*
My name is Griswold. Live up stairs, my friend, Melita, lives down stairs. She a free lancer. Her personfriend, And Gumperson, says that makes her ultraistic knightress. Then they laugh. Whatever. And is hysterical architypture, his jokes not always funny. He makes awesome silly faces. Then bubbly laugh loudly out my ears. And tail gets all swishy.
We have adventures in our moonfull midnight garden. Like being pilots, or sea captains, or finding buried treasures like fountains. We grow vegetables; weeds taste better than eggplants. Eggplant, yuck! Melita likes my shuffle, paw-stomp, splay-foot squiggle dance better outside. Inside, well, Griswold’s tail is dangerous, she says. She not so good at dancing.
I a DIMM. No, silly, not light bulb not shine bright – a doitmyselfmonster. I fixed squeelly garden swing and painted my favourite colour nightglo orange. Where we swing and talk and plan expeditions. Sometimes Melita and And sit there. When they think Griswold isn’t looking, they kiss. Yuck.
Melita says I am digressor. Means I wander. Tale Weavering supposed to be about Groghel, my flamhsures.
Mother said if be good at nightsery school, could get another pet. Mother so silly – she think Melita is pet, not friend! So, report card better, and Mother orders me flamhsures. Cousin of house hippo*, but hairier. And bigger. With fangs. And a long pointy tale. Eats banana peels, kale and asparagus stems. Yuck. Made nest of dust bunny fluff, spider silk, wilted flowers in sweater drawer. Snores. Funny. Sounds like Mother.
He comes along to watch Dracula, Wolfman, and Godzilla movies at Melita’s when she and And are on playdate. Groghel makes nuclear popcorn and turns Tv loud. Then I get scared. Melita says music makes fur get all stand-uppy.
He eats my homework – honest – and takes selfies of himself and posts them on Melita’s blog. She not happy with Groghel, and if he not behave, she make him stay with sweaters. She not know that on dontify #2 [Griswoldian for birthday] flamhsures get wings. Sssh – better keep secret.
There, Griswold woven 3 stories for wordsmithy Michael. All by my selves this time. Griswold being not sensicalable. Don’t really have flamshures, just house hippo. She snores and makes nests out of homework. Honest.
Tale Weaver #120: making sense of nonsense: flamhsures
My inner Griswold popped out on his own. He was born on March 19, 2015 for mlmm Tale Weaver #5: Mythical Creatures. For an idea of what Griswold is like, think of Maurice Seldak’s Where the Wild Things Are. Griswold is a small monster, orangish fur, tufts of hair on the tippy-top of his ears, amethyst eyes, large paws with long talons, swishy tail longer than he is tall. His tail is expressive – it makes frowns and smiles. Laughter chuff-chortles out of his ears, and he does a splay-footed dance of greeting and happiness.
He lives in the attic apartment with his parents, Mrs. & Mr. G above his friend (or pet, she isn’t sure which) Melita. Since their first meeting, they have shared adventures in their midnight garden behind the house. Life with the Griswolds is never dull, and they have grown into each other’s lives. Mrs. G still thinks Melita is too much of a humanizing influence; Melita still finds Mrs. G’s cooking noxious and obnoxious. Melita remains hopeless at learning all the proper Griswoldian greetings and dance steps; Griswold watches horror movies at Melita’s with the sound turned off so the movie isn’t too scary. And so it goes. Once And Gumperson entered their lives, Melita and Griswold found new adventures. With Griswold doing the story telling. He’s developing an imagination and voice uniquely his own.
Previous Melita and Griswold tales:
Outta My Front D00r, by Me, Griswold
© Lorraine all content/stories copy-write of the author
May 26, 2017 at 1:05 pm
Wonderful version of nonsense words but you the story really does make sense despite these words. It makes me think if those stupid tests on FB. Where the words are backward or without vowels, and letters that are replaced in words, but you can still understand them after reading the first line or so. Great job :)
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May 26, 2017 at 7:08 pm
Glad my story made sense. I thought a young monster, with English as his second language, might not know how to spell or would add his own interpretation.
