A Collection of Children's Stories

By Connie E. Van Amerongen

1976 - 1995

Children's Stories.

I started writing these stories in 1977, at the age of eleven. It started out as a creative writing assignment at school. I was a student in the Junior Class at the time. I used an electric typewriter for all my written work. I was slow, but I was determined to write. Over a period of time, all of the students in my class, came up with their own story book.

It was 1994 when I first revised these stories. I used them for a project I was doing, while taking some grade twelve English courses, by correspondence. It was a lot of work to fix them up, but I enjoyed it! By fixing up these stories, I could also improve on my other writing.

Although, the names of the characters resemble people I know, most of the events happening in A Collection of Children Stories are fictitious.

C.E. Van Amerongen.

Strange Noises from the Dark Hallway!

James Jeffries awoke in a cold sweat, not knowing what had woken him up. He turned his bedside lamp on, and ran into the dark hallway, his heart in his throat! No one else was up yet. Morning was probably still a long way off. Hearing a loud noise, he almost jumped out of his skin! It sounded like this, Whooo-ooo! His parents being asleep, the boy decided to do a little exploring on his own. Suddenly, James heard the strange noise again! Whooo-ooo! Going further into the hallway, he tried to find the light switch, but couldn't, so he groped around in the dark. All of a sudden, he noticed a door at the end of the hall, that he had never seen before! James' heart was beating fast, as he crept closer, to the mysterious door!

Curious to know just what was behind it, James opened the door just a crack and peaked in! What a sight met his eyes! He saw white figures floating around the room. He had never seen anything like it! He didn't even remember, seeing this room before! James' eyes grew wide with surprise, as he said to himself, "So that's what that noise is!" Just than one of the ghostly figures bellowed, "GET OUT OF HERE! WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN OUR ROOM ANYWAY? IF YOU DON'T GET OUT, WE'LL HAVE TO THROW YOU INTO OUR CAVE, FAR AWAY, ON TOP OF SPOOK MOUNTAIN!""Ha! Ha! HA!" James laughed, "you guys wouldn't dare, because, if you do, I'd scream so loud, my parents would come running! They'd be here to rescue me in a flash, so there! Ha!"

It was almost time to get up, when James' parents woke to hear him yelling for help. "James is yelling", Mr. Jeffries said, hurriedly to his wife, a worried look on his face, "let's go see what's wrong, maybe he's had another one of those dreadful nightmares again! He's had an awful lot of them lately!" Upon seeing them, James told his mom and dad about his exciting experience, careful, so as not to leave anything out. The boy's parents were greatly relieved, to see that their son was not harmed. A few hours later, Mr. Jeffries went up to the ghostly figures, and one by one, (there were four of them) pulled off the white covering, and underneath it, there were three men, with black mustaches and hair. They all looked alike. Their names were: Joseph, Jeroboam, and Jacob. The fourth "ghostly figure" was a young girl. She had long black hair, and her name was Jezebel. They had been using the Jeffries' house for their hide-out. The house was an old one. The Jeffries' having just moved in, had no idea of the mysteries it held, until now. "We just wanted to scare you", said the girl, shrugging her shoulders, "we meant no harm."

The police were called, and the four culprits were taken to jail. They later told James and his family, the four "ghosts" had stolen some jewelry from a jewelry store, which was recovered. "I'm happy about that", replied James with a smile, "hopefully, this will be the end of my nightmares!"

The Search for the Red and White Necklace

Jennifer Robinson was looking for the red and white necklace. This necklace, a present her Uncle James and Aunt Sarah had given her for her thirteenth birthday, had been there just a moment ago! Her mother had called her for supper and now, half an hour later, when she came back to clean her room, it was nowhere to be seen!

