The Tillyville Times

New Homes Spring Up in Tillyville

This week two Tillyville residents moved into brand new homes. Matt's house on 5 Front Street features a triple-twist water slide and a handsome second story sun deck. Andrea's place on 25 Geneva Owl Way includes a good old-fashioned tree swing, lots of plump purple pots, and the most delicious-looking roofing this side of Hansel and Gretel. Stop by and say hi.

Meanwhile construction continues at 1 Swan Circle, future home of Mr. Frog and Mrs. Duck. The plans call for turrets and gables, and a porch on three sides, as well as a path to the pond for the children to play upon, plus plenty of space for family, friends, cooking, and cats. Contractor Darth Elbow hopes to have the project all wrapped up long before the first frost.

This Week in Tillyville

Recipe for Sunday: take 1 game of tug-of-war, add 1 ham-sized Lemon Boy tomato, mix with plenty of girls on the beach to show off in front of, and read until you are laughing!

On Monday IBHH Local 57, the International Brotherhood of Hedgehogs, is set to strike. Tilly would prefer not to lose any sleep over it, but things aren't going to work out that way.

Tuesday and Wednesday Tilly encounters and reencounters the crafty and elusive Silver Snake. He's cute!

As captain of the Wed Rings baseball team, Tilly Squirrel must organize the annual banquet. No, skunk cabbage is not on the menu. It's just the title of this story. Find out why this Thursday.

Run in fear this Friday, when Dorian casts the Curse of the Red Wrist ... are you ready?

ATTENTION, ALL UNITS: We are getting reports of a dangerous high-rise blaze ... that's firefighting action, this Saturday ... and the Hm is on the scene! Over!

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Dear Tilly,

Tillyville looks so picturesque and peaceful, and there's always a story within reach. There is no "bad" side of Tillyville!

Kitty Katz

Stop in at Pompadour's Barber Shop for a haircut and a few jokes. And if you know any jokes, send them to tilly@tillyville.com and he'll pass them along to the barber. No guarantee that Pompadour will use them, but no guarantee that he won't.

This Week's Weather

Skinny McKinney and Chocolate Rat were walking home from baseball practice. Chocolate Rat said, "That's an interesting cloud up there."

Skinny looked up. "I don't see what's so interesting about it. It doesn't look like anything special. It doesn't look like a horse or a cow or a motorcycle. It just looks like an ordinary cloud. Less than ordinary, if anything."

Chocolate Rat smiled. "So you have no interest in it. Good. Then I'm claiming it. I discovered it, after all."

"You can't claim clouds," Skinny McKinney protested. "Clouds aren't property. They're not like stars. They don't even have names."

"I'm not interested in claiming any stars. I'm not interested in naming any stars. I have enough stars named after me already."

"What do you mean you have enough stars?" Skinny said. "You don't have any stars. You have to be famous to have stars. And you're not famous. You don't even have a telescope."

"Yeah, but I have tons of stars named after me," Chocolate said. "Milky Way is practically my middle name."

"Maybe so," Skinny said, "but stars aren't the same thing as clouds."

"Right," Chocolate Rat agreed. "You're the one who started talking about stars, not me. I'm just talking about clouds. About that cloud. I'm naming it and I'm claiming it. Chocolate Cloud. There."

"Yeah, but what happens when it rains? You're cloud will be gone. Evaporated into nothing. Ha ha ha."

"No it won't," Chocolate said. "When my cloud rains it will be chocolate rain. Delicious chocolate rain. And it'll all be mine. Anyone who wants a taste of it will have to pay me first."

Skinny looked up at the cloud. It did seem to be a bit darker. A bit more menacing. A bit more about to burst. "Clouds don't rain chocolate," Skinny said.

"Mine do," Chocolate said.

"Fat chance," Skinny scoffed.

Just then the first drops fell. Just a few fat drops at first. Chocolate caught one of them on his palm. He licked it. "Mm-mm, heavenly delicious," he said. "Essence of chocolate. Even more delicious than I thought it would be. I'm so proud of my cloud."

"You're crazy," Skinny said. He stuck out his palm and caught a droplet.

"Don't even thinking about licking it," Chocolate said. "Not until you pay me a dollar."

Skinny started to stick out his tongue.

"Don't you dare!" Chocolate said. "A dollar first." Chocolate waved his arms. The rain seemed to be letting up. The cloud seemed to be drifting away. "Better hurry."

Skinny dug into his pockets. "This better be ..."

"Where's your faith?" Chocolate said.

"I must be crazy," Skinny said as he handed over the money.