Twinkle Gets into Mischief
Twinkle Gets into Mischief
Twinkle was a mischievous elf if ever there was one! You wouldn't believe the things he did _ all the naughtiest things his quick little mind could think of. But one day he went too far, and tried to play tricks on Snorty the Dragon.
Twinkle wasn't afraid of anyone or anything, so when he heard that Snorty the Dragon was looking for someone brave enough to go and paint his cave walls a nice cheerful pink, he thought he would try to get the job. So off he went, carrying a fine big pot of pink paint, whistling gaily as he skipped along.
'Hello!' he said Snorty, when he got to the cave. 'I hear you want your walls painted a pleasant pink.'
'Quite right,' said Snorty, blowing out some blue smoke from his nostrils.
'That's a clever trick!' said Twinkle. 'I wish I could blow smoke out of my nose!'
'Only dragons can do that!' said Snorty proudly. 'And look at these!'
He suddenly shot out five enormous claws from each foot _ but Twinkle didn't turn a hair.
'Splendid!' he said. 'But what a business it must be for you to cut your nails, Snorty! I should think you would need a pair of shears instead of scissors!'
The dragon didn't like being laughed at. He was used to frightening people, not amusing them. So he glared at Twinkle, and blew a flame out of his mouth.
'Ho, you don't need matches to light the gas!' chuckled Twinkle.
'That's not funny,' said Snorty sulkily. 'Get on with my painting, please, and make the walls a bright pink. And no more of your cheek, mind!'
'No more of my tongue, you mean!' said Twinkle, who did love having the last word. He began to mix his paint and to daub the wall with the bright pink colour. The dragon walked out in a huff and left him to it.
The cave was large and it took Twinkle all the day to do even half of it. When night came there was still half left to do. So he made up his mind to do it the next day. Snorty came back, and ate a sackful of corn for his supper. He liked the pink wall very much.
'Have you heard me roar?' he asked the elf suddenly, longing to give the cheeky little creature a real fright.
'No,' said Twinkle. 'Do roar a bit.'
So the dragon roared his loudest. Well, if you can imagine ten good thunderstorms, mixed up with a thousand dustbin-lids all crashing to the ground at once, and about five hundred dinner-plates breaking at the same time, you can guess a little bit what the dragon's roaring was like. It was really immense.
'What do you think of that?' asked Snorty, when he had finished.
'Well,' said Twinkle, 'how do you expect me to hear you roar when you just whisper like that? I could hardly hear you!'
The dragon was so angry at this cheeky speech that he lifted Twinkle up and opened his mouth and blew smoke all over him. That made the elf angry, and he ran into a corner, very red in the face, making up his mind to play a trick on the dragon the very first chance he had!
The dragon went to bed, and soon the awful sound of his snoring filled the cave. Twinkle couldn't possibly go to sleep, so he looked round for something naughty to do _ and he saw the dragon's two pet geese at the end of the cave, their heads tucked under their wings. They were fine birds, as white as snow.
'Ha!' said Twinkle at once. 'I'll paint them punk. That will give old Snorty a fine shock in the morning!'
So he woke up the geese and painted the two surprised birds a brilliant pink. They looked very strange when they were finished. Then Twinkle looked round for something else to paint. He saw the dragon's cat, a great black creature, snoozing by the fire. What fun it would be to give it a pink tail and pink whiskers!
No sooner said than done! Twinkle dipped the cat's whiskers into his paint-pot and then dipped in the tail. What a dreadful sight the poor cat looked!
But that wasn't enough for Twinkle _ no, he must do something even more daring than that! He would paint the dragon's beautiful brow tail! So he stole up to the snoring dragon and painted his tail a vivid pink from beginning to end. It didn't suit the dragon a bit!
Then Twinkle hid in a corner to see what the dragon would say. All the pink would easily wash off, so, after the first shock, perhaps the dragon would laugh and think Twinkle was a daring elf.
But, dear me, goodness gracious, buttons and buttercups, stars and moon! The dragon didn't think it was funny, or daring, or clever, or anything else! As soon as he woke up and saw his pink geese, his pink-tailed and pink- whiskered cat, and his own terrible pink tail, he flew into the most dreadful rage that was ever seen!
He roared so loudly that the mountain not far away had its top broken off with the shock. He blew out so much smoke that everyone for miles around wondered where the thick fog came from. He shot flames from his mouth and very nearly burned up his cave, his geese, his cat, himself and poor, frightened Twinkle!
That silly little elf was really almost scared out of his skin. Who would have thought that Snorty would make such a fuss! Goodness gracious! Snorty roared again, and blew out more smoke. Then he began to look for that naughty little Twinkle. Twinkle saw two great red eyes like engine-lamps coming towards him, and he picked up his pot of paint and fled!
How he ran! How he flew! How he jumped and bounded and skipped! And after him galloped Snorty the Dragon, smoke and flames flying behind him and terrible roars filling the air. Right through Fairyland they went, the two of them, for Twinkle didn't dare to stop for a minute.
At last the elf came to the gate of Fairyland itself, and he flew over it. The dragon came up to the gate and roared to the gate-keeper to open it for him _ but the pixie shook his head.
'No dragons allowed out of Fairyland,' he said.
'Very well, then, I shall sit here and wait for Twinkle to came back,' roared the dragon, and down he sat, just inside the gate. And there he is still. Waiting for the elf to come creeping back again.
But Twinkle is afraid to go back. So he lives in our world now, and he is really quite happy, using his paint and paintbrush all the year round. And what do you think he does? You have often seen his work, though you may not have known it. He paints the tips of the little white daisies on our lawns and in our fields! Got and look for them _ you are sure to find a pretty, pink-tipped one. Then you will know that that mischievous elf, Twinkle, is somewhere near. Call him and see if he comes!
