KING WOOLLY OF HEEBEELAND'S FORBIDDEN LONG TOENAILS

There once lived a King who wore very long shoes. In fact, they were so long that everywhere the King went the people would see the shoes before they saw the king. The shoes entered the throneroom ahead of the King. And they kept the King and Queen from dancing together.

Many people wondered why the King wore such awfully long shoes, but only the Queen and the palace servants knew that the King did so to hide his long toenails, as long toenails were forbidden in the Kingdom of Heebeeland even on the King. And this King would not have his toenails trimmed because it tickled the bottom of his toes when the royal toenail trimmer held them, causing the King to laugh so hard that his ribs ached.

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GOOD KING WOOLLY'S COMPLAINING SERVANTS

But he was a good King, and he kept all of the people of his Kingdom happy except his palace servants.

The cook was very unhappy. "Just taste the delicious food which I am always preparing for his Majesty's table, while I have never been served in the palace dining room," he complained.

The tailor was likewise unhappy. "And look at the colorful clothing which I designed for his appearing, while not once have I been so handsomely attired and driven throughout the Kingdom in a Golden Carriage," he lamented.

The palace housekeeper added her grievance. "Have you ever seen a room so brightly and sparklingly clean as I keep the King's bedroom, while I have never been served breakfast in bed," she wailed.

And there were other palace servants who were unhappy with their King. Among these was the court jester. "Have you observed how long and loudly his Majesty laughs at my jokes while nobody entertains me," he moaned.

And the palace guard displayed his irritation with King Woolly. "How many times have I saved His Royal Highness from harm, while nobody provides me with safety when I travel through the Haunted Forest," he cried.

And finally the Prime Minister, who had been listening to the other servants, evidenced his anger toward the Emperor of the Kingdom of Heebeeland. "All of you know how the King and the entire Kingdom of Heebeeland have profited by my advice; yet, it is Woolly, and not I, who sits on the throne," he bellowed.

The King heard about these complaints of his palace servants, and he was very sad. "I wonder why my servants are so unhappy with me when they live better than the servants of all other kingdoms," he sighed to the Queen.

The Queen angrily shook her crowned head. "How many times will I have to tell you that they are your enemies," she cried. "Once more I warn you to dismiss them from your service. Let them see how they will fare away from the Palace."

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KING WOOLLY LAMENTS DISCHARGING FONTANNA

"I discharged my favorite servant to please them," lamented King Woolly, "and they are no more happier for my actions, and neither am I. I wonder how young Fontanna is faring these days," he added sorrowfully.

"I, too, often wonder about him," remarked Queen Odella. "Do you remember the old bard at the theatre telling us that Fontanna will return to the Palace, but when he does you will no longer be sitting on your throne?"

"Ah, yes," murmured the King, "and I have laid awake at nights thinking about what he meant by that prophecy."

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UNGRATEFUL SERVANTS TELL OF KING'S LONG TOENAILS

One day while the King and Queen were hunting in the Silver Forest the servants slipped away from the Palace. And by the time the royal couple had returned everyone in the Kingdom of Heebeeland knew that their King had long toenails. And the Emperor and Empress were very distressed.

"What will happen to me," cried the unhappy King, "now that all of my subjects know that I have long toenails."

Queen Odella wept. "Now will you believe me King Woolly when I tell you that your servants are after your throne. Only cruel and ungrateful servants would tell the people of Heebeeland about your long toenails. Don't you wish that you had listened to me and kept them short? Your subjects will simply not tolerate long toenails on anyone."

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ANGRY PEOPLE BLAME DISASTERS ON KING'S LONG TOENAILS

Throughout the Kingdom the people of Heebeeland expressed their anger with King Woolly's long toenails.

The farmer's wife wailed her complaint to her neighbor. "Now I know it was King Woolly's long toenails that butchered my little pig when it ran in front of him while he visited our farm last summer. And all of this time I believed that it was a bolt of lightning that hit my precious piggy-wiggy."

