Mo The Scarecrow

Mo The Scarecrow

Author: Brenda Lane Illustrations: Rebecca Lane

Mo The Scarecrow It was on a bright, hot, sunny African day that Mo the Scarecrow was born. Mrs. Gardener had just finished washing a big pile of breakfast dishes, when she peeped out of her beautifully curtained kitchen window to catch a glimpse of what her handsome husband was up to.

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It was only half past seven in the morning and already the fierce African sun was blazing down on the lush green fields, lifting puffs of steam off of the plants and trees as the early morning dew started to vaporize into the air. Phew! This is going to be a scorcher of a day today, thought Mrs Gardener, wiping her brow with a brightly coloured kitchen towel. Yes, it was certainly a hot morning and Mr. Gardener’s face was red and glistening with perspiration as he eagerly set about making a new scarecrow for his flourishing garden.

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Mr. Gardener was honestly sick and tired of all the birds eating his newly planted seedling and seeds and he hoped that this new scarecrow could be helpful in stopping them doing just that. Despite the heat, Mr. Gardener was as pleased as punch with himself, for he had, over the past couple of weeks, collected various odds and ends of old clothing from his neighbours to make his brand new Scarecrow.

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What a wonderful variety of things he had collected from his generous neighbours.

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There was a strong pair of old shoes from Mr. Zulu the black man over the hill. They were made of old rubber car tyres with bits of cowhide making fashionable straps over the top. Then, Mr. Singh the Asian man from the valley, donated a white pair of trousers. They were big and baggy and would flap so nicely in the wind. This would be an excellent way of frightening away unwelcome feathery visitors. Mr. White the Englishman, had donated an old grey tweed sports coat, which he used to wear when he went on foxhunts in Cornwell. The old coat had a few patches on it now, but it would do very nicely.

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From his Aborigine friend, who came from Australia, he got a well made, brightly coloured boomerang, to put in the scarecrows hand and that, he thought, would frighten the little winged nuisances away! He had scratched through his own cupboard and found an old frayed red checked shirt, which he added to the collection, and his dear sweet wife, who was a pretty coloured lady, had donated an old pair of yellow gloves that she wore when the weather was cold and grey. Mr. Gardner’s Native American neighbour had donated an old medicine bag to hang around his neck and he thought this was just the thing to scare the birds away as it was made of bear hide and smelt it too!

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From Mr. Ming the Chinaman, he got an old paddy field hat that the man used to wear in the rice fields in his hometown across the sea. It was made of bamboo and was big enough to cover the scarecrows head and protect his face from the sun. Nobody quite knew it yet, but Mr. Ming’s paddy field hat was magic and the moment he put the hat onto the scarecrows head, something incredible happened.

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He came alive!

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‘You are going to be a very special scarecrow,’ said Mr. Gardener, beaming a great white smile at him. ‘You are so very lucky to be made up of so many different Nationalities! What with your bright blue button eyes and plastic nose and mouth, you look quite human! You should be able to frighten the living daylights out of all those nasty birds that ruin my garden and eat my seeds.’

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‘I shall christen you Mo,’ pronounced Mr. Gardener proudly. Now how do you think he got his name? Ah! That is an interesting question! You see, Mr. Gardener had plenty of freshly mowed grass which he stuffed into old sacks to shape his face, arms, legs, feet and body, and so Mr. Gardener thought Mo a very fitting name for his new scarecrow!

The very last thing Mr. Gardener put on Mo to complete him, was Mr. Ming’s Paddy field hat. Then the magic began!

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Mo felt rather strange at first and it took him several minutes to adjust to his new surroundings. ‘What on earth am I’ Thought a very confused Mo. ‘Oh! You are a scarecrow,’ a friendly voice above him answered. Mo looked up with his bright blue button eyes to were the sweet little voice had come from. He saw a most beautiful little yellow bird flying above his head.

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‘I’m Tweet the Parakeet.’ she told him, her eyes sparkling with mischief. ‘I’ve just escaped from some nasty humans.’ she explained. ‘Do you know that they had me locked up in a little cage, day after day? Holly Molly that was nasty! Really nasty! Well I’m free now, FREE! FREE! Free!’ she sounded so relieved and happy. ‘Did you say I am a scarecrow?’ asked Mo somewhat bewildered. ‘Yip that’s what you are, but don’t you go worrying your handsome face about that, I am not afraid of you just as I was not afraid of those silly humans that had me locked up every day’ Tweet replied. ‘And you look very human to me.’

