Money Problems

Chapter 1

“Beebo, money doesn't grow on trees, you know!” said Daddy Melville to his eldest son.

Beebo wanted to buy a new football. Or rather, he wanted Daddy to buy him a new football.

He went to his room to sulk. Money doesn't grow on trees? Hmmph!

After a while, Peeper came over and both Beebo and Peeper went to play in the field.

“Peeper,” said Beebo, “do you think money grows on trees?”

“Of course not,” answered Peeper.

“Hey, let's go play near the other end of the forest,” said Beebo running ahead.

“Beebo!” yelled Peeper, running after him, “you know we're not supposed to go into the forest.”

“We're not going into the forest. We're just playing NEAR the forest,” answered Beebo.

Chapter 2

The boys ran and ran and ran and ran and ran till they came to a part of the forest that they'd never been to before.

Beebo stopped and looked up. He rubbed his eyes. He couldn't believe what he saw.

“Why'd you stop?” asked Peeper. Then he saw what Beebo saw.

Ahead of them were trees, lots of trees and instead of leaves they had money, $10 notes, $1 notes, all over, in all colours!

Beebo ran up to them and started picking. Peeper ran up behind him trying to stop Beebo.

“Don't, Beebo. You don't know what will happen. This must be some magical trees. They're not real, you know!”

“I just want to take a bit, just so I can buy a new football, maybe a present for Mummy. Nobody will know if you don't tell.”

Peeper didn't take any money. He didn't dare. Beebo took a whole bunch of red, purple and blue notes. Nobody came by, nobody stopped them, even the trees didn't protest.

Chapter 3

Beebo ran straight to the shop in DeliLand and asked for that brand new football. He had the money to pay for it now.

When he tried to pay for it, the money stuck to his hands. Was there glue? It was like a magnet. As soon as Beebo put the money down, the notes jumped back into his hands.

He couldn't buy the football like this.

Beebo ran to Peeper's house to tell him what happened.

When he got there and tried to show Peeper, it seemed as if the money had increased. And now, instead of just covering his hands, they stuck to him all over his arms and face.

Oh no! Beebo didn't like this. He was sure Daddy and Mummy would notice. There's no way he could have dinner  without them noticing.

“Peeper, what shall I do?” asked Beebo.

“I told you not to pluck the money from those trees, Beebo. I warned you.”

Beebo just looked at his friend. This wasn't the help he was looking for.

Would it be time to see Lifewithyou again? Oh no, Beebo's been in all sorts of trouble already….

Peeper went to get scissors. He tried cutting the notes into half to decrease their magnetic power.

But each time he cut a note, Beebo felt a pinch and he said “Ou! Ou! Ou! That hurt! Stop hurting me.”

“I'm not hurting you. I'm cutting the notes.”

Next Peeper went to get soap and tried washing Beebo's hands. But the notes only got wet. They didn't come off and they didn't stop sticking.

“Beebo, I think we'll have to go and see Lifewithyou!” said Peeper, finally.

Chapter 4

Beebo and Peeper went to see Lifewithyou.

She was amused by Beebo's predicament.

“Well, Beebo,” said Lifewithyou. “Looks like you're in trouble again. Maybe we should just leave you like this so that you will learn your lesson. Money does NOT grow on trees. Those magical trees are there to teach greedy people like you a lesson. You do not go around taking other people's money without asking first.”

Beebo pleaded with Lifewithyou to please change him back, to take the money away.

She at last consented but with one condition. Beebo was to go to her hut every day for a month to pick up the dry leaves from her garden.

Beebo was so scared that Mummy and Daddy might find out that he agreed.

With one swift movement of her arms, Lifewithyou cast a spell and all the money just dropped to the floor, leaving Beebo the way he was before he plucked the notes from that magical tree.

For the next month, Beebo went daily to Lifewithyou's garden to clean it up.

At the end of that one month, Lifewithyou was so pleased that Beebo had kept his side of the bargain that she gave him a present.

Can you guess what it was?

Nope, it wasn't money. It was a brand new football!