The Monster of Castle McToot

When Sachmo opened his eyes the next day

He went to the window straightaway.

Over the woods the lake shone bright.

No sign of the monster he saw last night.

He rushed to find Hamish ‘What is it Sachmo?

You’re looking quite flushed.’ Sachmo spoke slow.

‘You’ll think I’m mad, but last night I glanced

Out of the window and a monster danced!’

‘The monster of Loch McToot you saw.

‘Monster?‘ Said Sachmo. ‘Please tell me more.’

‘It’s not very often she makes herself seen.’

‘I saw her dancing. She still looked mean.’

‘I wonder if she’ll come out today.

Why don’t we all go down that way.

Gather yon mice. We’ll all go to the lake.

We’ll go for a picnic. A nice little break.’

The mice scuttled round, filling a hamper.

They hurried along with a happy scamper

Gathering, bread, cheese, ham and cake.

Lots of goodies for them to take

Down to the lake to enjoy the view.

(Only Hamish and Sachmo knew

What the mice were likely to see.)

The hamper was filled, a flask full of tea.

They all left the castle, down to the wood.

The view to the lake was awfully good.

The followed Hamish who led the way.

‘Keep to the path. Make sure you don’t stray.’

The mice followed close but soon heard a shout.

They turned around to see feet poking out

Of a hole in the ground, right by a tree.

‘Help!’ yelled Sachmo. ‘I can’t get myself free.’

The lads grabbed on to his long mouse tail

And pulled Sachmo out. He looked quite pale.

‘Oh thank you,’ he said and sat on the ground

As a rabbit popped up. They all looked round.

‘I wanted to see where that rabbit went,

So I followed it but the tree trunk bent

And I tripped and fell and got quite stuck.’

‘Oh Sachmo, you really have bad luck.’

‘I say,’ said Bongo. ‘What’s that there?

Sticking out of that rabbit’s lair.’

Bongo bent down in front of the hole

And pulled something out, all in a roll.

‘I say,’ said Monty. ‘What can it be?’

‘It looks very much like a map to me,’

‘I wonder if it’s treasure,’ said Keys.

‘Oh let’s go look,’ said Tina. ‘Please.’

‘We can’t look now, Hamish is waiting.

We’ll take it to Scriffy,’ said Monty, debating

Where on earth he could keep the map

And he pushed it quickly under his cap.

The mice ran off to where Hamish stood,

By the lake outside the big wood.

They all sat down. Hamish started to play.

The mice all hummed and started to sway.

Then all of a sudden they all saw a head

Pop out of the water. ‘Look out!’ They said.

But Hamish stood where he was and played

As the mice stood still. Very afraid.

Fiddlina’s hair stood quite on end,

While Quiffy’s quiff started to bend.

Bongo held on to his drums really tight,

While Keys looked on, looking awfully white.

Tich, Tupper and Tina all went to hide

While Monty and Twangy just stood side by side.

All of them watching a monster humungous.

‘ Hamish, don’t let him come here among us!’

The monster looked down with huge big eyes,

Then gave a sniff, and the loudest of cries.

Oh no! That monster’s eyeing the mice!

Is it naughty or is it nice?

Do the mice need to run away?

We’ll find that out another day.

Happy Bongoween!

The mice in the castle were rushing around.

A party was planned in the castle ground.

‘Now yon mice,’ said Hamish that day.

‘There’ll be lots of mice who’ll want you to play,

But you must all have your fancy dress.

And make it good. Be sure to impress.’

 The mice all thought of what they could do.

They had lots of paper and pots of glue.

Bongo rushed to the kitchen to find

The costume which he had in his mind.

After lots of scraping, cutting and din,

He turned himself in to a grand pumpkin.

Fiddlina got black paper and card.

Making her costume was awfully hard.

She cut a big circle, and fixed it with glue.

Then cut a triangle and a long strip too.

She put it all on. ‘I love it!’ said Tich

As she was transformed to a mousical witch.

Keys had a plan for what he could wear.

He cut out a cape, put lard in his hair.

He coloured his face, and then had to stop.

Then off to the kitchen he had to pop.

He put macaroni over two teeth,

And his Dracula costume was then complete.

Quiffy sat and thought for a while,

Then went to the study and looked at the pile

On all of the rugs the he could find.

Then picked three out that he could bind.

He glued two together, put one on his head.

His Werewolf costume would knock them all dead.

Sachmo picked up paper and glue.

The first part of his costume was easy to do.

Then he went out to Hamish’s shed

Before putting the cardboard over his head.

He carefully fixed his collar with twine

And turned himself in to Frankenstein.

Tich, Tupper and Tina ran off upstairs.

They knew that’s where they’d find their wares.

Tich was careful to cut things out

Then covered the mice and gave a shout.

He covered himself they were all done.

Three mice ghosts  to enjoy the fun.

Twangy thought and ran upstairs,

And found some old pyjamas he wears.

He ran back down in to the hall,

Then the kitchen and he had it all.