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I am alive! Mo could not believe his ears. I can see, I can hear, I can feel I can talk and I can think. My word! I am alive! He also felt very wise, as if he knew a lot about a lot of stuff. He felt he knew every secret from every nation on earth, but he didn’t want to boast so he said nothing to Tweet about that. Mo, you see, was made from all the wisdom and knowledge of all the nationalities of the world, all put together in his extraordinary body. How lucky is that! And how smart it made him too! ‘Would you like to be my friend?’ asked Tweet the Parakeet. ‘You don’t seem to have a friend and I don’t have a friend so how about it’ 16

‘That would be great!’ replied Mo happily Wow! This is awfully funny, he thought, here I am a scarecrow and my best friend is a bird! I wonder what Mr. Gardener will think about that? Tweet felt like showing off a little to her new friend. ‘Watch this Mo, I can do tricks you know’ Tweet began to do acrobats up and down the branches of the old apple tree.

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Oh! My! She looked so comical and cute, Mo began to laugh and laugh! Just when she was starting to enjoy herself, she nearly fell out of the tree when an angry voice shouted at her.

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‘Get off my apple tree at once!’ Mo and Tweet stared at the ugly black bird that had just landed nearby. ‘I said get off my tree! Who do you think you are doing acrobats on my tree hey?’ The ugly black bird was really feeling quite jealous, he couldn’t do acrobats nearly as good as Tweet.

‘Oh! I am sorry,” answered Tweet. ‘I am new to the garden and I thought all trees belonged to everyone.’

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‘Who are you?’ asked Mo quite annoyed; He did not like anyone pushing his newfound friend around. ‘I’m Thor the Indian Mynah.’ he said as loudly as he could. ‘Now get off my tree you ugly yellow bird!’ Tweet was really quite beautiful and when Thor called her ugly she got rather angry. ‘I definitely will not’ she replied and turning to Mo she said. ‘Mo why don’t you scare him away, you are a scarecrow after all.’ ‘Ha! Ha! Ha! Do you think I am afraid of him?’ Thor pointed his black wing at Mo and laughed a horrible cackle. Both Mo and Tweet were flabbergasted!

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Just then a handsome grey bird landed on the branch beside Tweet. He had seen Thor arriving in the garden and he knew that spelt trouble. He simply had to protect this beautiful yellow lady.

‘Hi pretty one’ he said to Tweet,’ My name is Lova Dove, what’s yours?’ 21

He puffed his little chest out and walked around her cooing gently. Oh! He loved to flirt and after all, Tweet was rather pretty! ‘Oh! All this Lovvy Dovvy stuff makes me sick.’ Thor stood with his small thin legs apart, his wings outstretched and he was very cross and angry that Lova Dove had arrived on the scene. ‘Both of you get off my Apple Tree now!’ He said aggressively. Tweet began to feel afraid but stood her ground. How dare he talk to us like that she thought? Lova Dove wasn’t having any of this either. He had an idea.

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‘The only one Thor is afraid of is Sally Cat.’ Lova Dove told the others.

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‘I am going to go and find her, she will definitely know what to do with him.’ Lova Dove flew high into the sky, blowing a winged kiss at Tweet as he went by. Oh! Boy! He just could not resist flirting! He was a real lover boy! ‘There is no need to be so nasty you know’ Mo was wondering why Thor the Indian Mynah was in such a bad mood. Mo was not used to such horrible behaviour. He wondered if the nasty bird had any friends at all the way he behaved. What a bully! So Mo tried to reason with him. ‘Tweet and I have just become new friends.’ Mo told him. ‘Have you got a friend Thor?’ he asked out of curiosity.

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‘Friends, Ha ha! What do I need friends for? I am quite happy on my own thank you!’ he squawked. Mo’s magic hat started to work in just these sorts of predicaments. It helped him to say, ‘Well, you know Thor, sometimes we need friends. They help lift us up when we don’t feel so good, help us when we are in trouble and make us laugh when we feel sad. You should really consider finding a friend.’ But before Thor could find a suitably nasty answer, Lova Dove arrived back with Sally Cat.

