Monkford and the Humph

“Tweet tweet,” shouted the birds. Monkford scowled. He knew it was time to get up, but he wanted to stay in bed.

The sun shone through his bedroom curtains. It was too bright. Monkford scrunched up his eyes.

'Clunk, clunk, vroooooom, vroooooom, clunk.'

Momma was hoovering downstairs. It was very noisy. Monkford put his paws over his ears and scowled.

‘Thump, thump, thump.’ Momma was climbing the stairs. Monkford pulled his blanket over his head and scowled more.

‘CLUNK!’ Momma bumped Monkford’s bedroom door with the hoover.

Monkford hid beneath his blanket. He thought if he stayed very quiet maybe she would go away, but she did not.

Momma walked into the bedroom with the hoover.

“Monkford are you in there? It’s time to get up!”

Monkford did not answer.

“I know you are hiding Monkford, come on! It’s a beautiful day outside.”

Monkford did not feel like it was a beautiful day. He felt like it was a yucky day. He scowled even more.

Momma pulled his blanket away, picked him up and sat him in her hand. He scowled EVEN MORE. Momma looked at his crumpled up, scowling face.

“I think someone has had a visit from the Humph,” she said.

Monkford folded his paws and looked away. He didn’t know who the Humph was.

“Do you feel yucky?” she asked.

Monkford folded his paws tighter. He didn’t want to look at Momma but she was right. He nodded, “yes.”

“Does your tummy feel angry?”

Why yes it did! Monkford turned to Momma and nodded his head up and down again.

“Does your face feel sad?”

Monkford nodded his head up and down slowly.

Momma stroked his fur gently.

“Yes, you most certainly have had a visit from the Humph.”

Monkford did not like this at all. He did not know anybody called the Humph. How did the Humph even get into the house? How could he make the Humph go away?

Looking up at Momma he lifted his paws in the air to say, “I don’t know what to do.”

“It’s okay Monkford. The Humph visits us all sometimes. He makes us feel like we do not want to do anything. He makes us feel like everything is annoying. He makes us want to stay in our bed and hide.”

Monkford began to nod his head up and down in agreement. That is exactly how he was feeling!

“The best way to make the Humph go away, is to do the very opposite of what he wants you to do.” Explained Momma.

Monkford sat down and thought very carefully.

The noise of the birds tweeting had annoyed him. The noise of the hoover had annoyed him. What is the opposite of not liking noise? Liking noise!

Monkford bounced onto the bed and high into the air. He grabbed his tambourine from the wall with his tail. He leapt onto the hoover and it vroooooooomed around the room with Monkford on top, shaking his tambourine.

“Vroooooom, clunk, vroooooooom vroom, clash clash, ting!”

“Ok Monkford,’ laughed Momma, ‘I think that is enough noise. Can you think of anything else?”

Monkford sat down on the carpet and thought very hard. His tummy was angry. What is the opposite of having an angry tummy? Having a happy tummy! But how could Monkford make his tummy happy?

He looked up at Momma’s kind face. Momma always knew how to help, so he bounced onto her lap and gave her a big hug! Momma tickled his belly and he laughed and laughed! His tummy filled with giggles and it was happy again.

“Let me see your face,’ Momma said, ‘I can still see a little scowl. I think there might be one more opposite thing that you can do. Can you work out what it is?”

Monkford sat down on the windowsill and thought very hard. Of course! The Humph wanted him to hide underneath his blanket away from the sun. So he would do the very opposite. He would play outside, right in the middle of the sunshine where everyone could see him.

Bouncing off of the windowsill he leapt towards the garden. Momma followed to see what he would do. Shaking his tambourine with his tail he jumped up and down, waving his arms and legs in the sunshine.

The frogs popped their heads out of the pond to see where the noise was coming from. The bees came out of the flowers. The birds swooped down from the trees. Monkford looked like he was having so much fun that they all joined in.

The bees buzzed around in big circles. The birds tweeted and hopped along the grass. The frogs croaked and leapt through the lily pads.

Even Momma joined in. She danced around the garden and began to sing and laugh. Monkford thought that she looked very silly, but this made his belly fill with even more giggles.

He thought that this was the noisiest, sunniest, silliest and happiest day that he could ever imagine.

And as if by magic, the Humph had disappeared.