Many other children, never destined to become famous authors, also create fantasy worlds. Mine was the Alphabetabobical Land where lived a menagerie of Animals, Beasts and Creatures. I thought I'd throw these into BONUS FEATURES to add color to your next two weeks. I think I really did draw an animal and write a story for each letter of the alphabet.
Though once very important to me, I would have forgotten I was the one who wrote/drew them even after I came across the notebook in a folder in a drawer in a file cabinet in a closet in our bedroom if my family hadn't enjoyed it so much and made a fuss over it at the time. (I was ten; I wrote and illustrated this manuscript on our maiden voyage across the North Pacific.) Spelling is uncorrected.
The Momonga- Some fine day when there's quite a few clouds, look in the sky and maybe you'll see the Momonga*, sailing along with the breeze. Perhaps he'll be twirling his foot with the eight claws on it, to go faster. To make sure it's the Momonga, look at the shape of his body and his colors. You'll know that cannon-shaped head is his. Also his peacock feathers (the ones coming out of the back of his head) are easy to see.
One day while it was school-time the Momonga landed near our school. The school was out on the plains and only 33 children went to it, for only 33 children lived near the school. The room was dismissed, and we crept out quietly and carefully to take a good look at it. The Momonga didn't see us and began curling down the ends of his claws slowly. When he'd curled all eight, he started walking, stepping with the four claws that would have gone on his other foot, if he'd had another one, and then pulling the other four up, and "inching" out again with the first ones. He had a checker board, crayons, paper, and a book called "Mars", Scotch taped to his wide, flat foot just around the ankle. The colors were ridiculous, but I didn't dare laugh, so I just watched from behind a bush. The cannon-head was pink with orange antennae sticking out from it where the ears ought to have been. One antenna was curled in a ball while the other shot forward and felt around in front of the "beast." Then it came back and curled, whle the second one felt. They made a noise that went "Whizz, zing. Whizz, zing." Sometimes he forgot, because about every 25 "whizz, zings" he whizzed one antenna backwards. He didn't seem to control his antennae.
I never found out why he had antennae, because he had very good eyes. He heard, but had no ears that I could see.
The Momonga found a piece of bright orange ribbon that one of the girls had dropped a few days before. He hooked it with one claw and "inched" around behind a big rock. When he came out the other side, the ribbon was tied around his neck. After he'd gone, we looked around the rock, but no animal or person was there that could have tied the ribbon on his neck, and the Momonga couldn't (I don't think) have tied it himself.
I've discribed this beast as well as I can, so I think you'd just better wait for a nice, sunny day with quite a few clouds.
*"Momonga" (I put in a footnote) "means 'imaginary animal, used to scare bad children.' (A Japanese word.)"
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