dug fast, then faster, then the fastest that anyone had seen. Soon he had dug a deep hole,  then used his tail to brush the dirt off of Mr. Pooka's face.

Mr. Pooka was alive. He was really breathing, but he didn't wake up, even when they called his name and poked at him.

Lily had an idea. She put magic powder on her lips, then leaned into the hole and kissed Mr. Pooka. Soon his eyes opened and he smiled at Lily, Slone, Hoot and Woody.

"I knew my best friends would come and save me. To get out of the tunnel when it exploded, I dug this side tunnel to save myself. But the lack of air made me faint. When I woke up the fainting gave me the idea to hibernate. I wouldn't use much oxygen if I did that. Just like a bear hibernates through the winter."

Mr. Pooka lifted his arm and Lily gave him the mp bag. He used the mp to open up the ground that had buried his chest and feet. He stood up and stretched his arms wide. He yawned, breathed deeply and smiled at the friends that saved his life

"You two look really funny with those big ears. I think I'll leave them like that. Ha Ha Ha," Mr. Pooka laughed.

"Oh no," Lily and Slone complained. The other kids will make fun of us."

"Oh all right." Mr. Pooka spread mp on them and they returned to there normal shape. Then he said, "Thank you very much, Hoot and Woody. I really appreciate your help. You may leave now."

Hoot flew away to find Shelly and explain what had happened, and Woody ran back to his own family.

Mr. Pooka picked up Lily and Slone, put them on his shoulders, then ran back to his house.

When Mr. Pooka arrived at the house his lips felt funny. He felt them. There was mp on his lips. "Oh I guess I accidentally got mp on my lips. That's OK."

Slone said, "The mp on your lips came from...... Ouch!"

Lily had slapped Slone on the back of the head so that he would tell the Pooka that she had kissed him. Then she whispered, "Be quiet."

The Pooka said, "Slone, what did you say."

Lily gave Slone a dirty look, then Slone said, "Nothing. It wasn't important." Then he smiled at Lily.

Back at the house, he said, "We can't let those witches get away with trying to kill me. Do you want to help me?"

"Oh, yes," Lily and Slone both said.

Then come to my house next Saturday and we will make a plan. Now you must get home. It getting late and your Momma and Pappa will worry about you.

When Lily and Slone got home dinner was on the table and their Mom said, "You're just in time."

Pappa said, "Did you have a good time with Mr. Pooka?"

"You bet we did. Lily even ki....." then Slone felt the pain of being kicked under the table by Lily.

"What were you going to say, Slone?" Momma asked.

Slone rubbed his shin. It hurt. So he said, "Oh. Nothing. It wasn't important.

"We always have a good time with him," Lily added.

Then Lily and Slone looked at each other and smiled. Then they ate and thought about next Saturday.

THE END

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