Her neighbor farmer angrily nodded his head in agreement with her. "And look what his long toenails did to my pear tree," he roared. "And I, too, thought that it was lightning that brought it to the ground."

The owner of a playland park uttered his dissatisfaction. "King Woolly's toenails sawed my merry-go-round in half," he raged. "Now I know why he wears such long shoes."

And throughout the Kingdom everyone was hearing stories about the King's long toenails. They were supposed to have chopped down barns, sawed fishing poles into two, cut bottoms out of boats and reduced barn doors to splinters. In fact, his toenails were blamed for just about every disaster which had taken place in the Kingdom, including an earthquake.

And scarcely anyone remembered how good and generous King Woolly had been to the people of Heebeeland.

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SCOUNDRELS SCHEME AGAINST KING WOOLLY

Far away in a mountain castle in the Kingdom of Heebeeland, three scoundrels, named Lark, Lane and Dane, gleefully heard about the King's long toenails through a special messenger sent to them by the Prime Minister.

"The Prime Minister suggests that we tell King Shardell of the Kingdom of Botania that it was King Woolly's toenails, and not a shark, which cut off his leg while he was swimming with the King of Heebeeland last summer," Lark informed Lane and Dane. "He is sure that King Shardell will reward us handsomely, and he wants us to remember him and the other palace servants to the Emperor of Botania when we see His Royal Highness."

"An excellent idea," agreed Lane excitedly, "and remember, King Shardell never liked King Woolly."

"The sooner that we get to King Shardell's palace the better it will be for all of us," cried Dane enthusiastically.

And with these words, the three cruel conspirators mounted their fleet red horses and galloped toward Botania.

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HAUGHTY KING SHARDELL OF WATERY BOTANIA

Now the Kingdom of Botania was a royal domain of many seas, and King Shardell's palace stood on a small island in the midst of great and mighty waters. Most of the people of Botania lived on houseboats and cast their nets for fishes and pearls.

King Shardell was not only the Ruler of Botania, but the controller of many other Kingdoms. When neighboring kings did not send tributes of grain, sheep, fruit, gold, diamonds and silks, he would unleash powerful forces of water on their lands, thereby ruining their crops and destroying the homes of their subjects.

Lately, however, he was beginning to run short of water and could barely send enough into the Kingdom of Heebeeland to enable the inhabitants of that Kingdom to harvest their crops and keep their lands from becoming parched and barren. Of course, it was from these lands that he received his tributes of fruit, and grain, or else this haughty monarch would have sent his army to destroy the farms and homes of the people of Heebeeland.

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FONTANNA WARNS SCOUNDRELS
ABOUT THEIR SELFISH SCHEMES

On their way to Botania, Lark, Lane and Dane happened upon young Fontanna who was sitting beside a sparkling blue fountain, playing his golden harp and singing songs of Heebeeland. "You seem very happy for one who was driven from the Palace by that evil King Woolly," remarked Lark to Fontanna.

"He is not an evil King," cried Fontanna indignantly.

"Oh come, Fontanna," laughed Lane derisively, "You surely want to get even with him for his treatment of you. Remember the fine position you had in the Palace?"

"King Woolly treated me royally when I left his service," cried Fontanna, "He provided me with the opportunity to do the work of my choice, and I chose to be the supervisor of all the beautiful fountains in the Kingdom. "Besides all of this, His Majesty did not want me to leave the palace; he was only trying to please the ungrateful servants."

"Well, suit yourself, Fontanna, " laughed Dane, "but we three enterprisers are on our way to tell King Shardell that his leg was destroyed by King Woolly's long toenails instead of by the bite of a shark."

"How can you do such a cruel thing to King Woolly after all he has done for each of you. You would not have your fruit orchard, Lark, if His Majesty had not given you the fledging trees he had received from King Noon of Noonland. And was it not His Royal Highness who provided you, Lane, with the lumber to build your Wonder Playland - lumber which he could have used to erect his own playland in the palace courtyard? Yes, and you, Dane, have your theatre because your good hearted Emperor gave up his plans to construct his dream theatre in the palace."

