2
One exquisite autumn day, the boy who loved to swing came across something he had not swung from, or even seen before. Purely by accident, he discovered a most peculiar tree located in a most peculiar place.
Walking home from school, the boy’s shoelace had become untied. But instead of stopping for a brief moment to bend down and re-tie his shoelace, he kept walking and daydreaming about the possibility of swinging from the world’s biggest shoelace.
“Perhaps one day I’ll meet a giant?” the boy thought. “I’ll ask him if I can swing from his shoelace! That way, I will be the only boy in the world to have swung from a giant’s shoelace.”
The boy pondered his wondrous thought for a long time. By the time he looked up to see where he’d got to, he finally realized just how dreadfully lost he was.
“Goodness gracious!” the boy said, for the boy who loved to climb was also known as the boy who did not like to curse. “Where in the world have I wandered off to? What is this peculiar place?”
From where he stood, he could see nothing but rolling hills of green grass. Further off, he saw many trees of all shapes and sizes. Further off still, he saw rugged mountains with snowcapped peaks. Beyond that was the setting sun, quickly heading towards the horizon. Oddly, no matter which way he turned, he saw the exact same thing. He’d clearly wandered off from any familiar path.
“That’s odd,” the boy said, looking around this strange new landscape. “I’ve lived in this town my entire life and I don’t believe I’ve ever come across this place?”
One tree off in the distance immediately caught his eye. This tree was very unlike any tree he had seen before. And this was saying a lot, for the boy who loved to climb and swing was also known as the boy who could name every type of tree—every tree, that is, except the one he now found himself inexplicably drawn towards, as if by invitation.
This oddball of a tree was rather square-shaped, whereas all other trees are round. Furthermore, the tree’s branches spread out sideways, going much, much wider than normal before changing directions and heading upwards. Aside from these peculiar differences was the fact that this tree had lost none of its leaves, which was what trees did during this time of year.
“This is very odd indeed,” said the boy, making his way towards the strange tree. He simply had to have a look. “I’ve seen lots of trees in my day…but none as strange and peculiar as this! And in such a peculiar spot?”
Two ropes suddenly appeared.
Then what looked like a place to sit.
“Could it be?” the boy asked, now more curious than ever. After giving his eyes a rub, sure enough…it was no mistake.
There was a swing attached to the tree!
More importantly, once the boy got closer, he undoubtedly saw that a tiny creature was leaning up against the tree, waving at him to come closer.
3
“Hello, dear boy! How do you do?” the creature said. “My first name is Mungus, while my last name is Hu!” At once, the creature bowed and gave a tip of his tall hat. “That’s pronounced Mung,” the creature said, “which rhymes with hung, and flung, and swung. Then comes gus, which sounds the same as muss, and bus, and fuss. Last but not least comes Hu, which goes along quite nicely with two, and through, and you.”
The boy was quite taken aback, for this creature was not the type of creature that he (nor anyone else!) had ever seen before. This creature could speak! He also wore clothes, walked on two legs, and quite resembled a miniscule person about the same size of a very small boy. But this was no boy, for boys in general do not require a cane to lean on. Also, boys typically do not have a long moustache and pointy beard. The cane, the boy noticed, had a handle the shape of a withered witch’s hand—quite real, by the looks of it.
“I do very well, sir,” the boy said, trying not to look alarmed. Yet he was alarmed, and curious, and perhaps a bit frightened all at the same time. The creature standing next to him was almost ghastly to look at. Still, he was much too curious a creature to dare look away.
The boy could not help himself, nor stop his lips form asking, “What are you? Are you some kind of made up fairytale creature come to life? A gnome perhaps? Or a treacherous troll?”
Mungus Hu stood up straight and smiled a crooked smile. He said, “Neither, my boy! I am not a gnome or a troll. But I am, you might’ve guessed, a great many years old! I am a circus owner by trade—but enough about me! It is your acquaintance, dear boy, that I’m so happy to have made. I am most certainly not a leprechaun, nor am I a toy! I, like you, was once a little boy! I am quite human, I assure you, though my appearance must seem quite wild. I am a grown man, indeed, though I appear to be a child! My diminutive size is due simply to too much jumping out of trees. Bit of bad luck, you see, since all that jumping was a terrible jolt upon my knees…”
By means of his charming ways, Mungus Hu was able to put the doubtful boy’s mind at ease. After a lengthy introduction filled with silly rhymes, big smiles and gracious bows, the boy eventually dropped his guard. He no longer felt the urge to get back home as quickly as he could.
The temptation to swing was far too great.
