Story Hour

A Nickazoo Peanut Party

Written by Gene B. Williams

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     As any true Nickazoo knows, sea dragons are very fast, and very clever. Adults almost never see them. Sea dragons aren’t invisible. They are just very careful about who gets to see them. And that means … very few adults.
      Not even Danny’s mother has ever seen Nicker! Tess did, but she’s a little girl. Carsten did, but he’s a little boy. Santa did, but … well, he’s SANTA!
      You can see them, too, if you know how to look just right.
      Do you?
      There’s someone else who knows how to look just right. His name is Captain Kazoo! You met him (and learned all about kazoos) in the last issue. If you ever get the chance to meet him in person, lucky you! Be sure to ask him about Nicker, and Emily, and Simon, and Danny, and …. Well, just tell him that Nicker told you that Captain Kazoo told Nicker, that any Nickazoo (that’s YOU) who asks gets a free kazoo.
      Can you guess who was about to come in the door? Let’s find out.
      “It’s almost time for my birthday,” said Danny.
      “Mine, too,” said Nicker.
      “That’s means a party,” said Danny.
      “That means peanuts,” said Nicker.
      The door opened and another voice said, “To me, a party means kazoos.”
      “Captain Kazoo!!!” both boys said at the same time. They said it because it was Captain Kazoo, and what else could you say? If Captain Kazoo came to your birthday party, you wouldn’t shout, “Mother Goose!” would you? Of course not! So, Nicker and Danny said, “Captain Kazoo!!!” just as you would, because that means FUN!
      Emily came in just then and said, “Oh, Captain Kazoo, I’m so glad you could come to our birthday party.”
      “I wouldn’t miss one of your sea apple pies for the world,” he said.
      “Don’t forget my chocolate cake,” said Danny.
      “And don’t forget my peanut pie,” said Nicker.
      (Excuse me for interrupting the party, kids … okay, and parents, too … but Emily told me to tell you that if you want to make your own peanut treats, including peanut pie, come over to Lunch With Nicker. Take it from me, or anyone including Simon … if Emily tells you to do something … you DO IT! So … now I’ve told you what she told me to tell you, and we can get back to the story, okay? Okay.)
      Well … while I was telling you what Emily told me to tell you, it was getting crowded at the party. Now I get to tell you something else.
      Seeing just one sea dragon is pretty special. (Go ahead. Ask Mom or Dad if they ever saw a sea dragon! Ask aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas and teachers and … well, go ahead and write to your congressman, whoever that is, and ask if they ever saw a sea dragon up close, and ….) Imagine a whole ROOM of sea dragons (and a few other creatures), and kids and, of course, Captain Kazoo.
      Captain Kazoo was handing out kazoos all around to all the sea dragons (and a few other creatures at the party. Even a couple of bossy squirrels got in, and I’m not sure but think I spotted a goose hiding in the corner behind some seaweed.
      Captain Kazoo had kazoos in his pockets, kazoos in a big basket. He even had a giant XXXL Kazoo for Simon to play. (RePeet, the robot parrot, sat on top of that, and sometimes on Simon’s shoulder.)

      “Remember,” Captain Kazoo kept saying, “Hum, don’t blow.”
      So they did.
      And so can you.
      “Can you kazoo Happy Birthday?” Captain Kazoo asked.
      So they did.
      AND SO CAN YOU!
      They had peanut pies, pizza pies, peach pies, pineapple pies, pasty pies, pork pies. They had Danny’s chocolate cake (the kind in layers with whipped cream and bananas between each layer – YUMMY!). They had spinach burgers, regular burgers, mushroom burgers, cat food burgers …. Now, wait a minute. Cat food burgers? Well … you can just imagine all the food and goodies. What is your favorite food? I bet it was there.
      They danced and marched and sang. They played games, like Pin the Tail on the Lobster. Musical Stairs. Simon Says (kinda scary because when Simon says something it makes your chest rumble).
      And, of course, they kazooed! Maybe you even heard it? One news reporter called it, “The Birthday Party Heard Around the World” (but he didn’t get any pictures.)
      Well … even the best parties have to end, and so did this one. Captain Kazoo, Danny and Nicker sat together, remembering it all. Danny said, “I sure am glad you came, Captain Kazoo,” and Nicker nodded, too.
      “So am I,” said the Captain.
      “When will you be coming back?” Nicker asked.
      “Soon,” he said. “I promised Emily that I would be here again next month for Walk in the Park Day. We’re going to have a parade.”
      You can bet that the two boys were thrilled with that idea. They talked excitedly about all the friends they could invite. (That includes you.) Oh, my, their park parade could be ten miles long! Everyone with kazoos!
      Danny yawned. Then Nicker yawned. They could talk about the Walk in the Park Parade tomorrow.
      As they fell asleep, Captain Kazoo leaned over and kissed Danny and Nicker on the tops of their heads.
      “Happy birthday, Danny,” he said. “Happy birthday, Nicker.”
      And it really was!
      “Keep on humming,” said Captain Kazoo. Then he fell asleep, too.
      Want to make your own peanut pie and other special treats? Click here.

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