"True, my dear, Fontanna, your King Woolly is responsible for my owning a fruit orchard," taunted Lark, "but I want a fruit farm and King Shardell might well provide me with such a prize."

"And my heart bleeds as how you remind me that His Imperial Majesty made my wonder Playland possible," mocked Lane. "But I want a playground that will be the greatest in all of the Kingdoms, and King Shardell is my hope for realizing this desire."

"I would not think of depriving the Emperor of Heebeeland of the credit due him for providing me with a theatre," purred Dane. "But I have been dreaming of a theatre which will be the envy of all the theatres of the Kingdoms, and King Shardell might make my dream come true."

"Well, you three are the most heartless and selfish schemers I have ever known," cried Fontanna angrily, "I know King Woolly left his toenails grow too long, but I am sure that he never hurt anyone with them. You know perfectly well that it was a shark that tore off King Shardell's leg, and I predict that you will live to regret the day you set foot in the Kingdom of Botania."

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SCOUNDRELS LIE ABOUT KING WOOLLY AND
SCHEME WITH KING SHARDELL

Of course, Lark, Lane and Dane did not heed Fontanna's warning, and upon arriving in the Kingdom of Botania they wasted no time in presenting themselves in King Shardell's spacious island palace. And the sea monarch shook with anger when the three villians told him he had lost his leg because of King Woolly's long toenails. All of his palace servants trembled at his wrath, and indeed everyone and everything in his Kingdom, including the sea waves seemed to quake at his fury.

"I will send my army into Heebeeland and seize Woolly," he raged. "Then I will have him brought here where his toenails will cut wood for my throneroom fire place."

"Might I suggest that your Royal Highness handle this matter a little differently," suggested Lark craftily. "Why not simply send a note to the King of Heebeeland warning him that unless he gives up the throne that you will send your army to destroy the homes and crops of Heebeeland. Rather than see his subjects suffer, he will give up the throne. Then let the Prime Minister become King and the other servants become the Lords and Ladies of the Palace."

"A splendid suggestion! A splendid suggestion!" cried King Shardell enthusiastically and waving his wooden leg. "But what shall we do with King Woolly'?"

"Why not have him and his Queen become palace servants and wait on the Lords and Ladies?" counseled Lane.

"A marvelous idea! A marvelous idea!" shouted the delighted Emperor. "I will dispatch a messenger to the palace in Heebeeland immediately.

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KING SHARDELL REWARDS THE SCOUNDRELS
HURTING HEEBEELAND

And now my cunning friends, what can I do to reward you for your journey to the Ruler of Botania?"

"The three of us need water badly," your Majesty," offered Dane. "Lark needs water to turn his entire land into a fruit farm; he only has an orchard now. Lane needs more water in which to move his wonder playland boats, and I need water on which to float my special enlarged theatre."

I see," murmured Shardell. "Of course, you understand that whatever water I give you will have to be taken away from the people of Heebeeland. Their crops will suffer and they will not have sufficient food to eat. But anyone dealing so treacherously with King Woolly as you have will not be troubled by that now, will you?" he asked gazing so cynically at the three scoundrels. "I will build a huge dam which will channel water into your fruit farm, wonder playland and floating theatre. Some day I may have other need for your crafty services."

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KING SHARDELL DETHRONES KING WOOLLY
AND HEEBEELAND SUFFERS

No sooner had these three happy traitors departed from his palace, then the King of Botania dispatched messengers to King Woolly warning him of the grave consequences which would result if he and his Queen did not give up their thrones and become palace subjects, and as Lark had predicted the good King and Queen agreed to King Shardell's terms in order to keep the homes and farms of his good people from being destroyed by the army of Botania. And so the Prime Minister became the King, and the servants became the Lords and Ladies of the Palace.

And while these palace impostors lived in comfort and luxury, the people of Heebeeland suffered greatly, as their lands were parched and dry and could not yield fruit and grain for their tables. The water which used to come from the Kingdom of Botania now flowed into the farm, wonder playland, and floating theatre of Lark, Lane and Dane respectively.

