Ralfie and Jemima

Ralfie and Jemima

Sunday 4 December 2016

Ralfie's Midnight Adventure



CAUTION:

The following story contains scenes 
that might be distressing to younger readers 
(particularly Sylvanian children) and the faint of heart

Please read at own discretion!




Ralfie Hazelnut is a cheeky little boy. 

Sometimes, at night, he climbs out of his bedroom window and takes long walks through Riverside. I do not know why... Do infant squirrels suffer from insomnia??



It was one of those nights and Ralfie had just arrived at the clearing where Hester Hogwart had taught her workshop on Halloween night. 
Ralfie was admiring the bright red and orange leaves, illuminated by the moonlight.



He thought they were perfect for playing hide-and-seek.



There were so many leaves, he was able to swim in them.



He saw an interesting looking branch.



Maybe he could use it to build a burrow.



Suddenly he heard the strangest sound. It actually made him fall on his furry little belly.



As quick as he could, he scurried to find a place to hide.



He had just hid behind a pale green shrub when something very eerie happened. One of the trees he had just walked past on his way to the clearing shook off a bunch of autumn leaves and STARTED TO CREEP AROUND.



If you are thinking things couldn't possibly become any spookier... You are very WRONG. This "tree" didn't only have squiggly tentacle-like legs to walk on. As it turned around, Ralfie could see that the thing also had bright green eyes!!!
Quietly he ducked down deeper into the brush. That thing mustn't find out he was there...



Through a teeny tiny hole Ralfie watched as the thing started to creep around SIDEWAYS LIKE A CRAB.



It walked in a half-circle to the place where Ralfie had been playing and started to dig through the leaves with one of its short squiddy arms.



Then it stopped. It seemed like it had found something.



Ralfie couldn't believe it when the thing retrieved a golden bat cookie from the leaves and held it to its face with its snaky arm like a spanish fan. 

Was Ralfie unlucky or what! HE should have found that delicious cookie!



Again, Ralfie was surprised when things got even STRANGER and the thing placed the cookie on the ground and bent over...



...to stick the biscuit between the leaves on its head.

What kind of a tree was this?? It sat there for a while, in complete silence, as if thinking about something, or waiting...



Then it scuttled to the right, walking sideways in the same crab-like manner as before. 



It seemed to be interested in the undergrowth opposite of Ralfie's hiding place.



It dug itself into the scrub until the only part that remained visible was the three leaves on its head holding the cookie. 

After the rustling of the leaves subsided, there was absolute silence. 

A horrible suspicion entered Ralfie's mind. He couldn't help it, but it seemed to him like the thing was using the cookie as bait. What if it was HIDING in the brush, WAITING for somebody to come along and reach for the cookie, so that it could then POUNCE on them and EAT them??!!



Crazy with fear, little Ralfie darted out of his hiding place.



He decided to take one last look at the thing as he ran homeward.



Luckily, it remained covered with leaves and silent. 
Ralfie ran and ran and ran.



When he got home he climbed through the window into his room and fell asleep on the chair underneath. Never again would he leave the house alone at night. Not if there were creepy tentacle-monster-tree-things lurking around Riverside!


THE END


NOTE:
What little Ralfie Hazelnut didn't know (and I don't know whether we should tell him) is that this creepy "tentacle-monster-tree-thing" was Matilda, a squiddy mandrake that had escaped that week from a shop called "Prissy's Peculiar Plants". 

Matilda is actually a rather benign creature and (if you ask Hester) squiddy mandrakes are known to love ornaments and decoration of all sorts, so I believe the cookie wasn't meant as bait at all, but rather as a kind of tiara.




Thank you to Irinaminiatures for the beautiful handmade mandrake root.





14 comments:

  1. Ralfie's Midnight Adventure was really exciting. I loved and admired the bright red and orange leaves too. So beautiful photos:)

    Kind regards,
    Sirkka

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Sirkka! :)

      Ralfie thought it was very exciting, too....

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  2. That was a very scary adventure that Ralfie had! I am glad that the mandrake did not harm him but only wanted the cookie. I just hope that poor little Ralfie will not get too many nightmares about this.
    Emily

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    Replies
    1. I think he might have a few nightmares... I am hoping it will keep him from walking around alone at night and without telling anyone where he is going!

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  3. I bet Ralfie wont be so adventures at night after his fright lol I think i would be scared too. Your pictures are wonderful.
    Hugs Maria

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Maria! :)

      Matilda is a friendly mandrake, but she can seem frightening if you haven't gotten to know her.

      Delete
  4. Poor little Ralfie- that must have shaken him up a bit. At least he won't be going out on late night adventures by himself any more. Matilda is a great little fimo? character. I'm going to check out the shop now x

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes - imagine falling asleep like that on top of a chair! Ralfie was exhausted from the fright!

      I'm not sure what sort of clay Irina uses, but she really puts a lot of love into her figures. Matilda even has a perfectly detailed underside!

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  5. Meine Güte, was für ein Abenteuer!!! Armer kleiner Ralfie, das hat Nerven gekostet... aber nichts ist so schlimm, dass es nicht doch noch etwas Gutes hat: Der kleine Racker wird so schnell nicht wieder nachts ausbüchsen. Matilda jedenfalls ist wirklich spektakulär... und so ein Fledermauskeks ist echt kleidsam... ;O) Eine tolle Geschichte mit wirklich fantastischen Fotos!

    Liebe Grüße
    Birgit

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Danke, Birgit! :)

      Ralfie ist seitdem ein ganz braves Eichhörnchen und geht momentan nirgendwo ohne elterliche Aufsicht hin! ;)

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  6. Oh no, poor Little Ralfie! I would have been so afraid too :D. The mandrake is gorgeous - and I'm glad to read that she isn't bad at all XD.
    Viele Grüße und dir schon einmal vorweg einen schönen Nikolaustag,
    Kyra

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    Replies
    1. Ja, die arme Matilda wurde erst missverstanden und hat nun doch bereits einige Fans... XD

      Ich wünsche Dir auch einen frohen Nikolaustag!!!

      Delete
  7. Poor little Ralphie! I would be scared to death if a find such a creature in the middle of the night. But looks are deceiving and underneath that creepy scary look it seems there is just a good-natured mandrake.
    I think Ralphie has learned a lesson.He won´t leave home on his own late at night.
    Your pictures are lovely and the scenery looks fantastic. I love your mini autumn leaves!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you are right about Ralfie!! Last night he woke up and looked longingly out of his bedroom window...!

      Delete