"Mom, my new necklace is gone!" cried the girl, in alarm. "Oh, no!" exclaimed her mother, a worried look on her face. "Where did you leave it? Where can it be?" "It was on the dresser the last time I saw it!" replied Jennifer, close to tears.  Her mother had been sewing, and her father was relaxing in his favourite chair, after a busy day when their daughter discovered her necklace was missing. He was disappointed and angry, when he first heard about it. Jennifer was always losing something! She had to be reminded constantly, that, when she was finished with them, to put her things away. She had done it again! Than, seeing her sad face, he gave his daughter a hug, and said, not unkindly, "It must have fallen behind the dresser! Come on, let's go see if we can find it!" Mother followed close behind, as father and daughter, went in search for the missing jewelry.

The three of them looked everywhere for the red and white necklace, but, they could find no trace of it. Going back to her room, Jennifer sank down on her bed, and stared blankly at the wall, facing her. Her parents were about to move the dresser back in place, when, her eyes opening wide, she exclaimed, "Look, there's a loose panel in the wall!" "Maybe, we'll finally find what we're looking for!" exclaimed Mr. Robinson excitedly, "come on, let's hurry!" Grabbing the loose panel, he yanked it loose, and crawled through the hole it left, the others following close behind.

The space they found themselves in, was no bigger then Jennifer's closet. What they saw there, really surprised the Robinson family. There was a strange man in the middle of the little room. His head was bald, his clothes and his boots were black. He was kneeling beside a treasure chest! Neither of the Robinson's had ever seen, this man, the treasure chest, or the room before! Hearing a noise behind him, the stranger turned around to see the Robinson's looking straight at him. They saw that he was fat, and that his eyes were as black as the clothes that he wore. Seeing their eyes on him, he turned pale, and started to run. Putting his hand on the other man's shoulder, Mr. Robinson questioned him patiently about the red and white necklace. The bald-headed man said he didn't know anything about it.

"I was just looking for something", he said lamely, his dark eyes on the floor, "I was just looking for something. I wasn't going to steal any more. My gold watch - it's the only thing of value I have. I - I - I - l-l-lost it, when I was h-h-h-here before! he stammered.

After some more questioning, the Robinson's learned the stranger was poor. He said he had nothing to do, so he had stolen jewelry to make money. "I wasn't planning to keep it", he said, his voice barely audible, "I was planning to give it all back as soon as I found myself a job." The dark-eyed, bald-headed man's name was Henry Burns. He admitted that he'd been watching the Robinson's house for some time. He had discovered a way to get the chest that he'd made, inside one of Jennifer's bedroom windows, while the family was away on vacation. He had made the hole in the wall as well. No one had even noticed the work going on at the house. The little room had been built in secret. Mr. Burns had kept things quiet for so long already, he thought he'd be able to get away with it, for just a little while longer. As it turned out, he was wrong. After Henry Burns had told his story, Mr. Robinson's wife went downstairs to call the police, while he and his daughter stayed with the jewelry thief. They needn't have worried, however, because Henry Burns was sitting slumped against the wall, his eyes on the floor. Mrs. Robinson was greatly relieved that nothing more serious had happened to her family. She also hoped, the unfortunate Henry Burns wouldn't have to keep on running away from other people. Underneath it all, Mrs. Robinson felt that this stranger was a very nice person. He was also really scared. After making the call to the local police station, she headed back upstairs.

Then, Jennifer could wait no longer. She ran over to the chest, rummaged through it, and in no time at all, found what she had been looking for! "I found it!" the young girl cried excitedly, hugging her necklace to herself, "its here! I'm so happy!" The treasure chest was full of other expensive pieces of jewelry, but Jennifer took no notice of them. Her eyes were only on the prized, red and white necklace, she still clutched in her hand.

Just then, two policemen arrived at the door. The dark-eyed, bald- headed man, reluctantly told his story once again, ending with, "I meant no harm." "I'm sorry", said Sergeant Davis sternly, his usually friendly face wearing a frown, "you're the man we've been looking for. You've stolen other people's jewelry too. You'll have to go to jail, at least for a few months, anyway."The dark- eyed, bald-headed man, turned pale once again, this time saying nothing. Putting handcuffs on him, the two policemen took Henry Burns away in their police car. Later, the rest of the stolen jewellery was given back to their rightful owners, and the Robinson's went to bed happy. Jennifer's necklace was back in her jewellery box.

