Charlie B. Dinkle's Delightful Adventure

Ch. 4 ~ The Swaggy Squiggly

Chapter 4

    The previous Molly B. Smith was ready. She didn’t feel like she actually changed – even though she kind of did – she just felt better. Improved. Who she should really be; magical.

   “OK, invisible lady,” she announced. “Open the gates to a new, exciting world for me! I am ready!”

   The woman’s nice voice didn’t reply. Instead, a huge, fancy, gold gate grew from the ground right in front of Charlie. Then the gate unlocked itself, and swung open. By the way the gates were shining, Charlie thought they were actually inviting her to the world within it.

   So Charlie accepted the invitation, and walked through the heavenly gates.

   Charlie felt her feet – which still had sandals on them since she didn’t ask to change them – being tickled by long, lush grass. She’d had her eyes squeezed shut while she went in, so that whatever was inside could be a surprise for her. Now, she opened them and was absolutely blown away.

   If an eagle passed over Charlie, it would only see her as a tiny speck on the ground compared to the GIGANTIC grassy hill she was standing on. The hill stretched on for miles and was scattered with all sorts of candies. The trees grew caramel-covered apples and the daffodils and flowers looked like lollipops. Above Charlie’s head, was a light, bright, blue sky with plenty of pink cotton candy clouds floating around.

   “Oh my gosh!” Charlie exclaimed. She ran over to the nearest daisy she saw and popped it into her mouth. Mm, it tasted like orange gumdrops. Next, a handful of grass. Ooh, minty sweetness. How strange.

   “Look at those apples,” Molly – oh bother, I keep forgetting; it’s Charlie, Charlie! – said to herself, licking her lips. Even from a distance she could see the rich caramel glint in the sunlight, layering each juicy apple with golden yumminess. The apples hung on a big tree perfect for climbing.

   So Charlie B. Dinkle decided she would climb her fist tree in the new magical world. Standing under the tree, however, she heard a rumble from underneath her feet. The she felt the rumble underneath her feet.

   Suddenly, from right under the earth Charlie was standing on, a giant super-worm popped its enormous head out of the dirt.

   “Whoa!” Since Charlie had been standing right on top of the place this worm had decided to come out, she found herself standing on the top of its gigantic head as it went up. She was surprised that the head wasn’t gooey or sticky like most worms, but actually quite fuzzy and soft.

   “Oh halloo,” said the super-worm. It had a deep, slow, lazy voice. “I’m just up for a sniff of fresh air, don’t mind me. How do you do, little bunny?”

   “I’m alright, I suppose,” she replied. The super-worm was very furry and fuzzy and was covered with green and purple stripes. It had two tiny black eyes with a pair of tiny round glasses to fit. “I was just going to get an apple.”

   “Ooh, an apple, huh?” boomed the super-worm. “I want one, too, bunny buddy. I’ve always wanted one, actually, but I don’t have any arms to get me one.” The fuzzy worm twitched the front of his head – where his nose would’ve been had a worm had one – to make the small, wire-rimmed glasses stay put.

   “I can get you one too if you’d like,” offered Charlie. Super-worm was delighted with her offer.

   “Yes, please! Here, let me help.” Super-worm wriggled out of his hole in the ground and stood straight, like an upright pencil. This way, his full wormy fuzzy body was coming out, making him taller and taller. Along with him, Charlie went higher and higher, till she reached the top of the apple tree, where the yummiest apples were waiting. Charlie B. Dinkle plucked two apples – one for her, and one for super-worm.

   “Can you hold it to my mouth? So I can take a bite?” Super-worm asked. Charlie agreed and bent down to hold the apple in front of the worm’s mouth.

   “Hurry! My hands are getting sticky from the caramel,” Charlie said.

   Munch! Crunch! Super-worm ate the entire apple in two bites. Boy, was his mouth huge!

   “Mmm.” Super-worm licked his lips. “Thank you, little bunny friend. Say, you’re a funny bunny – exactly what kind of bunny are you?”

   “I’m not a bunny at all,” Charlie said. “I’m a girl. My name is Charlie B. Dinkle. Like sprinkle.”

   “Pleased to meet you,” said super-worm in his deep, slow voice. “I am Swiggle P. Giggle, the striped squiggly. But my friends call me Swaggy Swiggy.”

   “Because you’re cool like that?” asked Charlie.

   “Because I’m cool like that,” confirmed Swaggy Swiggy. “Hey, I should introduce you to my friends. They’re striped squiggles like me. And swaggy. Just not as much as me.”

   “But I need to see the unicorns!” wailed Charlie. I may have forgotten to inform you before but Charlie’s main quest to come to this marvelous magical world was to see the unicorns. She’d made it her reason for being here.

   “Those silly horses with wands on their heads?” Swaggy Swiggy said with disgust. By his tone, he didn’t seem very fond of unicorns. “Forget them. We striped squiggles are more exciting.”

   Charlie’s favorite word made her perk up and hesitate about her decision – exciting. What if the striped squiggles were awfully exciting? Then she most certainly didn’t want to miss it.

   “Oh, alright,” Charlie said, giving in. “I’ll come with you. But then I’m off to the unicorns.”

   “Whatever,” answered Swaggy Swiggy. “Hold onto my fuzziness – it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

   With that, Charlie barely had gathered her wits to clutch the fuzz on Swiggy’s head before he jumped into the air – wormy body and whole – and dived head-first back into the hole in the ground.