Splash! Splish! Splash!

SPLASH! SPLISH! SPLASH! ' Norman A. Rubin

Splash, splash! Splish, splash! Splish, splash, splish! Listen to the storyteller. Listen to his story about the roly-poly Pixie and the poor man called 'Never Enough'.

"Many, many years ago a poor man went to the banks of a flowing river in the forest. He chose a small tree to chop into firewood. The man lifted up his rusty ax and set to work. He began to cut down a small tree, chop! chop! hack! hack! He chopped, clip! snick! When the axe fell from his hands, splash! splish! splash! It dropped into the deep water of the river.

"The poor wailed and moaned, 'Aieeee, my little ax, oh my, oh my, oh my! How will I fish it out from the bottom of the river?

"Just then, with a hippity hop! hippity hop! hippity hop!, a jolly pixie skipped by. He looked with cheery bright eyes at the man. He asked the poor man, 'why do you moan and wail? The woodchopper told of his ax falling into the river. He said it went splash, splish, splash to the bottom.

"'Be still my good man. Please stop your wailing and moaning. I will fish out your ax from the deep water.'

"Then with a quick! quick! quick!, the pixie took off his coat of many colors. He tightened his high boots with a quick, quick. Then he went splash, splish, splash into the river. After a while, hippity hop! hippity hop! the pixie stood up in the water. He held out a golden ax to the woodchopper.

"'There, my good man, here is your ax.

"'Oh no, oh no, oh no! It isn't mine,' answered the poor man.

Once again the jolly pixie went splash, splish, splash into the river. After a while, hippity hop he was above the water and held an ax of silver.

"It isn't mine! wailed the poor man with looking at it all.

The third time the pixie tumbled, rumbled, again into the river. After a while, hippity hop he rose from the water with a rusty little ax in his hand.

The poor man jumped with glee, glee, "that's my little ax. Thanks to you, that I have it again.

He quickly grabbed the ax. Snitch! Snatch! He took it from the jolly pixie's chubby hand. Then he turn away from the river. Then with a forward march he started for his home. His carried his rusty ax on his shoulder.

The jolly pixie came after him. He told the poor man, "you seem to be a honest man. Thus I will give you both the golden and silver axes.

When the poor man reached his home. Clippity! Clippity! Clop! He chattered about it all to neighbors near and far. And he chattered with a greed, greed, greed. All his neighbors heard, a greedy man. Thus they called him 'Never Enough'.

The next day 'Never Enough' thought a bit. Then chick! chack! chick!, he ran again into the woods. He ran chick, chack, to the banks of the river. There he chopped a small tree, chip, chop in the same place. His hands were loose in the grip of the rusty ax. The ax fell into the river with a swish, swoosh.

'Never Enough jumpity jumped and wailed , "Ooooo and Ahhhh!

Hippity hop! hippity hop!, the jolly pixie again skipped to him.

"My good man why do you jump and wail?

Never Enough moaned, "my little ax slipped from hands and splish, splash fell into the river. Who will find it for me?

"I will, called the pixie and he rumbled, tumbled into the water.

After a while, hippity hop, the pixie was above the water with a rusty iron ax.

"Here is your little ax.

"That isn't mine! That isn't mine,' wailed Never Enough.

And again splish, splash, the pixie dived into the water. Again hippity hop, he was out of the water with silver ax.

"Is this ax yours?

It's not mine! My ax was different.

The third time with a splash, splish, splash, the pixie dived into the river. Then hippity hop, he was above the water with a golden ax.

"That is mine! That is mine! Called the greedy Never Enough. With jumpity jump he leaped for joy.

The pixie was wise. He knew Never Enough lied so shamelessly. Them the golden ax, zip zip passed under the nose of Never Enough. And the silver ax, zip zip it passed under the nose of Never Enough.

But the rusty little ax went zip zip into the hands of Never Enough.

Then the jolly pixie called out, "Hi there!'' and dived once again into the river. But this time he did not come back.

Yet Never Enough waited for the return of the jolly pixie with the gold and silver axes. He kept on waiting, waiting...

And maybe he is waiting there still!