Spring

When it is spring, the sun shines more, the days grow longer. The grass turns green and tulips, crocuses, and daffodils start to bloom. Everything looks new. The world comes alive again, after a long winter's sleep. The beaver, the raccoon, the bear and many other animals come out of hibernation. The birds come back from the south.

Spring is finally here! The robins start choosing a place to build their nest. When the nest is built, the female robin lays her eggs and waits patiently for them to hatch. Finally, the eggs burst open and little baby robins pop their heads out. They peep like mice until they each are given some fat, juicy worms to eat! When the young robins are strong enough to leave the nest, their parents teach them how to fly. It isn't long before they are flying longer and longer distances, and soon, are off in search of a mate of their own. Robins aren't the only ones who change with the seasons. There are many other animals who change as well. Spring is also a time for little furry caterpillars to turn into beautifully coloured butterflies. It's not only animals and plants that change, people change too.

In my opinion, you can find something nice about all the seasons of the year. In winter, the snow is like a sparkling white blanket covering the ground. Fall is when the leaves of the trees change into red, orange and brown, and then, they fall off their branches. Summer is a time for camping, and camping means swimming in the lake, singing around a campfire, and being with friends. In spring, I like the smell of many different kinds of flowers. I like to hear the wind blowing through the trees, and hearing the birds sing. Spring is a nice time of the year!

Spring Clean-up

It's springtime at last! Spring means many things. It means doing things, you couldn't do any other time of the year! It means putting your winter clothes away. There is no need for snow-ploughs or snowmobiles. It's time to get out the garden shears, and garden hose! It's time to get your spring and summer clothes out of your closets and dresser drawers! It's time to get rid of the old things, and go shopping for that new dress for school! Mothers all over town, start spring-cleaning the house. They re-decorate the walls, wash the curtains, sweep the halls. They wash the windows inside and out! Yes, springtime is here at last!

My Three Wishes.

If I had three wishes, I would wish first of all, that my friend Debbie would be my next door neighbour. I like playing house. We have lots of fun together! That was my first wish.

I wish that I were able to move around faster. I love anything that I can get into, that really makes me go fast. Going fast makes me feel like I'm flying! That was my second wish.

I wish that my family and I, would get an indoor pool. If we had one, we could swim whether it was rain or shine! I love swimming! It's also good exercise for me. That was my third and final wish.

If I Had a Pen-pal.

If I had a pen-pal, I would tell him or her, all about myself and where I live. My pen-pal and I, would write letters to each other once every two weeks. I would introduce myself as Connie Elizabeth Van Amerongen, a twelve year old girl, who is in a wheelchair, because of Cerebral Palsy. I would also say, that I live in Grimsby with my parents, and that I have four brothers and one sister. My brothers names are: Rick, Rob, Dave and James. My sister's name is Jennifer. I would tell my pen-pal about the pets we have, what school I go to, and what my hobbies are. My pen-pal would, in turn, tell about his or her family, and how and where, they lived. We would learn about each other's likes and dislikes. We would also exchange pictures, so each of us could see what the other person looked like. It wouldn't matter how far away we lived from each other, because we each would save up enough money to visit each other! Together, we would have lots of fun!

My Sister's Birthday!

Two Fridays ago, it was my sister's birthday. My brothers, sister, and I, were all home because it was a school holiday. That meant everyone could join in on the festivities! There was plenty of food and drink to go around. There was lots of noise and laughter too. Everyone who came to the party, had a really good time!

My sister received lots of presents that day, both from family and friends alike. In fact, there were so many, I wouldn't be able to name them all. I gave her a cash register. She and my brother Jamie loved to play a game they called, "store". I'm not sure, but, I think Davey gave her a thick colouring book, called: "LOTS TO DO", in capital letters. Jamie gave her a thin colouring book. This one was called: "Beep Beep, the Road Runner." Jennifer loves colouring! She doesn't have anything from Rick and Rob yet, but she did get something from my Grandparents. I don't know for certain, but I think it was a chocolate bar.

