Bumps and His Buddies

by Marie Helene Gulbransen

While he was pondering over this, selecting the gifts he would like best and hoping to be forgiven for his naughtiness, a huge snowball sang by his head and crashed through the great glass window. He turned quickly, in time to see his playmate, Teddy, disappear around the corner. Just then he felt strong hands grasp his coat collar roughly and heard an angry policeman exclaim, “That’s the time I caught you!”

Poor Tom! He knew that Teddy had thrown the snowball, but he didn’t want to be a tattle-tale, so he allowed himself to be hauled away to the nearest jail. He was thrust into a dark cell, not much larger than a clothes closet, where he trembled with the cold and dampness, utterly heart-broken over his sad plight. Trying to be brave, he forced back the tears, and settled down to wait until his father should come to his rescue.

Suddenly he saw a great cloud of smoke rising from one corner of his cell. It circled ’round and ’round until it disappeared into thin air, leaving behind a tiny brown elf, who stood blinking knowingly at him and nodding his head like a wise little old man. Now Tom had often heard of goblins and fairies and wished that he might know them, so he smiled at his little visitor, told him how glad he was to see him and began to relate to him the story of his misfortune. “Yes, Tom,” said the little elf, “I know all about your troubles, and because you have been a good, honest lad I am willing to grant any wish you may make.” This was jolly good luck for Tom, and he laughed to think how worried he had been a few short moments ago, and how the little brown elf had transformed all his sorrow into wonderful joy.

“O dear Mr. Fairy, what I want most of all in the world is the power to become invisible,” cried Tom. “I have always wished that I could make myself invisible whenever I wanted to do so.”

Now the little brown elf thought this a most unusual wish, but he told Tom he would grant it for one day, and instantly Tom felt a sudden gust of air and found himself entirely alone. Just then he heard the turnkey coming with his bread and water and he hurriedly wished himself invisible, and when the door was opened he walked right out of his cell between the big man’s bow legs! He chuckled in glee to himself when he saw the turnkey looking all about for him, not being able to find him anywhere, and then he set about finding his way to the street.

On his way home Tom passed a lake that the frost had converted into a solid sheet of gleaming ice, where all the boys and girls were skating. He spied a pair of skates lying on the bank, and quick as a thought, he had them on his feet and had darted off across the ice. There were loud shouts of surprise from everyone, and he saw all the boys and girls looking after him in amazement. Of course, all they could see was the skates, which they thought must have been bewitched to go skating off by themselves. A dozen boys set out in pursuit of them, and Tom quite enjoyed the sport of eluding them. Teddy, who was in the crowd, almost caught up with him, but, hearing a voice that seemed to come from the skates themselves, saying, “You know you broke the window!” he became so frightened that he stumbled and fell, slithered over the thin ice around a “Danger” sign, broke through and plunged headlong into the cold water.

All They Could See Was the Skates

Before the other boys and girls could reach him, Invisible Tom had pulled him out. When Teddy felt hands helping him out but could see no one, he cried aloud in fear, but Tom just chuckled to himself and glided off, quite satisfied with his first adventure. By this time he was tired of skating, so, leaving the skates where he had found them, he went merrily and invisibly on his way.

A poor little homeless dog whose leg had been injured by a passing truck was limping painfully along ahead of Tom, and at last tumbled into a pathetic little heap, unable to drag himself further. A rough boy, whom Tom did not know, came by just at that moment and began tormenting the poor little animal. ’Twas then Tom thought he could have some fun by befriending the dog and playing a trick on the boy. So he dashed over, picked the dog up in his invisible arms, and carried him safely down the street. When he looked back and saw the boy standing with his mouth wide open in amazement at seeing a dog floating away in the air, he laughed aloud. This was indeed great fun! Tom went out of his way to pass the Dog Hospital, where he dropped his little charge carefully in through an open window just high enough from the ground for him to reach.