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SADDENED FONTANNA PLANS TO HELP HEEBEELAND

Sitting sadly by the fountain which no longer danced merrily with sparkling waters, Fontanna sang sad songs and wondered what he could do to help the poor people of Heebeeland. "I am told that many wealthy people from other kingdoms come to the performances at Dane's theatre," he thought to himself. "Perhaps if I tell them about the sorrowful plight of the people of Heebeeland they will provide me with money to purchase food for them." After considering this for awhile, and singing some more melodious lyrics, he leaped upon his handsome white steed and galloped rapidly to the village beside the artificial 1ake whereon stood the magnificent floating theatre of Dane.

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OLD BARD'S PROPHECY OF A MIGHTY DEED
TO RESTORE HEEBEELAND

Upon his arrival at the theatre, he noticed a sizeable crowd of people gathered around a colorful old man who was standing on a small platform near Dane's theatre, sometimes speaking, sometimes singing. "Who is the elderly gentlemen?" Fontanna curiously inquired of a lad with a lass on his arm.

"He is an old bard who is very well known in this theatre village," answered the lad. "He tells fascinating stories and the people love the riddles and mysteries which they hear in his musical tales."

"Why then isn't he performing in the theatre?" rejoined Fontanna.

"He used to perform in the theatre," explained the lad, "but Lane dismissed him because he critized King Shardell for flooding the kingdom from which he came. Dane does not want him to sing out here either but the crowd always refuses to go into the theatre until they hear the old bard."

After thanking the youthful informer, Fontanna joined the throng and heard the bard sing of a king and a kingdom that dwelt at the bottom of a sea. The king used to reign over this kingdom above the sea until the mountainous waves overpowered his realm and deposited it on the floor of the sea. The old bard concluded his song by prophesying that one who was listening to him would awaken three times as he slept that night. And after the third interruption of his slumbers, he would arise to do a mighty deed. And everyone of his spell-bound listeners wondered who that sleeper might be.

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FONTANNA AWAKENS REALIZING HIS MIGHTY DEED
TO RESTORE HEEBEELAND

"How strange and mysterious," thought Fontanna. "I feel as though I have seen that old hard some place. Well, anyhow, I'm terribly tired, and I should sleep well tonight. Tomorrow, I should request food from those wealthy people here at the theatre." And in a very short time Fontanna was soundly sleeping in the village inn, dreaming of the good old days when he was in the court of good King Woolly and the people of the Kingdom of Heebeeland were happy and free.

But suddenly he was wakened by his own sneezing. "It is a little chilly in this bedroom," he mumbled sleepily. "I will pull this blanket over me." And having done so he returned to the Land of Nod and another dream under the bright stars above the village. However, his second dream was not so pleasant; for in it he saw many people roaming over the parched earth of Heebeeland in search of food.

Then he was wakened again; this time by a sting on his nose. I guess it was a mosquito," he said yawning wearily. "I had better close that window." But after closing the window and shutting out the cool fresh night air, he could not sleep. So he laid upon his soft feathery mattress and thought about the old bard and his strange prophecy.

Suddenly he tossed excitedly upon the bed. "Now I remember where I saw the old bard," he cried. "He was a performer at Dane's old theatre where King Woolly and Queen Odella use to attend. After I left King Woolly's services I heard that he foretold that I would return to the Palace, but when I did, the royal majesties would not be sitting on their thrones.

Now I wonder how and why I will go back to the Palace." While he was thinking about this, he recalled the old bard's prediction that the one who was awakened three times would arise to do a mighty deed. "That's me!" he shouted while leaping from his bed and dancing around the room. I am to arise and return to the Palace and restore King Woolly and Queen Odella to their thrones. But I will have to awaken one more time, and I still must find a way of doing this mighty deed.