“Do you always speak in rhyme?” the boy asked.
“I do, I do! I must always rhyme when I talk,” Mungus said. “It’s a curse, you see, from a witch, with two glass eyes and striped purple socks!”
“I see,” said the boy, though he hardly heard a word. The glorious swing with the strange buckle had drawn his strict attention. “That is a most peculiar swinging tree you have here, Mr. Mungus Hu. It’s quite unlike anything I’ve ever seen before.”
Mungus Hu excitedly said, “Quite true, my boy, for this is the finest tree you will ever see! This tree is an invention of mine that I call the Swinging Tree!”
Way back in the deepest part of his mind, back where the little voice lived (the voice that told him when trouble was near) the boy knew he ought to run away as fast as he could and never look back.
Foolishly, he ignored that voice.
Instead of asking no questions and simply running away, the boy stayed put and asked a great deal of questions, most of which had to do with the magnificent swing.
“May I test out your swing, Mr. Mungus Hu? I’ve never seen anything quite so grand, and I should very much like to swing on your swing.”
Mungus Hu was all smiles and charm. “Certainly, my dear child! You may swing on my swing. This swing is a magical swing, and such a wonderful thing!”
“Magical?” the boy asked. “How so?”
With a bit of help, and a bit of maneuvering, Mungus Hu helped the boy into the swing. First he checked that the buckle was securely fastened about the boy’s waist, all latches were properly latched, and that the boy was strapped in good and snug, unable to escape.
“And now, dear boy, that both legs are through,” said Mungus, “the way I see it, there’s just one thing left to do!” Without even a moment to ask one final question, or even inquire about the strange buckle that held him so tight, Mungus Hu pulled out a long magical wand that was hidden inside the top of his walking cane.
Mungus Hu cast a spell.
Lifting his voice, Mungus Hu said, “Hmfry Gmfry! Dibbly-do! What goes in will never come through! Cobbly Wobbly! Sibbly koff! Seize up the buckle that will never come off!”
With these strange words, and a bit more waving of his wand (which looked much too large for him, and, the boy guessed, was most likely stolen from a full grown witch), the magical buckle fastened itself around the boy’s waist, fusing itself together. And now, with his eyes growing wide, the boy had finally become frightened.
But it was much too late to plea, or to flee.
“Hey, now!” the boy said. “What’s the big idea? I said I merely wanted to test out this swing of yours. I didn’t say I wanted to be locked into your swing forever and a day.”
“No more fussing, get up there and play!” Mungus said. “You’ll be swinging all night! Swinging all day!”
Be
fore the boy could get out another word of protest, the swing pulled the boy up, up, up into the air and began to swing him around as he’d never been swung before. He swished and swooshed through the air with such speed—and with such delight—that he quickly forgot how frightened he’d been just moments before.
“See, my boy, what did I tell you?” Mungus called up to the boy. “No one ever wants to escape—nor can they—from the swing of Mungus Hu!”
Very quietly, so the boy couldn’t hear, Mungus Hu said, “Well, except for that one child, I suppose—but he shouldn’t count! For that was the only child who ever got out. That boy was a trickster! Able to spring from my swing like a rocket! Unknown to me, he had a secret locked deep in his pocket. This boy here, however, he is good and caught. For what that other boy had…this boy has not. A knife to cut the ropes! Sent him sailing high and wide! But alas, that poor child is grown now…and with my swing still stuck to his backside.”
4
Mungus Hu was certainly right in saying that his swing was a magical swing. While most swings forced you to use your arms and legs to do all the swinging, the Swinging Tree did all of the work! The branches moved of their own accord, bending and swaying, swishing and swooshing up, up, up and all around. All the boy had to do was sit down, hold on tight, and enjoy the wonderful ride.
“This is amazing, Mr. Mungus Hu!” the boy said. “I wish you’d come up here and try it, too!”
“There you go! See? You’re doing it too! Rhyming your words together just like your friend, Mungus Hu!”
The boy didn’t particularly care whether the two of them were friends or not. That didn’t matter. Right now, the only thing that truly mattered was that he never be told to stop swinging.
The boy was having such a wonderful time swinging that he hardly noticed the sun going down behind the mountains. Daylight had turned to twilight. But with the wind whipping through his hair, his own screeches of delight filling the air, the boy who loved to swing was hardly concerned that Mungus Hu had packed up his few things and was preparing to leave.
“Mungus Hu! Mungus Hu!” the boy shouted, trying very hard not to rhyme. “Where are you going? It must be very near suppertime, so I must come down! My mum and dad will be worried sick!”
