Isabel and the Ogre
by Alex Lella
Once there was an ogre.
A fierce, savage, ugly -- and most important to our story -- hungry ogre.
One night, he left his cave and went into a small town searching for his dinner. He eventually stopped at a house where a little girl named Isabel lived.
At the time, Isabel was in her room, talking on the phone with her best friend about all the wonderful things she had done that day.
"So," she said, "today I got a hundred on my spelling test, as usual. Then I saw that Joey Martin was playing with his phone when he should have been doing work, so I told Ms. Lincoln. Ms. Lincoln said something about me being a tattletale, but honestly, if I don't tell her about these things, who will? Then during History class, Ms. Lincoln made a mistake and said that Jefferson was the second president of the United States -- Can you believe that? But I corrected her, so all in all, a pretty good day."
"Sounds wonderful," said her friend unenthusiastically. "I have to go now. I've got homework to do."
"Well, I finished my homework hours ago, but--" Isabel almost didn't hear the click at the other end of the line as her friend hung up the phone.
Oh well. Tomorrow’s going to be an even better day, she thought.
Just then -- a crash at her window! Isabel turned and was astonished to see an ogre come smashing into her room.
"Grrh!" said the ogre.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Grrh!" said the ogre.
"You have a lousy vocabulary," said Isabel. "My teacher says Vocabulary is important because--"
The ogre decided to eat her before she could finish that sentence.
The next morning, Isabel's mother was getting breakfast ready. Isabel didn't normally have to be called to breakfast. She was always the first to the table but today, she was a little late.
Mother was just about to call her, when she heard a loud stomping coming from Isabel's room, and before Mother could wonder what to do next, the ogre stomped into the kitchen, picked up the cereal box and poured cereal into his mouth. Then he ate the cardboard box.
"What's going on here?" asked Mother. "Where is Isabel?"
"I'm in here, Mother," said the ogre. "I'm sorry about the table manners, but I can't control him very well."
Now Mother was stunned. "Isabel? Are you in that thing?"
"Yeah, he ate me last night. I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess I'd better get ready for school."
"Do you really think you should go today?"
"I have to. I don't want to miss a possible surprise quiz."
So, the ogre picked up Isabel's books and walked to school.
When the ogre entered the classroom, the girls in the class all said things like, "Gross, what's that?" while the boys all said, "I don't know, but isn't it cool?"
Meanwhile, Ms. Lincoln's jaw dropped in surprise. "Umm… Sir?" she said to the ogre. "Can I help you with something?"
"It's me, Ms. Lincoln. And I think you should know James was doing his homework just now, on the way to school."
"Isabel?" said Ms. Lincoln. A surprised giggle passed through the classroom.
"This thing ate me last night, but don't worry. I can still do my classwork." The ogre tried to sit at Isabel's desk, but since he weighed a good three hundred pounds more than Isabel, the chair splintered under his weight. That made everyone else in the classroom laugh.
"Isabel, I don't think this is going to work," said Ms. Lincoln.
"Maybe Isabel will come out when that thing makes a doody," suggested one helpful boy.
"What do you think ogre doody looks like?" asked another boy.
"Probably green and purple and smelly."
"Then how are we going to tell the difference between it and Isabel?"
"Children," said Ms. Lincoln, "Can we please stop talking about Doody?" She turned to the ogre. "Isabel, I think you should go see the school nurse."
The school nurse wasn't sure what to do about the problem either. "I could try giving the ogre a dose of Ipecac," she said shyly," but I'm not sure how well that would work."
"Well, do something," said the ogre in Isabel's voice. "I'm getting sick and tired of being inside an ogre."
"Right," said the nurse, "well, the only other thing I can think of would be for me to try this…
"Ogre," she said, trying to address the ogre directly, "do you realise what sort of girl you've swallowed?"
"Grr?" said the ogre.
"Isabel is kind of a funny girl."
"What are you talking about?" said the ogre with Isabel's voice.
"Throughout the school, she has this reputation for thinking she's better than everyone else."
"Grr?" said the ogre again.
"Well, I am better than everyone else--" Isabel tried to explain.
"But look at what happened to her," continued the school nurse. "She's resting inside the belly of an ogre. Wonderful, perfect Isabel resting in the belly of an ogre." She chuckled. "Pretty silly if you ask me."
"Now, just a minute, Nurse Reynolds--"
But Isabel couldn't finish because the ogre was rocking back and forth with laughter. His belly shook while he laughed and laughed. Just as he opened his mouth and gave a loud guffaw, Isabel came flying out and landed on the nurse's couch.
"Are you all right?" asked the nurse, trying to control her own laughter.
"Do you think I'm all right?" asked Isabel, trying to brush herself off. She turned to the ogre. "Do you know what your problem is?"
"Grrr?” said the ogre.
"You have a really lousy diet."
"Grr?"
"Yes, you should only eat healthy food, like I do. Isn't that right, Nurse?"
"I suppose," said the nurse.
"Now, if you want, I can take you to the cafeteria, and show you how to eat healthy food."
"Grr," said the ogre, with a shrug.
So, Isabel and the ogre walked out of the nurse's office, and left Nurse Reynolds wondering if she was entitled to a bonus under the Union regulations.
