March’s Guest Storyteller, Penny Howe

Penny Howe

Penny’s education/experience is primarily marketing. A serious book lover and reader of books, she says “If I am a true expert at anything, it would be reading books”. A consultant in marketing/writing/editing, her work time is spent alternately between clients and blog writing. She says “I’ve been the person behind the scenes first as a business owner of a marketing/advertising firm and then as a private consultant.” With several books in the works, she will be published in the near future.

The following she wrote for fun. It is for those young at heart who are familiar with Dr. Seuss, his birthday was this week, and of course the famous television series “Dr. Who”. I hope you enjoy.

Blog: www.thewhyaboutthis.com

Horton
Illustration copyright © Nick Holmes

Horton Hears a TARDIS

The day started out simply pleasant.
In fact Horton knew it was great.
His favoritest meal,
the bestest real deal,
was of course a nut full of plates! (actually it’s “a plate full of nuts” but then it wouldn’t rhyme would it. Hello?)

Suddenly, Horton hears a strange sound
and thinks to himself “Oh, no …
not Whoville again?
They just would not send …
in fact, this time I’ll refuse to go.”

It turns out it wasn’t the Whoville
but rather “Dr Who” that arrived.
In his TARDIS he came.
Horton hardly could blame,
the Whovilles for who was inside.

And so Horton looked at the TARDIS
and then, of course, at Dr Who.
He said, “No offense,
and don’t think me dense
but, exactly, Who are you?”

Of course Dr. Who replied, “Brilliant!
What a capital elephant you be,
for though we’ve just met,
you already get,
the person, of course, ‘Who’ is me!”

And Horton looked first at the TARDIS
and once again at Doctor Who.
Still shaking his head,
he wished for his bed,
replied one more time, “Who…are you?”

“Yes I am,” the good doctor responded,
“and most happy to meet you am I.
If you really don’t mind,
and would be so kind,
we must wait for the Daleks to arrive.”

Now Horton, as you know, is a thinker.
Deep thoughts are really his forte,
but Dr Who was a puzzle,
and, in a bit of a fuzzle,
Horton knew not what to say.

And so Dr. Who told him the story,
the Daleks were bad guys, he knew.
Horton told them (Dr. Who and his companions) to stay
and they left the next day (actually it was longer, but that doesn’t rhyme either)
the TARDIS, the Daleks, and Dr. Who.

Well Horton was glad when they vanished
back to whenever they were from.
Now when Horton listens,
he’s not listening for a Who,
but rather the sound of the drums (spoiler).

(you’ve gotta’ watch the TV series to figure the last line out!)

#

Sarah says: Many thanks, Penny, for contributing this most amusing children’s story-in-rhyme to the guest storyteller slot this month. I’m a huge fan of both doctors, Seuss and Who, as are my grown-up offspring and my grandchildren.

It might interest you to know that I’ve watched every episode of Dr Who since its debut screening on British TV on 23rd November, 1963. After the first series, I had to suffer my younger brother walking around in a Dalek costume, threatening to exterminate me!

#

You can find the links to previous guest storyteller posts at https://sarahpotterwrites.com/guest-storytellers-2/

Author: Sarah Potter Writes

Sarah is a British eccentric who writes offbeat fiction, haiku and tanka poetry. When stuck for words, she sketches or paints instead. She's into nature conservation, sustainability, gardening, dogs, natural health, and reading. Her sociability is something that happens in short bursts with long breathing spaces in between.

18 thoughts on “March’s Guest Storyteller, Penny Howe”

  1. Wonderful poem this Penny! I used to read Dr Suess books all the time to my children and remember Horton well. A very clever merging of Horton and Dr Who I must say 🙂 Although I adored Dr Who as a child – despite being petrified of the Daleks and the Cybermen (and had to laugh at the image of your brother chasing you Sarah in his Dalek outfit!) but I’ve never seen any of the new ones! Not sure why. But I will never remember those days of hiding behind the sofa and who can forget the music when the Tardis appeared? Great stuff, wonderful post, thanks Penny and Sarah!!

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    1. Somehow thought you’d enjoyed this, Sherri! Oooo, the image of you hiding behind the sofa …
      Being a tomboy as a child, who liked reading “Amazing Stories” (some very freaky ones, like a wall of flesh that sucked passers-by into it), the Daleks and the Cybermen seemed very un-scary in comparison. My brother certainly failed to frighten me with his Dalek costume — only irritate me, as little brothers can do.
      What did scare me was the wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. One of my relatives gave me a book that had a horrid wolf on the front cover, all shaggy with the meanest teeth ever. When I had a high fever once, I saw the wolf sitting by my bed, preparing to pounce and eat me. I could even smell its breath and hear its growling. It was so, so, so real.
      Later, when working in psychiatry, the memory of this experience gave me an inkling of what some schizophrenics must suffer, re terrifying hallucinations.

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      1. Goodness Sarah, that wolf sounds absolutely terrifying! I was a tomboy too, but robot-like things have always made me feel really uncomfortable. To this day, the crab-like robot in Robocop (the original corney 80s version) terrifies me!!! So silly I know! But yes, hallucinations must be horrendous, when as real as that and I can certainly see how your experience helped you better understand those who suffer from them. Hope you never saw that wolf again though :/

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      2. No, I didn’t see that particular wolf again, Sherri, but the Alsatian that attacked my dog when she was a puppy looked like a wolf, so now both of us are scared of cranky dogs that resemble wolves D:

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      4. She nearly died from an abscess that formed as a result of a bite. Being a Labrador puppy, she wanted to be friends with every dog (and cat!). I guess her experience with the Alsatian would be classed as near-fatal trial and error learning. The same went for when a vicious tomcat ambushed her and chased her around a lamppost. I guess it’s the same as for humans — the baby born innocent, then the toddler, then the schoolchild, slowly learning that they can’t trust everybody. Sad, but necessary for survival of the species.

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    1. My granddaughter was so in love with David Tennant when he played the part of the Doctor, that she spent all her pocket money, plus birthday and Christmas money, on Dr Who memorabilia. To her great good fortune, there was a shop dedicated to him within walking distance of her house!
      So in our family we have three generations of Dr Who fans. The same goes for Monty Python’s Flying Circus. In fact, with the latter, it’s four generations, as my mother is a fan, too.
      I love things that stand the test of time (not an intentional pun there!).

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      1. Indeed. At last year’s ComiCon, my nieces (both of them animators with a booth) met members of the show. They were thrilled, to say the least!

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      3. Indeed! Between that and meeting “Daryl” from the Walking Dead (one niece drew a picture of him and gave it to him) – they were fit to be tied!

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  5. Hi Sarah, thank you again for the honor you’ve paid me this month. I am most appreciative, also for the wonderful comments your readers have left. Again, my sincere thanks for an opportunity to share some fun! 🙂 xx

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