Still Something More

In a town not far from mine, there lived a brother and a sister—a handsome little boy and a pretty little girl. Every Sunday of every month, the little boy and the little girl would skip across the street to visit their Aunt Hilda. One such Sunday, the little girl and the little boy asked their Aunt Hilda if they might take a trip to see the giraffes at the zoo. Their dear old Aunt hummed and hawed and clicked her knitting needles together three times. So you want to see the giraffes at the zoo? she asked. The little girl and the little boy nodded and their cheeks glowed with anticipation. Well, she said, first of all, you both need to wash inside your ears and bellybutton every day, then we’ll see about the zoo. The little girl and the little boy vowed to wash inside their ears and bellybuttons, and wash they did until their ears and bellybuttons shone like the sun and smelled like lilacs.
The next Sunday, the little boy and the little girl skipped across the street to visit their old Aunt Hilda. Auntie, they exclaimed, all week we scrubbed and lathered inside our ears and bellybuttons. May we go see the giraffe’s at the zoo today? Their dear Aunt Hilda wrinkled her nose and tapped her little chin. Well, she said, I’m so happy you’re clean, but there’s one more thing—the leaves are falling off the tree in your backyard, and you must sweep them up. Everyday, before you wash inside your ears and bellybutton, you must rake those leaves into a pile. Then we’ll see about the zoo. The little girl and little boy each took a deep breath. Of course, Auntie Hilda, we’ll rake the leaves. So everyday, the little boy and little girl raked the leaves in their backyard and then washed inside their ears and bellybuttons.
The next Sunday, the children hoped it would be finally time to visit the giraffes at the zoo, but their Aunt Hilda found another thing for them to do. Children, whenever you come across an insect crawling on the sidewalk, you must pick him up and place him safely in the grass. The next week, Paint a flower on every page of your homework. Each Sunday, their Aunt Hilda’s requests became sillier and sillier. The next Sunday, she asked them to Tie a bright green ribbon around the neck of every fence-post in the neighborhood. Finally, after the little boy and the little girl were so exhausted from washing inside their ears and bellybuttons, and raking the leaves in their backyard, and rescuing little bugs, and painting flowers on their homework, and tying bright green ribbons on the fence-posts that they trudged to their Aunt Hilda’s house the next Sunday and flopped onto her chesterfield. Auntie Hilda, the little girl said, I’m so tired from doing everything you’ve asked, I don’t think I want to visit the giraffes at the zoo anymore. The little boy nodded his head and leaned against his sister. Well, their Aunt Hilda began, you simply cannot stop doing all the things you’ve done. Why, you’ll grow mould in your ears and bellybutton. The leaves will rot in your backyard. The little bugs will be smashed on the sidewalk. Your homework will be dull and ugly. And the fence-posts in the neighborhood will look chipped and faded. But Auntie! the children exclaimed. Their Aunt Hilda clicked her tongue and would hear nothing of their complaints.
So the little boy and the little girl sulked home, dragging their feet all the way.
The next Sunday, old Aunt Hilda waited and waited and waited, but her little niece and little nephew never arrived. So she shook her head in disappointment and waited for the following Sunday. When again, the little boy and little girl didn’t arrive, the Aunt donned her shawl and strolled across the street to the children’s home. She wrinkled her nose at the squished bugs on the sidewalk, the crooked fence-post, and the leaves strewn across the yard. At the door, her shaking hand tapped the knocker and she waited. Finally, the little girl and little boy’s mother, crying, answered the door. Whatever’s the matter? asked old Hilda. Between sobs, the mother pointed to the backyard and explained, We found them… from the tree in the backyard… with the beautiful bright green ribbons.