A fierce, savage, ugly -- and most important to our story -- hungry ogre.
One night, he left his cave and went into a small town searching for his dinner. He eventually stopped at a house where a little girl named Isabel lived.
At the time, Isabel was in her room, talking on the phone with her best friend about all the wonderful things she had done that day.
"So," she said, "today I got a hundred on my spelling test, as usual. Then I saw that Joey Martin was playing with his phone when he should have been doing work, so I told Ms. Lincoln. Ms. Lincoln said something about me being a tattletale, but honestly, if I don't tell her about these things, who will? Then during History class, Ms. Lincoln made a mistake and said that Jefferson was the second president of the United States -- Can you believe that? But I corrected her, so all in all, a pretty good day."
"Sounds wonderful," said her friend unenthusiastically. "I have to go now. I've got homework to do."
"Well, I finished my homework hours ago, but--" Isabel almost didn't hear the click at the other end of the line as her friend hung up the phone.
Oh well. Tomorrow’s going to be an even better day, she thought.
Just then -- a crash at her window! Isabel turned and was astonished to see an ogre come smashing into her room.
"Grrh!" said the ogre.
"What do you want?" she asked.
"Grrh!" said the ogre.
"You have a lousy vocabulary," said Isabel. "My teacher says Vocabulary is important because--"
The ogre decided to eat her before she could finish that sentence.
The next morning, Isabel's mother was getting breakfast ready. Isabel didn't normally have to be called to breakfast. She was always the first to the table but today, she was a little late.
Mother was just about to call her, when she heard a loud stomping coming from Isabel's room, and before Mother could wonder what to do next, the ogre stomped into the kitchen, picked up the cereal box and poured cereal into his mouth. Then he ate the cardboard box.
"What's going on here?" asked Mother. "Where is Isabel?"
"I'm in here, Mother," said the ogre. "I'm sorry about the table manners, but I can't control him very well."
Now Mother was stunned. "Isabel? Are you in that thing?"
"Yeah, he ate me last night. I don't know what I'm going to do. I guess I'd better get ready for school."
"Do you really think you should go today?"
"I have to. I don't want to miss a possible surprise quiz."
So, the ogre picked up Isabel's books and walked to school.
When the ogre entered the classroom, the girls in the class all said things like, "Gross, what's that?" while the boys all said, "I don't know, but isn't it cool?"
Meanwhile, Ms. Lincoln's jaw dropped in surprise. "Umm… Sir?" she said to the ogre. "Can I help you with something?"
"It's me, Ms. Lincoln. And I think you should know James was doing his homework just now, on the way to school."
"Isabel?" said Ms. Lincoln. A surprised giggle passed through the classroom.
"This thing ate me last night, but don't worry. I can still do my classwork." The ogre tried to sit at Isabel's desk, but since he weighed a good three hundred pounds more than Isabel, the chair splintered under his weight. That made everyone else in the classroom laugh.
"Isabel, I don't think this is going to work," said Ms. Lincoln.
"Maybe Isabel will come out when that thing makes a doody," suggested one helpful boy.
"What do you think ogre doody looks like?" asked another boy.
"Probably green and purple and smelly."
"Then how are we going to tell the difference between it and Isabel?"
"Children," said Ms. Lincoln, "Can we please stop talking about Doody?" She turned to the ogre. "Isabel, I think you should go see the school nurse."
The school nurse wasn't sure what to do about the problem either. "I could try giving the ogre a dose of Ipecac," she said shyly," but I'm not sure how well that would work."
"Well, do something," said the ogre in Isabel's voice. "I'm getting sick and tired of being inside an ogre."
"Right," said the nurse, "well, the only other thing I can think of would be for me to try this…
"Ogre," she said, trying to address the ogre directly, "do you realise what sort of girl you've swallowed?"
"Grr?" said the ogre.
"Isabel is kind of a funny girl."
"What are you talking about?" said the ogre with Isabel's voice.
"Throughout the school, she has this reputation for thinking she's better than everyone else."
"Grr?" said the ogre again.
"Well, I am better than everyone else--" Isabel tried to explain.
"But look at what happened to her," continued the school nurse. "She's resting inside the belly of an ogre. Wonderful, perfect Isabel resting in the belly of an ogre." She chuckled. "Pretty silly if you ask me."
"Now, just a minute, Nurse Reynolds--"
But Isabel couldn't finish because the ogre was rocking back and forth with laughter. His belly shook while he laughed and laughed. Just as he opened his mouth and gave a loud guffaw, Isabel came flying out and landed on the nurse's couch.
"Are you all right?" asked the nurse, trying to control her own laughter.
"Do you think I'm all right?" asked Isabel, trying to brush herself off. She turned to the ogre. "Do you know what your problem is?"
"Grrr?” said the ogre.
"You have a really lousy diet."
"Grr?"
"Yes, you should only eat healthy food, like I do. Isn't that right, Nurse?"
"I suppose," said the nurse.
"Now, if you want, I can take you to the cafeteria, and show you how to eat healthy food."
"Grr," said the ogre, with a shrug.
So, Isabel and the ogre walked out of the nurse's office, and left Nurse Reynolds wondering if she was entitled to a bonus under the Union regulations.