Lying down on the bed again, he thought of the great difficulty he would encounter in making King Woolly again the rightful ruler of Heebeeland. If he overthrew the Prime Minister and the palace servants, King Shardell would surely send his army to rescue them. In fact, Fontanna believed that he could restore the King and Queen to their thrones only because the old bard had foretold that he would. But his tired mind could not tell him how he would accomplish this feat.

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PRETTY DONNABELL'S PROBLEM SOLVING MIRROR
FOR THE SLEEPING MIND

As his eyes wondered around the room, they became fastened on a picture of a lass who reminded him of the pretty dancing maiden, Donnabelle, at the fountain of the leaping gold and blue waters. Suddenly, he again found himself so excited he leaped from his bed and jumped around the room.

"Donnabelle once told me to let my mind solve my problems while I sleep" he cried. "All I have to do is write on a mirror that I want my mind to tell me as I sleep how to rescue the King and Queen, and press the mirror against my forehead. And this was something Fontanna wasted no time in doing. But how was he going to sleep? The answer to this question came very soon, for the innkeeper rapped at his door and the voices of angry lodgers poured into his room as he opened the door.

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FONTANNA FINALLY AWAKENS WITH SOLUTION
TO RESTORE HEEBEELAND

"You are keeping the whole inn awake with your blasted prancing and dancing," roared the innkeeper angrily, as the other guests echoed their furious agreement.

"I am very sorry," apologized Fontanna. "I am having trouble getting to sleep."

The innkeeper poured a glass of milk from a bucket which he was carrying and passed it to Fontanna. "Drink this warm milk," he suggested, "and you will be asleep in a jiffy."

After thanking the innkeeper and drinking the milk, Fontanna was soon in deep sleep and dreaming of a mighty ocean whose waves roared toward the shore, but were broken up by huge black and brown rocks before they could reach their destination. The more the waves slashed against the rocks and returned to the ocean the more tense and restless Fontanna became, and he squirmed and rolled from one side of the bed to the other until he finally fell on the floor.

Although startled by his sudden fall and awakened, Fontanna instantly realized that his mind had given him the solution to his problem while he slept. The waters in his dream were those of King Shardell's kingdom which flowed into the enterprises of Lark, Lane and Dane. And what was needed was something like the great rocks to keep them from reaching their destination, and send them back into the Kingdom of Botania.

"If they return to Botania King Shardell's kingdom will be swept to the bottom of the sea as the old bard had predicted," cried Fontanna. "Then King Wooly and Queen Odella can return to their thrones. But there are no rocks to stop these waters."

However, it was not long before Fontanna discovered in his mind that a huge strong wall could be erected to prevent the water of Botania from reaching the properties of Lark, Lane and Dane. "But who could help me to build such a wall," he wondered. "I fear the people of Heebeeland are too weak from hunger to do any such work."

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FONTANNA ENLISTS WEARY PACE AND HIS FRIENDS
TO RESTORE KING WOOLLY

So Fontanna now wide awake and eager to do the mighty deed decided to take a walk in the cool night air while he thought how he might raise a powerful wall. He had scarcely left the inn when he spied a sad and weary looking man sitting on the sidewalk beside a cart of fruit with his head resting against a bakery shoppe.

"What is your problem?" Fontanna sympathetically asked him.

"I was sent here by Lark to sell this fruit to the people from other kingdoms," he replied, "but they say that they have all the fruit they need back home. If I return this unsold fruit to Lark, he will be angry with me. And Lark can be very cruel, particularly when he is very angry."

"Do you work on Lark's fruit farm?" asked Fontanna.

"Yes, I am sad to say," he replied. "My name is Pace. I only work for Lark to obtain fruit for my weak and hungry family," he added sorrowfully.

Suddenly Fontanna felt that he knew how to build the great wall. Leaning over and laying his hand on Pace's shoulder, he reminded him of happier days in Heebeeland. "You and your family fared very well when King Woolly was on the throne."

We surely did," agreed Pace. "All of the workers on Lark's farm despise the Prime Minister and the palace servants who are now ruling the kingdom."

"Would you and they be willing to help me restore King Woolly to his throne?" asked Fontanna.

