The Bouncible Ball, Part Two

In this second part of Edith Nesbit's witty story, there is trouble in Paradise. Even though they are living in a wonderful place, the children begin wishing that certain things are different. Unfortunately, one of the conditions of being in Whereyouwanttogoto is to be content. Find out what happens when the children start voicing their complaints.

Music by William King

Transcript

Hello there,

It's Mandy here.

Thanks so much for joining me again.

We're going to be listening to part two of the E-Nesbit story,

Where You Want to Go To,

Or The Bounceable Ball.

But before I begin,

Please go right ahead and make yourself really comfortable.

That's great.

Part two.

On the third evening,

Thomasina was rather silent and the ball said,

What's the matter girl bouncer,

Out with it.

So she said,

I was wondering how mother is and whether she has one of her bad headaches.

The ball said,

Good little girl,

Come with me and I'll show you something.

He bounced away and they followed him and he flopped into a rocky pool,

Frightening the limpets and sea anemones dreadfully,

Though he didn't mean to.

Now look,

He called from under the water and the children looked and the pool was like a looking glass,

Only it was not their own faces they saw in it.

They saw the drawing room at home and father and mother who were both quite well,

Only they looked tired and the aunt and uncle were there and uncle Thomas was saying,

What a blessing those children are away.

Then they know where we are,

Said Selim to the ball.

They think they know,

Said the ball,

Or you think they think they know.

Anyway,

They're happy enough.

Good night.

And he curled himself up like a ball in his favourite sleeping place.

The two children crept into their pleasant,

Soft,

Sweet nest of straw and leaves and fern and grass and went to sleep.

But Selim was vexed with Thomasina because she had thought of mother before he had,

And he said she had taken all the fern and they went to sleep rather cross.

They woke even crosser.

So far,

They had both helped to make the bed every morning,

But today neither wanted to.

I don't see why I should make the bed,

Said he.

It is a girl's work,

Not a boy's.

I don't see why I should do it,

Said Thomasina.

And then a very strange and terrible thing happened.

Quite suddenly,

Out of nothing and nowhere,

Appeared a housemaid,

Large and stern and very neat.

And she said,

You are quite right,

Miss,

You shouldn't be making the beds.

That is my place.

And I'm instructed to see that you are both in bed by seven.

Think how dreadful this must have been to children who'd been going to bed just when they felt inclined.

They went out onto the beach.

You see what comes of being naughty,

Said Thomasina.

And Selim said,

Oh,

Shut up,

Do.

They cheered up towards dinner time.

It was roast pigeons that day and bread sauce and white bait and silla bobs.

And for the rest of the day,

They were as good as gold and very polite to the ball.

Selim told it all about the dreadful apparition of the housemaid,

And it shook its head.

I know you've never seen a ball do that,

And very likely you never will.

And said,

My bounceable boy,

You may be happy here forever and ever if you're contented and good.

Otherwise,

Well,

It's a quarter to seven.

You've got to go.

And sure enough,

They had to.

And the housemaid put them to bed and washed them with yellow soap.

And some of it got in their eyes.

And she lit a nightlight and sat with them till they went to sleep.

So they couldn't talk and were ever so much longer getting to sleep than they would have been if she'd not been there.

And the beds were iron with mattresses and hot,

Stuffy,

Fluffy sheets and many more new blankets than they wanted.

The next day,

They got out as early as they could and played water football with the seal and the bounceable ball.

And when dinner time came,

It was lobster and ices.

But Thomasina had got into a bad temper.

She said,

I wish it was dark.

And before the words had left her lips,

It was cold mutton and rice pudding.

And they had to sit up to the table and eat it properly too.

And the housemaid came round to see they didn't leave any bits on the edges of their plates or talk with their mouths full.

There were no more really nice meals after that,

Only the sort of things you get at home.

But it is possible to be happy even without really nice meals.

The days went by pleasantly enough.

All the sea and land creatures were most kind and attentive.

The seal taught them all it knew and was always ready to play with them.

The starfish taught them astronomy and the jellyfish taught them fancy cooking.

The limpets taught them dancing as well as they could.

The seabirds taught them to make nests,

A knowledge they have never needed to apply.

And if the oysters didn't teach them anything,

It was only because oysters are so very stupid and not from any lack of friendly feeling.

