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Word World: The Adventures of Piano and Ditto - a story for lonely children
Word World: The Adventures of Piano and Ditto - a story for lonely children
Word World: The Adventures of Piano and Ditto - a story for lonely children
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Word World: The Adventures of Piano and Ditto - a story for lonely children

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Word World
The Adventures of Piano and Ditto

A lonely child has only a dog-eared dictionary and a gilded-framed mirror to keep him company. Words are his only toys, the reflection in the mirror his only friend. In their company he sets out on a series of adventures, hoping one day to meet the Lord of all Dreamers.

A story for lonely children.
LanguageEnglish
PublisherNoel Gray
Release dateJan 1, 2018
ISBN9788822843920
Word World: The Adventures of Piano and Ditto - a story for lonely children

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    Word World - Noel Gray

    (1825-1909)

    VALLEY OF TALL SMILES

    In a place not far from everywhere stood a shabby house. Nearby was a small valley. Through the valley ran a glittering river, its banks edged by rows of elm trees. It was the end of summer and the trees were sighing in the morning breeze. In the house lived a boy. His name was Piano, and because he was very poor his only toys were a torn dictionary and a tiny mirror with a faded, gilded frame. When he felt lonely he would open his dictionary, close his eyes, and put his finger somewhere on the page. What ever word his finger rested on he would then say it aloud to Ditto, who happened to be Piano’s reflection and best friend. Ditto was very tall. No matter how high Piano held his mirror Ditto’s face was always there, grinning and looking straight down at him.

    One morning Piano sat on the front steps of his house. He flipped open his dictionary, letting his fingers run up and down a column of words. In his other hand he held his mirror. He stared at the words and his eyes became wet because he had no one to play with. Through his tears he saw Ditto’s face in the mirror and he wondered if he was lonely too.

    Would you like to play a game, Piano? suddenly said Ditto as he looked through the mirror and saw that Piano was crying. Ditto’s head and face were golden brown but his body was so faint it was almost invisible. Most reflections had pale bodies unless the mirrors they lived in were very big and caught more of the sun’s light.

    I didn’t know you could speak, Ditto, gasped Piano, trying to hide his tears with his hand.

    I only speak in emergencies, replied Ditto, wiping his eyes so Piano would think that everyone was crying that morning. Anyway, would you?

    Yes, of course. What sort of game will we play?

    Well, it’s a game you have to imagine you’re playing...

    I love iGames, interrupted Piano, forgetting his tears, because you don’t need anything to play them with. All you need is a head.

    Well, we both have heads, Piano, so we can start playing right now. Ditto rapidly shook his head to get it into practice for the game.

    That’s the other thing I like about iGames, agreed Piano, shaking his head very fast to keep up with Ditto’s head, you can start playing them straight away. I don’t like games that take a long time to start, do you?

    Absolutely not, agreed Ditto. So, let’s begin. You close your eyes. That’s right, both of them. Now, you can’t see me at the moment because when you close your eyes I disappear to a special place.

    Oh, this is fun, said Piano, his eyes shut tight. Oh, Ditto, please tell me the name of the special place where you are now?

    It’s called Word World. And if you keep you eyes shut then you’ll be able to see it too.

    I think I’m beginning to see it...yes, yes, and there you are, Ditto, standing next to that err...to that err...what is that Err you’re standing next to?

    It’s a Tall Smile, answered Ditto. There’s a whole valley of them. In fact, we are right in the middle of the Valley of Tall Smiles.

    Looking around with his eyes shut Piano saw that Ditto was almost as tall as the Tall Smile he was standing next to. Yes, yes, yes, Ditto, look at all of them swaying in the breeze, he yelled with delight as he caught sight of the rest of the Tall Smiles and the valley full of them. Of course, they are all happy because they love swaying back and forth...I suppose you know, Ditto, this is why Smiles like these are called breezy?

    I do now, said Ditto, who was always impressed with how clever Piano could be when explaining something he had never seen before.

    Do the Smiles lose all their smirks in the autumn, and if so, who licks them up? asked Piano.

    It’s one of the most beautiful things it is possible to see, said Ditto. I mean the colours the smirks turn in autumn, not them falling to the ground...of course, falling smirks are pretty nice too...as for who licks them up, well, that’s the Grin Wind’s job.

    Is that a river over there? suddenly asked Piano, whose interest in things could change as fast as smirks fell in autumn breezes.

    Yes, it’s the River of Impossibilities. Would you like me to tell you how it got its name?

    As long as I can help you tell me, Ditto.

    I can’t imagine it any other way, replied the modest reflection. Before continuing with his story the very tall Ditto bent his knees and sat down on a nearby rock so Piano could see his face without having to tilt his head upwards.

    A long time ago, began Ditto, Word World was full of Hungry Holes. Of course, all holes are born hungry but the ones in this valley were the hungriest of them all. When any of the villagers went for a walk the Holes would rush out and attack them. Most of the Walkers ran away, those that couldn’t run fast enough were quickly surrounded on all sides by the Hungry Holes.

