Skip, Dear Ellie

Sometimes, singing a little ditty keeps the monsters at bay!

Once upon a time, there was a little girl named Ellie, who loved camping during the day but not so much at night. Her brother, Ben, told her that “they” came out at night.

“Watch out for wild Transylvanian boars,” he told her. “Don’t let them come after you. You have to scare them away.”

“Oh, no!” said Ellie.

“Watch out for the people-eating oryx,” said Ben. “Make yourself look big and mean. Don’t let their horns get you.”

“Oh, dear!” said Ellie.

“And, most definitely watch out for the screaming jackelopes,” said Ben. “Sneak up on them and then yell at them like you mean business.”

“Oh, brother,” said her sister, Miranda. Everything was zipped up for the night. The tent was zipped. The sleeping bags were zipped. Even Ben’s mouth was zipped because he had fallen asleep. That’s when it happened.

“I have to go to the bathroom,” Ellie whispered. “Then go,” said Miranda.

“I’m scared,” said Ellie.

“There’s nothing to be scared of,” said Miranda. “Come with me, then,” said Ellie.

“No, I’m sleepy. You go,” said Miranda, as she scootched deeper into her sleeping bag. “Just sing a brave song. It’s only ten long steps to the loo. You can skip to it.”

Ellie unzipped her bag. Then she unzipped the tent. She slipped on her shoes. It was so quiet outside. Ten steps to the loo.

Ellie took a step, and then another.

“One, two, skip to the loo,” she sang quietly and bravely.

“Three, four—watch for wild boar.”

Ellie looked in the bushes. Something rustled. Something hairy. Something scary.

Ellie knew she had to be brave.

“You aren’t going to get me, you wild Transylvanian boar, you!” said Ellie, as she ran towards the bushes as fast as she could.

The boar ran in the opposite direction. Ellie didn’t know it was just a scared little squirrel.

“Whew,” said Ellie. She took another step and began to sing again.

“Five, six, hit the road, oryx!”

Ellie saw something behind a tree. She thought she saw teeth. Big, mean teeth.

Ellie spread her feet apart and stood like a Sumo wrestler about to fight.

“I am much, much bigger than people-eating oryxes!” she told the oryx.

The oryx ran in the opposite direction. Ellie didn’t know it was actually a cute rabbit.

“Whew!” said Ellie, and she started to sing again. “Seven, eight, I’m not jackelope bait!”

Sure enough, just a few steps away from the outhouse something was hiding in the grass.

Ellie knew what to do. She didn’t take her last two steps. Instead, she quietly snuck around the outhouse and up behind the jackelope. He did not see her coming.

“Hey, you, jackelope! Away with you!” Ellie yelled at the top of her lungs.

The jackelope didn’t have a chance. It let out a screech just like Uncle Johnny had the time he saw a deer mouse in his kitchen. The jackelope took two steps back, tripped and fell to the ground. It wasn’t a jackelope at all! It was Ellie’s brother Ben, who was lying in wait, trying to scare Ellie.

And with that Ellie finished her song, “Nine, ten—i made it, Ben!” and then closed the door to the outhouse.

“Skip to the loo, dear Ellie!” sang Ellie from inside, and that was that. ■