Curious Connie

Connie was a curious little girl who lived in a house filled with mice. Her favorite thing to do was to taste new things. She would put everything into her mouth to see what the taste would be like. Fuzzy blankets, the edge of her shirt, pencils, crayons, stones, socks, and of course food. From the time she woke up, right until she went to bed, she tasted things and ate many of them. Crunchy carrots, rubbery raisins, crisp apples, warm bread, butter, cheese, and pears were just a few of the foods she enjoyed: under tables, chairs, bookshelves, beds; she ate any place she happened to be. She took food from wherever she found it: off the floor, on the counter, in the cupboards, in the fridge, from the cellar, her mother even saw her taking a bit of banana out of the compost bin once! Whether she was hungry or not, she loved to eat and eat and eat, simply because she loved the taste of things, and it so happened that food tasted better than anything else.

Well, one day she was looking for something new to try. Just then she saw Mother sprinkling some colorful flakes out of a jar into the goldfish bowl. She wondered how those would feel in her mouth. So after Mother had put the jar away, Connie quietly took it down and tried a pinch. It didn’t feel like much, so she took another, then another, until most of the jar was gone. The flakes were rough and fishy tasting in her mouth, and she thought them to be quite odd. She’d never had anything like them before and happy, now that she was done, she went to color a picture.

It was while she was coloring that her belly began to feel funny. At first it hurt a little, and then it began to hurt a lot. She got up and went to look for her mother, calling her as she walked around the house.

“Mom! Mom!”, she cried.

“Whatever has happened dear?” her mother asked, alarmed at the strange green color that her daughters’ face was turning.

“Mom, by belly feels full of bubbles,” she moaned.

And while her mother watched, Connie’s belly began heaving and growing bigger and bigger. When she saw this, her mother quickly picked her up and carried her to the couch, where she lay her down and began rubbing her belly. By now all she could do was moan and groan, tossing her head about.

“What’s happening to me Mom?” she wailed.

“What did you eat last dear?” asked her mother.

“Just some flakes from the goldfish jar,” Connie said.

“Oh dear me!” said Mother, and she began to massage her daughters’ belly firmly.

Well, Connies’ belly kept growing and making bubbling sounds, gurgling away, churgling away. Then all of a sudden her face scrunched up and she shot off the couch, standing straight up on the floor, holding her belly.

“Oww!!” she exclaimed, as an enormous prrrrrraaaaaaarrrrrppppp sound came rushing out of her bottom, expelling with it a big green cloud into which she disappeared.

“Goodness, Connie are you alright?” her mother cried, reaching into the cloud.

“My belly’s not hurting anymore,” she shouted happily, “But what’s all this green stuff?”

“It must be gas from the flakes, which are especially for the goldfish. They’re not meant for humans’ dear, now we know how come!” said Mother.

Suddenly there came the sound of pitter pattering, and from all over the house, wherever they were, mice came scurrying over to the huge green cloud surrounding Connie, attracted by the smell. They ran over her feet and jumped about her legs until, finally, there were no more mice forthcoming. So Connie went outside and the mice followed her. After a spell, the green cloud poofed away into little tufts here and there before disappearing. Connie went back inside, leaving the mice behind. So the house was rid of mice, and after that day Connie remained just as curious as ever, but she was more careful about what she chose to taste!!