Red pyjamas, fork a pointy tail,

Made from an envelope from the mail.

He was very pleased he looked the part:

A mouse devil would give the mice quite a start.

Monty gathered bulbs and tins

And bashed them together with lots of pins.

He moulded them carefully, with some help.

When a pin went astray he gave a big yelp.

When he was finished he moved very slow,

But his Halloween robot was ready to go.

Hamish was organising all the fun.

He’d laid out the games, one by one.

A contest to make the best pumpkin house

With a pumpkin prize to the winning mouse.

Apple bobbing, pin the tail on the cat,

And who can make the scariest hat.

He’d Halloween punch and pumpkin pie,

And toffee apples, a cake piled up high.

The guests all arrived, all shapes and sizes

In costumes and outfits in all disguises.

Pumpkins and skeletons, witches and ghosts

Enjoyed the evening and danced with their hosts.

The mice bobbing for apples got terribly wet,

Soggy ghosts all bobbing to see what they’d get.

Some skeleton mice were eating the pie,

While pumpkins and witches were jumping up high.

Toffee apples were sticking to things

And the cake had lost it’s icy bat wings.

A zombie mouse made the scariest hat,

And a tiny mouse ghost pinned the tail on a cat.

At stroke of midnight they all sat round

And listened to tales – wait! What was that sound?

A canny old mice sat and told tales

Of old fashioned monsters with big fat tails.

Sachmo looked out of the window and thought

He saw in the moonlight a monster of sorts

Down in the lake, next to the wood.

He blinked his eyes, then sure he could

See the monster dance? That just couldn’t be?

The other mice were listening hard

To the tales being told, by the little mouse bard.

No one had seen what Sachmo had

He didn’t tell them. They’d think he was mad.

The party went on until very late

And the mice all danced and sang and ate.

They had such fun they were all worn out

And went up to bed without any doubt

It was the best party for Halloween

That any of them had ever seen.

Breakfast at Castle McToot

The mice all woke up, early and bright

And checked poor Sachmo had had a good night.

He sat up in bed. So much better

‘Sachmo. You’re well. I think we should get a

Hearty breakfast to set you right.

You must be hungry after such a fright.’

Sachmo nodded and got out of bed,

While Twangy looked at the bump on his head.

‘Come on everyone. I think it’s this way,’

And off they went to start their day.

They wandered downstairs to find their friend.

They walked the house from end to end

And went through rooms very fast

Until they found the kitchen at last.

Hamish was standing stirring a pot.

‘Good morning, young mice. Yon porridge is hot’

‘Porridge?’ they said. ‘We’ve never had that,’

While Hamish filled bowls with a great big splat.

Now the mice had never had porridge before

And so they weren’t terribly sure

How to eat the thick stodgy mess,

But they each of them tried their very best.

Bongo picked up a small, salt pot.

Then spotted the sugar, not sure what

He should have with porridge the best.

He tried them both then had a test.

The salt had made it awfully bitter

And made him jump so his elbow hit a

Corner of the table, and, Oh no!

Porridge landed on his best bongo.

Twangy was careful with his bowl

And decided that hot was better than cold.

He bent down low and thought he’d cry.

He still got porridge on his fancy new tie.

Fiddlina ate hers bending down low

But still got dollops in her nice shiny bow.

Tich sat and watched from one to the other

As Tina flicked hers at her brother.

Tupper endured it as long as he dare,

Then tipped his porridge in Tina’s hair.

Quiffy watched the mice carefully

To try to figure out a way that he

Could eat his porridge. Oh despair!

He still combed a blob of it into his hair.

Keys took his gloves off before tucking in.

He scooped and he stirred with a terrible din.

With every scrape of food from the bowl

He got more porridge on his fresh bread roll.

Sachmo of course, faired no better.

He thought his needed to be wetter.

He poured in milk. Stirred it round

And half his porridge went on the ground.

Monty stood back and watched a bit

Then a dollop of porridge swiftly hit

Him on the specs. He left the fuss

And took some toast to the Bongo bus.

Hamish stood and watched in awe.

He’d never seen such a mess before.

‘you poor wee mice have missed a treat.

It’s obvious ye’ve never had porridge to eat.

Let’s get cleaned up and make a snack

Then take a walk to the lake and back.’

The mice washed and swept and wiped and cleaned

Until the kitchen once more gleamed.

Castle McToot and a New Friend

Meet nine little mice who travel the land.

Collectively called The Bongo Mouse Band.

There’s Bongo, Keys, Tupper, Tich & Tina,

And Sachmo, Twangy, Quiffy, Fiddlina.

They’re making their name wherever they go

With their own impromptu mousical show.

Monty Snuffles drove the new bus.

He drove it with pride and minimum fuss.

He stopped now and then to wind up the key,

And the band all got off. They wanted to see

All the sights as they trundled along.

Then back on the bus with a Bongoly song.

Their first trip out was a very long way.

It took them almost the entire day.

