Lissie Lies About Hootah

This is a new story from today. It's not that she hasn't been storytelling, but rather that I haven't had the time record let alone transcribe anything. But today she insisted that I record her, and publish her "audiobook" for the benefit of our friends, whom she told me hadn't heard anything from her for a long time, and that it was about time I posted something :) So, here's her latest story, at the ripe old age of 5 1/2 years old now.

Listen to her tell her own story HERE

(It's worth listening to - she's VERY expressive!)

She sat down with me after recording herself and asked me to transcribe it too, checking that my transcription was indeed correct and making some minor edits (such as deleting a word or phrase here and there from the audio track) as well.

LISSIE LIES ABOUT HOOTAH
One day Lissie was walking down the street when she saw Hootah. Hootah was doing something very strange. This strange thing was only done 800 years ago in Hootch World and she didn’t know why Hootah was doing it now, so she lied that Hootah had done something mad.

Said Hootah, “I didn’t do anything weird! I did something we did a thousand years ago, didn’t we? And that is just what I did! Tch! No thanks, I don’t want to go anywhere! I don’t want to go to that insane asylum Hoot went to! I never want to go to it. Never!”

With that, she tried to get away even though everybody grabbed her and said she must go there because she’s doing something a thousand years ago. And Lissie feeled very pleased with herself. She felt so pleased in fact that she almost laughed. But Hootah just said it was none of her business and she shouldn’t laugh about it.

So that day, Lissie just lied about Hootah. Now, in this measure, she had been such a thing that she said, “Oh please, please… could you?”

“I could, if I wanted to," said Lissie, "but I won’t."

“Why won’t you? It’s such a dramatic thing if you don’t.”

“Well, because I want you to go to that insane asylum where your brother went yesterday.”

“Please don’t let me go there, please… Anywhere but there will be better. I don’t want to go there because I will be alone there and I won’t be with you. How could you? You betrayed me! You told me if I did something thousand years ago you wouldn’t tell, and now you told… You broke your promise!”

With that, Hootah tried to struggle away, but everybody didn’t let her go.

“Well (laughing),” laughed Lissie, “I could if I wanted to, but I don’t want to keep my promise,” she added, seeing the look on her companion’s face. “Well, of course I would want to. I’d want to… well, just would, couldn’t I?”

With that, Hootah flung her arms around Lissie and said, “Lissie, never, ever lie about me again! It’s so… so gloomy!”

“No, it’s not gloomy,” said Lissie laughing (laughs). “It’s (laughs some more) in fact funny!”

“You wouldn’t think it’s funny if you were… you were… if you were… If you didn’t want to be put in an insane asylum and you were!”

“Well, hoohoo," laughed Lissie, "I would never. I’m too important!” she said.

“You’re not important. You’re not even a grown up!” cried Hootah, “Aren’t you? Of course you are not a grown up.”

“I am, I'm certainly old stuff,” cried Lissie. “I think you’ve really lost your mind. Now, take her away!”
With that, everybody took her away.

They found Hootah was struggling by the time, and one day she had a surprising guest in the insane asylum… Lissie.

Lissie said, “Please, I’m sorry, I will try and let you go.”

“Alright, that’s better,” said Hootah. “But still…” in a very fierce voice.

It felt like ice going through Lissie. She said, “Please… just… I’ll let you go.”

“Alright. But in one moment’s time you have to do it! Not any more than one moment’s time, or one hour, alright?”

“Alright.”

So they promised, very solemnly.

So of course Lissie had to get her free, otherwise the torment was more than she could imagine. She said, “Please, let Hootah free.”

“Alright,” she persisted. “I’ll let you free, but it will take one day.”

“One day!”

“Yes, they have to unlock all the masons that I put in”

“What?....” she said.

“Yes, because now they know that everything I told them about everybody is lying.”

With that Hootah felt more enraged than she had ever done before. She said “OH!!! Beautiful, so beautiful!” With that she turned and left. It was plain to Lissie that she wanted everybody in the asylums to get out.
“Just lovely!” cried Hootah, turning around and looking at Lissie. “I couldn’t believe so much as that! I, even I!”

With that, she turned and she fled away, laughing, gasping for breath. (Laughing) laughed Lissie. “It was very funny of me though.”

“Not funny!” cried Hootah.

“Could we be friends again? Oh, could we, could we, could we? And Anne and Diana too? ... Yes, we can all be friends,” persisted Lissie.

“Alright Lissie, come on, let’s go.” With that, they turned and went.

Diana met them on the road. She said “I’ve got something to tell you!”

“What?”

“Mrs Hoofan is coming down from town today. You know how she is like.”

“Yes I know!” cried Hootah. “She’s… I don’t like her. Ya…. I don’t like her. I don’t like her,” she said.

“Well, she’s coming down today. And she said she’s going to bring you some DOG biscuits!”

“WHAT???” cried Hootah with disbelief. “How can Hoofan, even Hoofan, bring me DOG biscuits! Is she too insane to do that?” she ended.

“Of course she is. She is mad. Madder than mad. I don’t know what she does if she sees you, not being like a dog. She thinks you are a dog, everytime.”

“Oh,” cried Hootah, “that will be terrible!”

Suddenly, they found out how much now they were talking, and Lissie said, “Oh, I need to go, bye!” So she went.

As she continued, she thought of what she had done. She knew she shouldn’t have lied about Hootah, but she thought it was fun. She said, “Maybe next time I’ll tell her I am sorry.” And she walked on.

The End.