Seleke Finds Paul a Rod

One day there was a girl named Seleke (sell-a-key). She lived in a house with her mother, not at the bottom of a cliff, and not at the top, but about half way up. Above lived Snarling Wolves, and beside the ocean lived Ugly Giants.

Seleke was outside weeding their little garden when up came a little man with a bushy beard and a conical hat. It was the Conductor who rode with Paul the steam engine.

Paul is the name of the steam engine that works the tracks near Seleke's house. Seleke loved Paul's bright paint and polished brass. Even though Paul wasn't very big, and only pulled one passenger car, Seleke thought he was the most handsome engine in the world.

"Seleke!" said the conductor, "I'm so glad I found you at home."

"Conductor," Seleke said, "Your cheeks are all red. You are breathing hard. What has happened?"

"Paul has thrown a rod!" said the conductor.

"What does that mean?" asked Seleke.

"It means a part of him has broken, and he can not move. He needs a new rod." said the conductor.

Seleke said, "There is a sunken ship off shore here. We helped the sailors of that ship one night, and they told me they had a cargo of Steam Engine parts, including rods!"

Seleke and the conductor looked down at the sea. The was no wind, so the water was very still and very clear. The sunken ship was easy to see.

The conductor said, "How will we lift such a heavy rod from the ocean?"

Seleke said, "I have an idea."

Seleke got out her purple kite. Up and up into the air it flew. The conductor asked, "What are you doing?" but Seleke just said, "Wait and see!"

Soon a very large cloud appeared in the distance. The cloud got closer and closer, and Seleke could see a big windmill on the cloud. It was her friend the miller, who sold flour to Seleke's mother so she could make pancakes.

Seleke tied a note to the kite. The wind blew the note up and up. After reading the note, the miller lowered a rope with a great big basket on the end. Seleke and the conductor got in, and the miller used his windmill to winch them up.

"Hello Seleke!" cried the miller.

"Hello Mr. Miller!" said Seleke, "We need your help."

So here is what they did. First, the miller guided his cloud over the sunken ship. Then, using a great big hook, they lowered a rope down to the wreck. Then they jiggled. And they jostled. And jiggled some more, until the hook snagged onto a Steam Engine rod.

The rod was very heavy. Using the mill's sails they hoisted up the rod, and put it on the cliff near Seleke's house.

"Thank you Mr. Miller!" said Seleke.

"Thank you indeed!" said the conductor.

"You are very welcome. Good luck fixing Paul." said the miller.

Then Seleke and the conductor slid down the rope and landed near the rod. Using a wheel barrow, they carried the rod along the cliff ledge. Soon they came to a little door set right into the cliff face. The conductor took our a great big key. He unlocked the door. Inside was a great big train station hollowed right out of the cliff.

Seleke and the conductor rolled the wheel barrow along the train tracks. Paul was far away, deep in the tunnels, and he needed their help.

"I am so glad to see you!" said Paul, "I hate being stuck in this tunnel all alone."

The conductor got out a great big tool box. In the box was a huge wrench, almost as tall as you are. He used it to take off Paul's broken rod, like this: (make exagerated wrenching motions)

Then he use the wrench to put the new rod on.

"That is better!" said Paul, "Seleke thank you for helping us. Would you like a free ride?"

"Definitely!" said Seleke, and they road around all afternoon.

The End
(c) 2008 Ken Demarest