“Don’t worry, lad! Don’t worry at all!” Mungus shouted back. “Your mum and dad will soon give up looking for you once you fail to answer their call! And please don’t think that they’ll come here looking for you. They’d have better luck finding a clean cage at the zoo! There’s a magical shimmer, you see, only I can see through. From the rest of the world, you’ll be plain out of view! But don’t be alarmed and don’t be upset. For you got your wish, dear boy, so please don’t forget! For the rest of your life, you won’t have to worry ‘bout a thing! Now you can stay here forever, with nothing to do but swing, swing, swing!”
“But what will I eat?” the boy asked. “I’m hungry already! I could swing on your swing forever if only I had something to eat.”
Mungus Hu said, “I hope you like fruit, for that’s all the tree can provide! Never fear of running short, for it will last the rest of your life! Just try it and see! You will see what I mean! Just pick a fruit—any fruit—and give it a scream!”
“Pear!” the boy shouted, and no sooner had he done so than the entire tree sprouted with delicious, ripe pears.
“Go on, don’t delay! Any fruit you decide! From bananas, to plums, to apples—the magical Swinging Tree will provide!”
Ages ago, the boy who loved to swing recalled asking him mum and dad if he could take his meals while swinging on a swing. Now his wish had come true! His feet would no longer have to touch the ground! That is, except when he needed to have a drink from the creek down below, or if he needed to, you know, go…
“Mungus Hu! Mungus Hu! What should I do?” the boy cried, still trying to shake the habit of rhyming his words. “What should I do if I have to go number one, or number two?”
Mungus Hu gave a good laugh, as this was a very good question. Each of the boys and girls he tricked asked this very same thing.
“Just give a count!” Mungus shouted. “Just say the words one, two, three! That way the swing will stop swinging, and you may come down to pee! But don’t dally too long, for you may hear a howl! At night, there are many fierce creatures that come out to prowl. Take care of your business, take care of it quick! There are plenty of leaves, and branches to dig!”
Mungus Hu politely turned around while the boy tested things out.
“One, two, three!” the boy shouted, and down he came.
“Business accomplished is the phrase you will say,” Mungus said with his back politely turned. “Those are the words that’ll get you back up to play!”
“Business accomplished!” the boy shouted once he was done. And just like that he was up in the air once again, swinging and flinging, zooming every which way he pleased.
Mungus Hu looked up and smiled broadly at the boy, high up above, swinging and smiling a great big delightful smile of his own.
Very quietly, Mungus Hu said, “Another one captured! A job well done! Another trick successful—oh, what fun!” Then, more loudly, so the boy who loved to swing could hear, he said, “Well, my boy, here is where I want you! So here is where you’ll stay! Until my circus shows up and the spectators pay.”
“When will they get here?” the boy asked. “When will they come? Surely they’ll wish to see me swinging in the sun!”
Mungus Hu replied, “The circus comes to town every year during spring. People will come from miles around to see you swing! Unfortunately for you, that will be quite a wait! For my travelling circus has quite a few prior engagements to date. I’ve got shows all lined up, so I won’t be bringing the circus ’round here. In fact, my show is booked up for the next thirty-five years!”
“Thirty-five years!” cried the boy. “Why, I could swing that long in my sleep!”
“I’m afraid you might have to, since it won’t be safe to sleep on the ground. Your best bet is to swing while you sleep, and never come down!” Then with a gracious bow, and another tip of his hat, Mungus Hu said, “That’s it, I’m afraid, so here is where I’ll leave you! I have many things to arrange and much work to do! So goodbye! Have fun! It will all work out fine. Swinging your days away, one at a time!”
With these parting words, Mungus Hu waved a friendly goodbye. He walked away whistling and spinning his cane, leaving the boy exactly how he wanted to be: alone and swinging to his heart’s content.
“Good bye, dear boy!” said Mungus Hu. “I may not see you soon! However, in the meantime, I entrust my swing to you!”
“Goodbye, Mungus Hu!” the boy cried. “Goodbye and good luck!” Quietly, to himself he said, “I sure do love this magical swing now, but one day I’m bound to feel stuck…”
So until the time came when Mungus Hu returned, the boy who loved to swing could play, and play, and play…
And as far as anyone knows…
He is still swinging today.
End
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Other works by this author:
Hole in the Wall
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00K8L4QOM
Mr. B
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L2R0JOM
Book of Legends:
The Syrup Bandit
Where Weather Comes From
The Swinging Tree
Evil Mouse Chronicles:
Mummy Mouse
Snickers the Cat
(Coming soon! Part III: Psycho Kim)
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