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May 27, 2017 at 11:50 pm
It’s a good thought considering people in medieval times wrote that way all the time lol. And a young monster I suppose might sound things out but not know the correct spelling :)
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May 19, 2017 at 2:27 pm
Oh another delightful and wonderful tale from Griswold! :D
This amazing creature, character is such a treat – such a joy and blessing. And the stories, they just seem to read so naturally, so well – so easily – and these could be a book – indeed – and along those lines, it doesn’t matter “what target audience” – at least, not now – what’s important is to not get bogged down in the “bigger” picture (you know, putting the cart before the horse?) What matters is just the stories … themselves ….. and the telling of them.
So yay! to Griswold and Melita! and the whole clan :D
And yeah, the Hippo – God I totally loved that commercial – one of my absolute favourites!
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May 23, 2017 at 11:33 pm
It’s Griswold’s voice that comes out now — Melita is still in there somewhere, perhaps once she/I straighten out where a lover fits with a monster child, she’ll come back to telling the narrative.
I had to dig deep to find Griswold. Like most characters, he’s been in retreat, lurking I suppose, somewhere, but not clamoring, clashing to get out. Tale Weavers seems to be his catalyst — and not too many other ways to share the house hippo commercial I discovered still existed via YouTube. When in doubt, add a house hippo.
Target audience in that certain things run in and out of my writing. I have no idea what YA is, nor what fits PG13. Not that Griswold is apt to fall into any particular category.
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May 24, 2017 at 12:19 pm
I’m guessing Griswold would probably fit YA – or maybe even 8-14 – but then, we’re adults reading these tales? And we love them! And think of the children’s books that have always and the newer ones captured the hearts across all age zones? So honestly, “targeting” – that’s fine when you get to the stage of submissions etc, trying to find “better or best” fits to be published etc. But the stories have to get written first, and I’m thinking that even the “best” of the children’s authors, before they were “boxed and bowed” – just wrote the stories first. :)
House Hippos should be minimum required companions in ALL homes, in my opinion 👀
Well sometimes we need to push ourselves, with kid gloves, to find the ones hiding, because it’s just what we need – and if you were compelled to seek out Griswold? That’s part of the mystery – so maybe we just have to learn to trust our hunches and instincts more often :)
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May 19, 2017 at 12:05 pm
I love Griswold, I’m sorry I never drew him for you. I don’t feel I would do him justice.
I love him telling to story.
I think he could be the center of a book.
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May 19, 2017 at 12:07 pm
I’d love to turn Griswold into a book — not sure who the audience would be. Maybe some day — don’t feel bad about drawing Griswold, you drew me a wonderful green fairy.
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May 19, 2017 at 1:37 pm
I do think Griswold would make a great book. For teens…and people like me.
If all ages liked Harry Potter, I’m sure all age groups would like Griswold.
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May 19, 2017 at 12:08 pm
He does enjoy telling his own stories — his voice is maturing, but I do miss some of his childish wonder. Guess they always age — even our children characters.
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May 19, 2017 at 12:53 am
Well, I really like Griswold stories and I particularly like how you capture his language…..I like the fact neither Griswold nor Melita are sure who is who’s pet…thanks for adding a perfectly suitable piece of nonsense to this weeks TW…
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May 19, 2017 at 7:23 am
What did you think of the house hippo video? Part of a series of ads done in Canada in the 1990s warning against kids taking too much stock in what they watched on TV. Real facts?
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May 19, 2017 at 7:26 am
I actually thought it very clever and didn’t realise till the end what its intentions were.
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May 19, 2017 at 7:41 am
One of my favourites, and was thrilled to find it on YouTube. Is there anything ever filmed that isn’t there? Except for this year’s flamhsure event I hear.
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May 19, 2017 at 7:47 am
I think the flamhsure videos are held in the you tube restricted section. Entry via a strict medical and psychological examination conducted whilst naked up a ladder by Dr Olaf Prattleborough the current Icelandic flamhsure champion.
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May 19, 2017 at 11:58 am
Awfully cold hands I suspect. And then there is gravity . . .
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May 19, 2017 at 1:14 pm
True.
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May 19, 2017 at 2:24 pm
holy hell, now that is a definite explanation about some of the mystery behind “flamhsure” …. and I’m choking with laughter! ;)
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May 19, 2017 at 6:20 pm
Too much nonsense can do that to you…..I do hope you stop long enough to draw breath….thanks for reading all this…
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May 19, 2017 at 7:31 pm
it was my pleasure :)
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