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‘Having a spot of bother with Thor are you?’ Sally Cat had heard all about Thor’s nastiness from Love a Dove. When she saw Tweet and Mo in the garden, she liked them instantly. She thought Mo was extremely handsome! Sally Cat really did liked birds. Although cats were supposed to hunt and kill them, most of them were her friends, except of course for Thor! She could get quite fierce when he was around, He brought out the worst in her and this time was no exception.

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Her sharp green cat’s eyes caught Thor standing in the tree, looking like a little soldier at attention. As quick as a wink she leapt onto its branches, the fur on her back and tail stood up and her claws looked very dangerous. ‘Help! Help!’ Squawked Thor as he flew into the air, afraid that Sally Cats Claws might do him serious damage. ‘Leave me alone you horrible cat! Help! Help! Oh Heavens! I had better get out of here fast!’ Screeching on top of his lungs, he flew away as fast as his little wings could carry him.

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‘Ho! Ho! Ho! Ha! Ha! Ha!’ laughed the others with glee. None of them liked Thor the Indian Mynah very much. Just then something small and fluffy came running up the garden path. ‘Sally, Oh! Sally Cat where are you?’ Tom the Toy Pom sounded quite frantic. ‘Here I am Tom, what is all the fuss about?’ he asked. ‘You seem to be in a spot of bother. Can we help you?’ Asked Mo who was just as concerned.

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‘Yes perhaps you could,’ answered Tom the Toy Pom. ‘Lillie Mouse’s twins have disappeared and they are nowhere to be found! Lillie Mouse is so worried. Could you help her find them?’ ‘Of course we will Tom,’ said Mo who suddenly found himself in charge of a search party. He was, after all wise and knowledgeable and seamed to know just what to do in tricky situations, thanks to his remarkable magic hat! ‘Tweet, please will you fly to the carrot patch and have a good look there, they might have been hungry and gone there for a nibble. Lova Dove you go off to the forest, they might have gone visiting the Bunnies and Bush babies.’

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‘And Tom, how about you looking by the pond, perhaps they were thirsty and went for a drink.’ ‘Sally Cat, would you mind taking a look along the hedge, they might be playing hide and seek there.’ ‘I am tall and my eyes are sharp, I will keep a look out from up here’. Mo began scanning the garden with his excellent vision. ‘Report back here in five minutes everyone OK?’ With that everyone went to work. ‘Pit a Pat! Rat a Tat! Where are you two?’ Mo heard an anxious voice calling out. ‘Hello there, you must be Lillie Mouse,’ said Mo. ‘Tom told us that your twins are missing. Don’t worry Lillie, I have organised a search party to help find them.’ Mo looked at her with kind eyes.

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‘Those naughty children, I do wish they would tell me where they are going. Gosh! How it makes mothers worry when they don’t do that.’ ‘Have you looked by the garden gate Lillie, they might be playing jungle jims there.’ suggested Mo. ‘Yes I have already looked there, Oh my! Where could they be?’ ‘What about the old barn? I know it is a long way away but they might have gone visiting your family there.’ Mo was running out of ideas. ‘I have looked there too’ said Lillie” My legs are so sore from running around, I feel quite exhausted!”

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‘Well Lillie, why don’t you climb up onto my hat, you will be able to see quite far from up there and between you and me, we will be able to look around the garden together’ Lillie ran quickly up Mo’s left leg and didn’t stop until she reached the top of his hat. ‘Wow Mo, you can see forever from up here. Oh! Look! There is Sally Cat in the carrot patch and there is Lova Dove near the Marula Tree having a good chat to Monica Monkey’

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Flirting with Monica Monkey would be more like it. He was totally taken in by her pretty face. ‘Your beauty is beyond compare, Monica Monkey, may I kiss your hand?’ he cooed. ‘You certainly may not! You little rascal!’ Monica Monkey wasn’t really cross at all, in fact she, like all the other ladies in the garden, loved the attention that Lova Dove showered on them

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It made them all feel so special, however she was, after all, a lady and so she had to act dignified. ‘What are you doing here anyway.’ she said changing the subject. Lova Dove suddenly remembered his mission. ‘Lillie Mouse has lost her twins and we are helping her to find them. Will you help too?’

