ExclusiveThe Magic Cape (III) - Gnomes and Chipmunks

Don't worry, we will use my jet to escape. Grandpa, have you seen my jet? Didn't you have it in your pocket? I can't find it. Mine. Hey, I'm using that. No, mine. Grandpa, she stole my blocks. Yes, it looks like she's having a really good time playing with them. Come on, I need them back. Look, the gnomes need it back for a defence tower. Well, if it's something they really need, it will come back to them. No, it won't. Aunty never shares anything. Have I ever told you the story about the gnomes and the chipmunks? With the magic cape? Of course. Me too. Of course. The gnomes of this particular village were a happy kind. They spent their days taking care of their home and children, foraging the meadow for delicious berries and fishing for acorns in the river nearby. It began when Grandpa Paul and Little Timmy went fishing for acorns. Every gnome knew that good, healthy acorns always sink to the bottom of the river. But Timmy's pocket was coming up with nothing but sand. Grandpa, how come there's no acorns in the river? Grandpa said it was because the chipmunks were storing all the acorns for winter. This is the worst day ever. Suddenly, the line starts to pull. Timmy looked in his bucket in the water and gasped. Definitely something inside. Timmy had caught a real chipmunk. Isn't this the best day ever? But Grandpa Paul wasn't sure. The gnomes knew very little about chipmunks. Let's not get too excited, he told Timmy. Maybe. It's still too early to tell if it's going to be a good thing or a bad thing. It didn't take long for Grandpa Paul to see that the chipmunk brought a lot of joy to the gnome children. I hope he stays with us forever. The children cheered. Perhaps the chipmunk should stay, thought Grandpa Paul. But still don't know if it's a good thing. And so he decided to wait a little longer. Timmy and his three siblings came to feed the chipmunk with a wild strawberry from the meadow. The little chipmunk had never tasted such delicious fruit. It stuffed the berry into his cheeks and took a delightful nap. That's when the oldest sibling said, I love this chipmunk the most. Can it stay in my room? But I want it in my room, cried the second sibling. And my room, cried Timmy. I don't even have a room, cried Zoe, the youngest gnome. Zoe squeezed the chipmunk too hard and it ran back into the forest. This is all your fault, Timmy shouted at Zoe. Let's not be too quick to blame anyone, said Grandpa Paul. Maybe it's a good thing that the chipmunk ran away. How can it be a good thing? Let's wait until tomorrow and see, said Grandpa Paul. Why does he always say maybe? Well, because Paul doesn't really know whether losing the chipmunks was a bad thing or was a good thing. It happened right before lunchtime. Grandpa Paul was leaving his house when he heard a distant chirp. Then another, and another. Look, the chipmunk is back with all of his friends, cheered the gnome children. Now there was a total of 28 chipmunks in the village. And that was enough for every gnome family to have a perfect pet. This is the best thing that has ever happened to our village. But Grandpa Paul again wasn't sure if that was a good thing or a bad thing. So he decided to wait a little longer. Grandpa Paul was taking a stroll after dinner when he noticed that the leaves were turning yellow. The summer days are ending, he thought to himself, and decided to check on the storehouse where the gnomes kept their berries for the winter. As he opened the door, the old gnome nearly lost his beard. All the berries were gone. The chipmunks ate our entire winter supply, cried Grandpa Paul. Then chaos broke out in the village. Who were afraid of the thunder, ran away to the oak forest. The gnomes, who couldn't find their umbrellas, gave up on chasing the critters and stopped by the big leaf. Grandpa Paul told them the bad news. Since the chipmunks ate our berry supply and there are no more strawberries in the meadow, I'm afraid there will be no strawberry jam this winter. This is the worst thing that has ever happened to our village. Everyone agreed the chipmunks were a bad idea. Grandpa Paul was about to agree too, but he realized something. He wasn't sure if it was entirely a bad thing. Let's wait until tomorrow and see what happens, he said. The gnomes awoke to what seemed to be the chirping of birds. But when Grandpa Paul stepped outside, he nearly grew another inch of beard. The chipmunks were back in the village with a surprise. They brought baskets filled with treasures from the oak forest. Now the gnomes had enough food to last them for a whole year. Grandpa, our chipmunks turned out to be a good thing after all. Timmy cheered, but the old gnome stroked his beard. Yay! So the chipmunks turned out to be a good thing then. Yes. And you know what else turned out to be a good thing? You found my jet. You can play with the blocks as long as you want. Yay! Well, it looks like you made her day. Maybe. Yeah, maybe. Good job.