The children bathed every day in the sea.

And if they had only been content with this,

All would have been well,

But they weren't.

Let's dig a bath,

Said Salim.

The sea will come in and fill it and then we can bathe in it.

So they fetched their spades and dug and there was no harm in that,

As you very properly remark.

But when the hole was finished and the sea came creep,

Creep,

Creeping up,

And at last a big wave thundered up the sand and swirled into the hole.

Thomasina and Salim were struggling on the edge,

Fighting which should go in first.

And the wave drew sandily back into the sea and neither of them had bathed in the new bath.

And now it was all wet and sandy,

Its nice sharp edges rounded off and much shallower.

And as they looked at it angrily,

The sandy bottom of the bath stirred and shifted and rose up as if some great sea beasts were heaving underneath with his broad back.

The wet sand slipped back in slabs at each side,

And a long pointed thing,

Like a thin cow's back,

Came slowly up.

It showed broader and broader,

And presently the flakes of wet sand were dropping heavily off the top of a brand new bathing machine that stood on the sand over where their bath had been.

Well,

Said Salim,

We've done it this time.

They certainly had,

But on the door of the bathing machine was painted,

You must not bathe anymore except through me.

So there was no more running into the sea just when and how they liked.

They had to use the bathing machine and it smelt of stale salt water and other people's wet towels.

After this,

The children didn't seem to care so much about the seaside,

And they played more on the dams where the rabbits were very kind and hospitable,

And in the woods where all sorts of beautiful flowers grew wild,

And there was nobody to say don't when you picked them.

The children thought of what Uncle Thomas would have said if he'd been there,

And they were very,

Very happy.

But one day Thomasina had pulled a lot of white convolvulus,

And some pink geraniums,

And calciallarias,

The kind you were never allowed to pick at home,

And she made a wreath of them,

And put it on her head.

Then Salim said you are silly,

You look like a bank holiday,

And his sister said I can't help it.

They'd look lovely on a hat if they were only artificial.

I wish I had a hat,

And suddenly she had a large stiff hat that hurt her head just where the elastic was sewn on,

And she had her stiff white frock that scratched,

Her tiresome underclothing,

All of it,

And stockings and heavy boots,

And Salim had his sailor suit,

The everyday one that was too tight in the arms,

And they had to wear them always,

And their fur coats were taken away.

They went sadly,

All stiff and uncomfortable,

And told the bouncable ball.

It looked very grave,

And great tears of salt water rolled down its red and green cheeks as it sat by the wet seaweed-covered rock.

Oh,

You silly children,

It said,

Haven't you been warned enough?

You've everything a reasonable child could wish for,

Can't you be contented?

Of course we can,

They said,

And so they were,

For a day and a half,

And then it wasn't exactly discontent,

But real naughtiness that brought them to grief.

They were playing on the downs by the edge of the wood,

Under the heliotrope tree.

A hedge of camellia bushes cast a pleasant shadow,

And out in the open sunlight on the downs,

The orchids grew like daisies,

And the carnations like buttercups.

All about was that kind of turf on which the gardener does not like you to play,

And they had pulled armfuls of lemon verbena,

And made a bed of it,

But Selim's blouse was tight under the arms.

So when Thomasina said,

Oh silly dear,

How beautiful it is,

Just like fairyland,

He said,

Silly yourself,

There's no such thing as fairyland.

Just then,

A fairy,

With little bright wings the colour of a peacock's tail,

Fluttered across the path,

And settled on a magnolia flower.

Oh silly darling,

Cried Thomasina,

It is fairyland,

And there's a fairy,

Such a beautiful deer,

Look,

There she goes.

Selim would not look,

He turned over and hid his eyes.

There's no such thing as fairyland,

I tell you,

He grunted,

And I don't believe in fairies.

And then,

Quite suddenly and very horribly,

The fairy turned into a policeman,

Because everyone knows there are such things as policemen,

And anyone can believe in them.

And all the rare and beautiful flowers withered up and disappeared,

And only thorns and thistles were left,

And the misty,

Twiney,

Trim little grass path that led along the top of the cliffs,

Turned into a parade.

And the policeman walked up and down it incessantly,

And watched the children at their play.

And you know how difficult it is to play,

When anyone is watching you,

Especially a policeman.

