by Joshua Hawkins –
Will spent all morning looking for his favorite toy, Wonder Guy. He dug through his toy box. He fished through the laundry basket. He even looked in the bathtub. Wonder Guy had disappeared.
“Mom, do you know where Wonder Guy is?” Will asked.
“He’s probably hiding in the couch,” Mom said.
Will tossed couch cushions left and right. He found crayons and old crackers, but no Wonder Guy.
“Dad, have you seen Wonder Guy?” Will asked.
“I saw a Wonder Guy in the mirror this morning,” Dad said.
Will looked in the mirror, but all he saw was Will. No Wonder Guy.
“Grandpa, I can’t find Wonder Guy anywhere,” Will grumbled.
“Maybe he’s on a secret mission to save the world,” Grandpa said.
“But Wonder Guy never goes on missions without me.”
Grandpa shrugged. “Is he playing with Marie and her dolls?”
“No way, Wonder Guy doesn’t play with dolls!”
Grandpa raised one eyebrow. He leaned forward and whispered, “Wonder Guy must be with…the Toy Troll!”
Will stiffened. “What’s the Toy Troll?”
“The Toy Troll is an ancient creature,” Grandpa said. “He has a crooked body with cobwebby hair and eyebrows! He’s so sneaky no one ever sees him. And he loves toys.”
Grandpa leaned so close to Will their noses almost touched. “If you leave your toys out, the Toy Troll will take them to his troll hole and keep them for himself.”
Will gasped and hurried through the house. None of his toys were out where he had left them.
“Grandpa, Wonder Guy and my toys are gone!” he wailed.
Grandpa patted his head. “Will, I forgot to tell you something about the Toy Troll. He likes do-overs.”
“What are do-overs?” Will asked.
“Do-overs are magic! Do-overs fix mistakes. A do-over is a way to say you’re sorry and make things better,” Grandpa explained.
Will thought for a minute. He smelled something yummy in the air and got an idea.
“Does the Toy Troll like cookies?” he asked.
“Yes,” Grandpa replied. “Especially chocolate chip cookies. In fact, he loves cookies even more than he loves toys!”
Will found a pencil and paper and whispered in Grandpa’s ear. Grandpa wrote: Dear Toy Troll, I’m sorry. Please bring back Wonder Guy and all my other toys. Will
Will snatched the paper and zoomed off. “Come and see!”
Grandpa shuffled into the kitchen. He saw the note next to a plate of cookies on the table. He reached for a cookie.
“No, Grandpa!” Will scolded. “Those are for the Toy Troll!”
“You’re right!” Grandpa laughed. “This is a great do-over. If you go play outside for awhile, I bet the Toy Troll will bring your stuff back.”
Will headed for the door. “Grandpa, if the Toy Troll is so sneaky, how do you know what he looks like?”
Grandpa’s eyes got as big as baseballs. “Lucky guess,” he mumbled. “Now shoo!”
Will ran outside. He climbed the tree and raced three laps around the house before coming back inside.
“Yippee!” On the table stood Wonder Guy and other toys surrounded by cookie crumbs. Will gathered everything in his arms and headed down the hallway. “Look, Grandpa!”
Grandpa chuckled and patted his belly. “What did I tell you?”
“I better go and put my toys away before the Toy Troll comes again,” Will said.
Just then Will’s sister Marie came into the room. “I can’t find my princess dolly,” she pouted.
Grandpa raised his eyebrow, and Will smiled. “C’mon Marie!” He took his sister by the hand and pulled her toward the kitchen. “Let me tell you about the Toy Troll.”
the end.
Question Time:
1. What toy was Will missing?
2. Who did Grandpa say took Will’s toy?
3. What did Grandpa say Will would have to do to get his toy back?
4. What did Will do for his d0-over?
5. Do you think the Toy Troll is real? Or do you think someone else took they toys?