They travelled through mountains, lots of grass,

Looked at lakes, and watched cows go passed.

As it got dark Monty looked for a place

Where they’d spend the night. He slowed the pace

Of the Bongo bus, so the mice could see

Where a nice place to spend the night would be.

They came to a castle with lakes and a wood.

‘This is nice.’ Said Bongo.  ‘It might be good’

The mice all got off and looked at the view.

They looked at the castle. ‘I wonder who

Lives here,’ Said Keys, and knocked on the door.

Then gently pushed it with a quizzical paw.

‘Hello!’ he shouted. ‘Anyone here?’

Then they heard a noise, really quite queer.

‘Listen,’ said Sax. ‘What on earth is that sound?’

And the mice all stopped and listened around.

A dance tune was playing but what had they heard?

They all stood and listened, not saying a word.

They looked round the room, and all that they saw

Ornaments and armour on a plinth on the floor.

They all looked around at the bits on display.

Some books and vases and things on a tray.

The trio all went to look at the armour.

Tina was worried in case it might harm her.

She looked at it with a worrisome stare.

‘I hope it’s not real,’ she said and hid

Behind a very large bin with a very large lid.

‘Don’t worry,’ said Tupper, ‘They’ll do you no harm,’

As he tapped at the armour and off fell an arm.

Tich climbed up to get a good look,

And poked at the armour and undid a hook.

The helmet wobbled. ‘Be Careful,’ he said

As the helmet fell off on to poor Sachmo’s head.

Poor Sachmo was stunned and stood terribly quiet.

‘Let’s pull it off.’ Said Bongo. ‘Just try it.’

Keys grabbed the helmet tight on both sides.

The harder he tugged, made Sachmo cross eyed.

‘It’s no use.’ He said.  ‘It’s stuck on there hard.’

‘I know.’ said Fiddlina. ‘We need some lard.’

‘Where can we get some?’ Said Tich looking round.

Then they all stopped short as they heard a sound.

‘Hello’ said a voice. ‘Do you all need a hand?

I’m Hamish McToot and this is my land’

‘So pleased to meet you’ said Quiffy, ‘Our friend

Is in trouble. Could we ask you to lend

Us some lard to help can get him free?’

‘Of course’ Said Hamish. ‘I’ll just go and see.’

Off went the mouse while poor Sachmo sat.

Desperate to be rid of the big metal hat.

‘Here you go,’ said Hamish, and he handed around

Huge glops of lard which they all spread around

The helmet and Sachmo and gave a huge tug,

And out popped his head and he sat on the rug.

‘Are you ok?’ Hamish asked. ‘You look a bit dazed,’

As Sachmo sat, his eyes slightly glazed.

‘He needs a lie down. Let’s get him to bed

He’s had quite a shock with that blow to the head.’

They went up the stairs, down a long corridor

Until Hamish opened a huge wooden door.

‘Bring him in here. The bed’s made up new

And the window affords a wonderful view’.

The mice tucked Sachmo in nice and tight

And hoped that he’d have a very good night.

They all went downstairs with their new found friend,

To leave Sachmo alone to sleep and to mend.

‘You’ll all have to stop over tonight as well.

You’re all tired and hungry. That I can tell’

Hamish showed them all where to sleep,

And before long they were all sleeping deep

And dreaming of tomorrow, adventures anew

With Hamish McToots and his wonderful view.

What will they do when Sachmo is well?

Well only tomorrow and time will tell.

A Very Special Celebration

Fiddlina rushed in. Her face all aglow

‘it’s a boy!’ she yelled. And twiddled her bow.

The band gave a cheer and all settled down.

‘What do we do?’ said Tich with a frown.

‘How about we bake a nice cake?’

‘Or something cuddly. What can we make?’

‘We can always make a nice big card?’

Said Quiffy. ‘That won’t be too hard.’

The mice all nodded and scurried away

To get string and paper, card and clay.

Quiffy laid out lots of bits of card

And stuck them with tape to keep them hard.

Keys and Bongo got big felt pens

And drew lots of lines at all the ends.

Sachmo got lots of glitter and glue

And stuck most of it to the top of his shoe.

Quiffy started drawing a teddy bear

But wasn’t too sure what teddy bear’s wear.

Twangy thought hard about what he could do

Then decided to colour in lots of blue.

Tich thought hard and wrote a few words

While Tupper drew lots of pretty bluebirds

Fiddlina and Tina had lots of fun

Gluing flowers all over, until it was done.

They were all very pleased with their work at the end,

And off to the post box the card to send

What had they put in the card you say?

They’re celebrating a special day.

Congratulations to Kate and Wills

Young baby George brought lot of thrills.

The mice hope that lots of joy he’ll bring,

And can’t wait to see young George become king

We're back real soon

The Bongo Band are making plans.

They’ve not forgotten all their fans.

They’re busy playing, having fun,

Adventures to be told to everyone.

So please come back. The band are well

And soon will have a tale to tell

Of Mouse adventures, tales and song.

They promise you – it won’t be long