Home of The Naughty Stories Series
One day, Laila brought some mushrooms home. “Where did you get those?” said her mother. “I picked them in the woods.” “The mushrooms are poisonous,” said her mother, throwing them in the bin. “Promise me you won’t pick them again.” A few days later, Laila was out again in the woods when she met an …
On Gnomes Gnomes, according to legend, live underground or in little holes in the mountains. The gnomes of the Garden, however, love trees. The trees and indeed the bushes are all very talkative. Ash trees are known as “Russells” because of the sound they make. Willow trees go swish or wish and so are “Wishes”. …
The Wolf’s Howl The Wolf is a strange and fearsome beast; it hunts in packs and kills without mercy. Many creatures in the Garden are afraid of the Wolf. When they hear the howl of the wolf, they quake in their boots, cover their eyes with their hooves or wake crying from a nightmare they …
The Garden Paths One cannot deny, as the poet once said, there is pleasure in the pathless woods. Here in the Garden the pathless parts of the wood are not always safe, although I have no doubt they contain many pleasures. These pleasures one can enjoy from the safety of the paths, and yet the …
On Music Once upon a time the Garden was all black and white. When Anatole arrived here, he brought with him the colour of otherworldly music. First, there were the records, which the gnomes called CRACKLES. “What is this strange sound?” they asked as their legs began involuntarily to dance. “Why, this is Dixie Land,” …
On the Treehouse To the gnomes, it goes without saying, the clearing is a special, even sacred place. No one is permitted, they say, to live within its bounds. To which I reply: if no one is permitted to live within its bounds, who is to say that one cannot live above it? If that …
On Choices In life, as in the Garden, one does not always have a choice. One is born into a family, one grows up in a town, and one goes to school. These are never our choices. But there always comes a time when one has to make choices. One can make a choice that …
Gnomisms Bole Bop – a gnome dance A Beebop – any kind of musical instrument The Bole Hall – the gnomes’ gathering place Butter Girls – ethereal maidens who serve Twang and live at the Wet Cornies – unicorns Crackles – LPs or records Dumdums – fauns and satyrs Fuzzy whirls – croquet balls GRs …