[Once Upon a Time]
A Story about King Glenda-Bore,
and the evil water woman
by Ringing Roderick
Ill. by Anna Dunn
Colors by Rod L.
Magic Press Co, Inc.
Issue No. 2973801+?!.X+-÷
[Around age 9 (1973-ish), in San Diego: at the Cabrillo Monument gift shop, I believe, I bought (or my mother bought for me) a booklet by Anna Dunn titled Once Upon a Time: A Write Your Own Story & Coloring Book (San Francisco: Troubador Press, 1971). Facing pages contained pictures to colour and blank pages to write on; the first page contained a suggested beginning: “Once upon a time an enchanted ship with bright colored sails roamed the high seas in search of adventure.” The title page advised: “Use your imagination to color and make up a story about each picture. Write your story on the page next to the illustration.” But instead I wrote one long story, incorporating all the depicted elements. The boldface headings are my captions for the illustrations – though captions and text do begin to diverge toward the end. The two photos on this page are from the internet, not from my own copy.]
The Ship
[Once upon a time an enchanted ship with bright colored sails roamed the high seas in search of adventure.] The Captian of the Ship, King Glend-a-bore of Back-Shire, had gone on his travels, leaving his Daughter, Princess Maria, alone with the Queen Matilda. Maria was not worried, for her father often went on his travels, And returned safely, and why should he Not do so This Time? But – she did Not know it, but her father was in terrible Danger!
Maria talks with The Elf
She was told – by The Elf of the Wood, whose name was Trembling Flower, – that her father, the King, was in the Realm of the mermaid! The Mermaid would find him – and she would, with her magic arts, kill him!
!
“OH DEAR!” cried Maria, frightened. “What shall I do?” “Perhaps,” said The Elf, “Your father shall escape. He is a very Clever Man!!!!!!!!!
Poor Maria
That Night, Maria couldnt sleep, she was so frightened. The Mermaid had Probably already got a hold of him, and was killing him now. Maria didn’t think anybody could get away from a mermaid, unless they could have a Magic net, or Charm, as in The Groac’h of the Isle of Lok, or a Magic Peach, as in The Untidy Mermaid, and her father had Niether of these.......
The Devil
The Devil Came A-Riding on a purple Camel, Accompanied by all sorts of horrid creatures. The Devil was waiting for the Mermaid to kill the King, so he could eat the Body. But the King, see[ing] this vision, bethought himself of carefulness. Surely, only the Devil could ride on water and air. Then, he dropped Anchor. he was Near an Island.
The Mermaid
Resting in one of The pools on the Island, was the mermaid. She was playing on some Instrument,. She Enchanted the king, so he forgot the warning, And he walked up to her. She took him to her under-water kingDom. All unsuspecting, poor king! The Mermaid dissapeared for a minute. She Released “The Terrible Serpent,” who went right for The King.
The King & The Serpent
The serpent and the king had a terrible fight together, During which the king Nearly tripped on a Magnilubus Snailus Snailus – a giant Snail. finally, he choked The Serpent to Death. When The Mermaid Returned, And found him alive, she pretended The whole Thing had been a mistake, And That it had escaped by itself.
The Djinn
If you Need anything, ask my Servant. The servant turned out to be a Pudgy little DJINN, who lived in a Bottle. if you shook the Bottle, the servant Appeared. The DJINN gave The King a lovely story-book to Read, and Then Returned into the Wonderful Bottle......
Then The Mermaid came in.
The Mermaid
She Noticed That he was Reading his Story-book the DJINN had given him. She Smiled. him Reading Away would give her time to get the Herbs of Death, Which are Located in the Stove of Mysery. She walked out of the room.
☺
Montawicka
The King, in his Book, Read:
In the kingdom of Montawicka, there lived a girl named Minny Gladwell. She was the Ancestor of King Glend-a-bore. (That’s Me! thought the king.) She was Digging a little hole, in The Woods, when she came upon – Gold, silver, and Jewels! Diamonds, Jems, Rubies, Emeralds, oh! Her father, king of Gladwell, keeps them in the Magic Castle
Minny finds Buried Treasure
or, as some people call it, The Enchanted Palace! Thought the king. So it is mine by Rights. I shall go ’n’ claim it. I wonder where that Mermaid has got to? Then he Remembered The Devil on the Purple Camel, and went off after the Mermaid Down golden halls, thru shining gates, and finally he saw the mermaid – And was horrified for –
Matilda & Maria
Princess Maria was very Sad. She told her Mother, Queen Matilda, about what the Elf of The Wood had said. Now, Now! you can’t believe all the Fairy folk say! “But” said maria, “Father said he’d come hom on the 11th, and NOW it’s the 30th! Oh, Dont you worry, he’ll come! Said Queen Matilda.
?
The Stove of Mysery
The Mermaid, taking her Magic Charm, turned into a cat. Then, She went up to the Stove of Mysery. A tiny Trap Door opened. The Mermaid, since she was now a cat, was able to squeeze in. The king watched The cat come out with The Herbs of Death. The king Ran away, to – the Wonderful Kingdom of Montawicka!
The wonderful Kingdom
He came to Montawicka, a Kingdom under the Sea, As the Mermaid’s castle was. It was guarded by a 2-tailed 0-Bodied “Thing.” He was Received by King Luke and his Queen. He told them who he was and showed them the Storybook. They took him thru The enchanted tunnels down to the Basement, where the Treasure was kept.
King and Queen Luke
They opened another trap door, and came in to A Dark room, full of Boxes. in came a Tiny Man, Pulling a giant Cart, loaded with: Saphires, Gems, Rubies, Diamonds, Pearls, Emeralds, Gold, Silver, copper, Bronze, Jewels, Coins of money, and 13 dollar Bills, and – A Magical Wishing wand!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Then, King and Queen Luke gave The King a wonderful
Playmate Pam
Bag, full of toys. There was Playful Pam, A Girl made of Rubber Balls. There was also a lovely Dancing Doll, A BackwaRds Mouse, A wind-up Bug, and a Gigantic Grasshopper. Also, a wonderful “Gigorunk Snowsabee snowsabee” (A giant snow ball). So off, Disguised as a tramp, went King Glend a Bore, with The treasureand his Bag of Toys for Maria.
Other Toys
Reffered Page:
on the opposite Page, are all the toys mentioned before, Exept Playful Pam, And the giant Snow flake, which can be found on page 31. There is A Picture of King Glend A bore Disguised as a Tramp on page 35, and a picture of another toy – A Toy Soldier, on page 37. The story is continued on page 34.
Disguised as a Tramp
When he goT home, Maria came Running up to him. Papa! Papa! How did you escape from the mermaid? how did you know about the MERMAID?????? asked Glend a Bore. The elf of the wood told me! said Maria. “I guess you were right” said Matilda I guess one can believe The fairy Folk! There was a wonderful cele
Toy Soldier
Bration, and the Elf of the Wood was there, and King and Queen Luke, and The Djinn, and finally in strode – the Mermaid! Everybody shrank back from her, frightened. Then, the Elf of the wood stepped up – carrying a large Green Rope. he Thrust it over the mermaid and – Bing! – It made her good again!
The end
Mermaid
About the Author
Ringing Roderick, Magican, Wrote this famous Tanvinean Legend in a simple way that Mortals can understand. This tale, translated out of the Original Papsackabablian, was originally TiTled “EEm·peré pluséy Wa Wó” “The King and the Mermaid” by “Bol”-“Dog”-“onģ” “RooT” “Iké” “use” (Ringing Roderick.) on the opposite page, is a picture of the Mermaid.
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