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Monica Monkey scratched her beautiful silky hair with a dainty little hand. ‘Yes I have seen them, now where was it?’ She wondered. ‘Got it! I saw them with Timothy Toad down by the pond’ ‘Come on, let’s go and look there right away.’ suggested Lova Dove. He started flying away towards the pond, followed closely by Monica Monkey. She was an expert at swinging from tree to tree ever so quickly. Pit a Pat, the elder of the twins, had just dived into the pond when they arrived. ‘He! He! He! That was a stupid dive. That was more like a belly flop!’ 39

‘Ha! Ha! Ha! That did look so funny!’ Rat a Tat was laughing so loudly at his sister, that tears were running down his little cheeks. ‘Oh! Yea! Well you try it and see how hard it is.’ replied a very indignant Pit a Pat. ‘You are just a silly girl, I can do much better than that!’ ‘Bet you can’t’ ‘Bet I can!’ ‘No you can’t’ ‘Yes I can!’ Poor Timothy Toad was reaching the end of his tether. Why, oh! Why did he ever agree to teach the twins to dive?

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‘Stop it, children, for goodness sake will you please stop teasing each other?’ ‘Come on now Rat a Tat you try it and remember what I said about keeping your arms straight out in front of you.’ Timothy Toad was being as patient as he could be under the circumstances. Rat a Tat stood at the edge of the pond; he lifted his arms above his head and did an almighty jump. Unfortunately for him his little body somehow stayed in an upright position and he landed in the water, flat on his bum!

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Ha! Ha! Ha! Laughed Pit a Pat. Timothy Toad couldn’t help smiling too; Rat a Tat did look so very funny. Just then Tom, Monica and Lova Dove arrived at the pond and they too saw the dive, they all began to laugh loudly. ‘You are both very naughty you know’ Tom had extreme difficulty in putting on a stern dogface after seeing that excuse for a dive. ‘Why did you not tell your mother where you were going hey? She is ever so worried, besides everyone that lives in the garden is out looking for you.’ he scolded the Twins.

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‘Yes’ added Monica. ‘You have both caused a lot of trouble. You had better get back to you mother as soon as possible!’ The Twins very sheepishly got out of the pond. They knew that they should have told their mother where they were going.

Oh! Dear they were in big trouble now!

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‘Best you both jump onto my back and hold tight’ said Monica Monkey. ‘I’ll get you home much fasted than those little legs of yours can!’ And off she looped on all fours as fast as she could. Lillie Mouse, still sitting on top of Mo’s magic hat, saw Lova Dove, Tom the Toy Pom and Monica Monkey racing hell bent for leather, back to the garden. ‘We have found them, we have found them!’ Lova Dove’s voice carried across the air.

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‘Thank Goodness for that!’ Lillie Mouse was relieved. ‘Where on earth have you two been?’ she demanded.

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‘Timothy Toad was teaching us to dive Mother. Oh! We are sorry, we know we should have told you,’ said the Twins together. We promise that we will not do that again. We are sorry we made you worry’ They did look a sorry sight, all wet and bedraggled. Lillie Mouse forgave them immediately. She looked around her and saw all her wonderful caring new friends that had come to her rescue. Her face showed her relief and her gratitude to them. ‘You know,’ she said. ‘It is true what they say; friends in need are friends indeed! Thank you all so very much for finding the twins for me.

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She silently put an arm around each twin and headed down the garden path towards home.

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While all this was going on, Thor was silently watching the friends in the garden behind a large leaf. A silent tear fell from his cheeks. He remembered Mo’s comment on having a friend. Oh! I wish I had a friend now, he thought, feeling very lonely and left out. Big tears were beginning to run down his little cheeks. Well he knew he could, if only he was not so nasty and spiteful! Perhaps, he thought, all I need to do is to change my wicked ways and a friend will surely find me then! But how do I do that, he wondered. Mo saw Thor hiding behind a leaf and felt so sorry for him. He was thinking the very same thing as Thor was, wondering how he could help him find a friend. 50

But do you know what? Mo the Scarecrow did help him find a friend, eventually. Anyhow, that’s another story for another time! 51

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