    Hungry Holes have a habit of doing that, said Piano, surprising himself for the moment with how much he knew about things he had never heard of before. Surrounding things on all sides, I mean, he added, just in case this was one of those rare occasions when he didn’t know what it was that he didn’t know.

    Exactly correct, agreed Ditto, using his favourite two words. Now I come to think of it, the biggest Hungry Hole, King Meg Abyss, could surround any thing on every side the thing might happen to have.

    Being the King of all the Hungry Holes he would have to do that, nodded Piano, otherwise some other Hungry Hole might become King.

    Exactly correct, repeated Ditto. In fact, King Meg Abyss was so big he could surround a hundred Walkers at one time.

    Piano shook his head in amazement. His head was shocked at suddenly being shaken without any warning. It finally calmed down because it wanted to hear the rest of Ditto’s story.

    However, continued Ditto, with the Hungry Holes surrounding everyone in sight it wasn’t long before the Walkers stopped walking altogether. Naturally, without any Walkers walking around the Hungry Holes began to starve. The hungrier they became the more desperate they became. Of course, a really desperate Hungry Hole is not something you would want to meet in the dark...

    Or in the light, reminded Piano.

    Or in the light, echoed Ditto, finishing what he was going to say in the first place. Finally, the Hungry Holes became so desperate they started to make late afternoon-early evening raids on those villages where most of the Walkers lived.

    That was very cunning of them, Ditto, gulped Piano. By picking the late afternoon-early evening the Hungry Holes could slip into town half-way between day and night. Hungry Holes are very hard to see when the sun is getting ready for bed...gee, how cunning can you get?

    Only a starving Hungry Hole could be that sneaky, agreed Ditto.

    Anyway, before the Walkers knew what had happened the Hungry Holes decided to surround all the little Walkers they could find playing in the streets. This was a serious mistake because the older Walkers became very angry when they discovered their babies were disappearing. Once their anger had become as tall as it could the Walkers decided to stage a counter-attack. They called an emergency meeting of all the leading Walkers from every village. They paced up and down all night. They walked out many plans, but one problem remained. How to get rid of a Hungry Hole, particularly a desperate one?

    Pretty tough problem, worried Piano, who had no idea how a Hungry Hole could be gotten rid of, let alone a valley full of them.

    Finally, continued Ditto, one of the Walkers suggested they could fill-up the Hungry Holes. Everyone was very happy with this solution until someone asked what could be used to fill-up the holes. The only things that seemed to fill-up Hungry Holes were Walkers, and so, naturally, that was no good. A new idea had to be found, and quickly. Let’s fill them up with water, suddenly said one of the wiser Walkers. Water can fill anything up, even a desperate Hungry Hole.

    Of course, water and holes have never been friends, laughed Piano, happy such an obvious solution had been found.

    But, sighed Ditto, the trouble was there was not enough water in the valley to do the job. By the time enough water could be moved to all the villages under attack there wouldn’t be any baby Walkers left to protect. Alas, no matter how many calculations the Walkers made the results were always the same. It just wasn’t possible to get enough water to the villages in time to save the remaining baby Walkers.

    Crikey, gasped Piano, using his favourite word. What did they do, Ditto? Oh, what did they do?

    No need to worry, Piano, quickly said Ditto, stretching his long arm around Piano’s shoulders. "You see, one Walker who had an extra brain suddenly jumped up and down laughing his head right off his shoulders. What a bunch of blank pages we are, he shouted to his friends as he put his head back where it belonged. The water we have isn’t enough, we all know that, but what about the water we don’t have? I’m sure that would be more than enough to fill-up every Hungry Hole that has ever lived. I mean, it’s a matter of common sense - if what we do have isn’t enough, then what we don’t have must be more than enough. Of course, cried the rest of the Walkers, delighted with their clever friend.

    Hold on, they suddenly demanded, how are we going to get that sort of water to come here? That’s easy, answered the extra brainy Walker. Because it’s impossible to get the More-Than-Enough Water here on time because our rivers are all full of Not-Enough Water, then the More-Than-Enough Water when it goes anywhere must flow in impossible rivers. Now look out the window. If I’m not mistaken impossible rivers are everywhere. Am I right? He is right, shouted the other Walkers, amazed that they had never noticed the huge number of impossible rivers flowing everywhere. Of course, Piano, added Ditto, sometimes the most obvious things are the hardest to see. And if there’s one thing that’s obvious then it's the fact that impossible rivers are everywhere. Of course, you have to know where to look, but..."

    What happened then? interrupted Piano, letting his eyes run around so they could see if there were any other impossible things the Walkers might have overlooked.

    In next to no time, answered Ditto, "the Walkers used the More-Than-Enough Water from dozens of impossible rivers to fill-up all the

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