Selim was extremely vexed,

That was why,

He said,

There couldn't possibly be glowworms as big as bicycle lamps,

Which of course there were,

In where you want to go to.

It was after that,

That the gas lamps were put all along the parade,

And a pier sprang up on purpose,

To be lighted with electricity,

And a band played,

Because it is nonsense to have a pier without a band.

Oh you naughty,

Silly children,

Said the bouncable ball,

Turning red with anger,

Except in the part where he was green with disgust.

It makes me bounce with rage,

To see how you've thrown away your chances,

And what a seaside resort you're making,

Out of where you want to go to.

And he did bounce angrily,

Up and down the beach,

Till the housemaid looked out of the cave,

And told the children not to be so noisy,

And the policeman called out,

Now then,

Move along there,

Move along,

You're obstructing of the traffic.

And now I have something to tell you,

Which you will find it hard to make any excuses for.

I can't make any myself,

I can only ask you to remember how hard it is to be even moderately good,

And how easy it is to be extremely naughty.

When the bouncable ball stopped bouncing,

Selim said,

I wonder what makes him bounce?

Oh no,

Don't,

Cried Thomasina,

For she had heard her brother wonder that about balls before,

And she knew all too well what it ended in.

Don't,

She said,

Oh silly,

He brought us here,

He's been so kind.

But Selim said,

Nonsense,

Balls can't feel,

And it will be almost as good to play with after I've looked inside it.

And then,

Before Thomasina could prevent him,

He pulled out the knife Uncle Reggie gave him,

Last holiday but one,

And catching the ball up,

He plunged the knife into its side.

The bouncable ball uttered one whiffling squeak,

And then,

With a low sigh,

Its kindly spirit fled,

And it lay,

A lifeless mass of paint and India rubber,

In the hands of its assassin.

Thomasina burst into tears,

But the heartless Selim tore open the ball and looked inside.

You know well enough what he found there.

Emptiness,

The little square patch of India rubber that makes the hard lump on the outside of the ball,

And which you feel with your fingers when the ball is alive,

And his own happy,

Bouncing,

Cheerful self.

The children stood looking at each other.

I wish I hadn't,

Said Selim,

At last,

But before Thomasina could answer,

He had caught her hand.

Oh,

Look,

He said,

Look at the sea.

It was,

Indeed,

A dreadful sight.

The beautiful,

Dancing,

Sparkling blue sea was drying up before their eyes.

In less than a moment,

It was quite flat and dusty.

It hurriedly laid railway lines,

Ran up a signal box and telegraph poles,

And became the railway at the back of their house at home.

The children,

Gasping with horror,

Turned to the downs.

From them,

Tall,

Yellow brick houses were rising,

As if drawn up by an invisible hand.

Just as treacle does in cold weather,

If you put your five fingers in and pull them up,

The beach hardened.

It was a pavement.

The green downs turned grey.

They were slate roofs,

And Thomasina and Selim found themselves at the iron gate of their own number in the terrace.

And there was Uncle Thomas at the window,

Knocking for them to come in,

And Aunt Selina calling out to them how far from respectable it was to play in the streets.

They were sent to bed,

That was Aunt Selina's suggestion,

And Uncle Thomas arranged that they should have only dry bread for tea.

Selim and Thomasina have never seen where you want to go to again,

Nor the bounceable ball,

Not even his poor body,

And they don't deserve to either.

Of course,

Thomasina was not so much to blame as Selim,

But she was punished just the same.

I can't help that.

This is really the worst of being naughty.

You not only have to suffer for it yourself,

But someone else always has to suffer too,

Generally the person who loves you best.

But you are intelligent,

And I will not insult you with a moral.

I am not Uncle Thomas,

Nor will I ask you to remember what I have told you.

I am not Aunt Selina.

Reviews

I like the music as well as the story. E Nesbit has quite the imagination!! Thank you again, Mandy for a great reading!

Bit of an odd story that shows what can happen if you’re discontented. I enjoyed it though. Thank you Mandy as always 💜x

Dear Mandy, I am grateful for your readings and presence, thank you. I often need to listen again and again, and I enjoy this, as I fall sound asleep before the end. Sending good wishes. 🌻

Amazing story— too bad for them how the discontent worked out! Lovely reading though, thanks!❤️🙏🏼