"Would we!" shouted Pace excitedly. "I'll say we would! Just show us how!"

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MIGHTY STONE WALL IS BUILT AND
BOTANIA IS SWEPT TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA

And after Fontanna explained to him about the great stone wall, Pace claimed that not only the workers of Lark's farm but those in Lane's wonder playland and Dane's theatre would join them in their labors.

And then Fontanna and Pace set out to invite all of these workers to join them in building the mighty barrier at the seashore. And before two more sunsets in Heebeeland, the workers singing and shouting merrily were piling stone on top of stone.

The mighty stone wall was finished and no water could pass over, around or through it. And the workers and their families led by Fontanna and Donnabelle happily sang and danced beneath the high water fortress.

Then early one morning when King Shardell and the people of Botania were drinking their orange juice, they were startled to see huge waves the size of mountains roaring towards them and before they could say King Woolly's long toenails, they and the entire Kingdom of Botania were swept to the bottom of the sea where they live until this day.

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HEEBEELAND RESTORED AND
KING WOOLLY TRIMS HIS TOENAILS

"Now we will drill a large hole in the wall so water can flow into all the lands of Heebeeland, and our people will be able to grow fruit and grain for their table," cried Fontanna excitedly.

And at the first sunrise following the next sunset, when the waters rolled through the stone wall into the dry and barren areas of Heebeeland, Fontanna and the gallant workers rushed on their white horses to the Palace of Heebeeland where they arrested the wicked Prime Minister and the palace servants and freed King Woolly and Queen Odella to sit upon their throne's again.

And the first thing King Woolly did when he sat on his throne again was to send messengers to all the people of the Kingdom of Heebeeland inviting them to a gala party where his long toenails would be trimmed. And the trimming of his toenails was presided over by the Queen while his subjects cheered and merrily danced and sang. The buzzing of the huge saw which was carried by 24 men was so loud that it could be heard in the far away Kingdom of Zeekland.

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FONTANNA MARRIES PRETTY DONNABELLE AND
ALL HEEBEELAND SOLVES PROBLEMS SLEEPING

Then standing with ordinary sized toenails King Woolly proclaimed that Fontanna would be his new Prime Minister. And the happy Fontanna married Donnabelle, the pretty young maiden of the fountain of the gold and blue waters, who always reminded him before he fell asleep to tell his mind what problems he wanted solved while he was asleep so that he could make good and wise decisions for the people of the Kingdom of Heebeeland.

And all of the people of Heebeeland had directed their minds to solve their problems while they were asleep, thereby making them the most wise, rested and contented people of all the kingdoms of the world.

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FINALLY, LONG TOENAILS FOR SCOUNDRELS AND FRIENDS

As for the wicked Prime Minister and the servants, they were sent from the palace to trim the toenails of all the men, women and children of the Kingdom, and they worked both day and night because there are many many, toenails needing to be trimmed in Heebeeland.

But they do not trim the toenails of the scoundrels, Lark, Lane and Dane. These three are required to let their toenails grow longer than those which use to adorn King Wolly's feet. Lark must use his long toenails to plow the lands throughout the kingdom upon which grow the fruit trees and grains. And the children love to stop their playing to watch his toenails dig deep furrows into the ground and to hear him squeal with laughter when sometimes the dirt tickles the bottom of his feet.

Lane is under orders to use his long toenails to saw wood which is used to build wonder playlands for all the people of the kingdom and children shout with laughter as they listen to the buzzing of his toenails.

And Dane is under command to make his long toenails cut down the trees needed to provide wood to build theatres in which to entertain all the subjects of the Kingdom of Heebeeland. And the people roar with delight as they listen to his sizzling toenails and watch the mighty trees fall.

As for King Shardell and all of his subjects at the bottom of the sea, they must let their toenails grow very long indeed in order that they can cut the sharks which are always invading the Kingdom of Botania attempting to destroy the brass barrels in which grain and fruit are sent by good King Woolly to feed the people of the Kingdom of Botania.

The End

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