Friday, the twenty-fifth of March was a busy day for our family, but celebrating my sister Jennifer's birthday, added a nice touch to our holiday!

White Winter.

In winter, I love to go on our toboggan! When the sun shines on it, the snow is very bright. It hurts my eyes, but I don't mind. I'm having too much fun to let it bother me. Racing around on the ice and snow, gives me an exciting feeling! It makes me feel like I'm flying! I love it! All around me, the world looks like a "winter wonderland. It looks very pretty, but, it is also very cold! When I am outside a long time, my nose gets red, and my cheeks are rosy! It makes me feel really good, to be out on a crisp winter's day. Watching my brothers build a snowman on the front lawn and our dog trying to catch snowflakes in mid-air, brings a smile to my lips, and puts a twinkle in my eye. When we come in, out of the cold, mother is always waiting, with mugs of hot chocolate, and home made peanut butter cookies! Father is sitting in his favourite chair by the fire. I'm happy to be part of this family!

My Pet Rock.

I have a mischievous pet rock named Timothy. Timothy looks very much like a real tiger, but he won't hurt any one! He eats grass and drinks milk. My pet rock and I, have a lot of fun together! We play games and go on hikes. When I'm at school, Timothy patiently wait for me, until I come home again. He makes me laugh when I am sad, and when he is sad, I do my best to cheer him up. After that, we both feel better!  But..... just like you and I my pet rock can be very naughty sometimes. He sleeps with me, and when I'm in bed at night, Timothy tries to crawl underneath the blankets, and tickle my toes! Wen that happens I get very angry at Timothy and I spank him. I'm only angry for a while though because it isn't long before he says that he is sorry and I forgive him. We're good friends my pet rock and I.

Fish, Fish, Fish!

In our class, we all have a pet fish of our own. These fish are kept in an aquarium at school. We are learning all about them. We know that some fish are big, while others are small. Some fish live in the ocean too. Fish need water to swim in. They can't live without it. We have special food for our fish to eat. Everyone takes turns feeding them. Some fish eat more then others. We each have a name for our pet fish. My fish's name is Sparky. He is very small, and very colourful. Sparky is shy, and hardly eats anything, at all, at the moment. It was probably because he's just new to this aquarium. I'm sure it won't take long before he feels at home with the other fish!

A Turtle named Tabatha.

Once upon a time, there was a turtle named Tabatha. She lives on the grassy banks of Calaboogie. She eats black bugs and bright yellow weeds. Tabatha likes to swim in the little blue pond, beside the bright yellow weeds. My family and I met her one summer, while camping down in Calaboogie. She is a very friendly turtle. My brothers, sister, and I, like to take turns riding on her back! Our friend, the turtle, enjoyed giving us rides, as much as we enjoyed riding her! We always have a lot of fun, when we're together! In fact, we were the ones who gave this turtle her name. Our summer vacations would no longer be complete, if, when camping down in Calaboogie, we didn't go visit our friend, a turtle named Tabatha!

A St. Patrick's Day Party!

It was St. Patrick's day. Our class was going to have a party that afternoon! I wore a white blouse, a green skirt, green and white socks. I also wore brown shoes. All of my classmates wore something green. After doing our work, we had green cookies, green cup-cakes, and green milk-shakes. All that green food and drink was delicious! There was enough of both to go around, two or three times! We could eat as much as we wanted! After that, we played games, and listened to Irish folk music! We all had a lot of fun! It was a really nice way to end St. Patrick's day!

The Birthday Surprise!

The sun woke me up, as it peeked through my window one day. I yawned, stretched, and rolled over in bed. I didn't know why, but I felt today was going to be a good day! It was Saturday. I was allowed to sleep in. Fully awake now though, I bounced out of bed, threw the covers over it, hurriedly slipped into some clothes, and skipped downstairs.

Mother and father were waiting for me, as I entered the kitchen. "Good morning, sweetheart! How's our birthday girl, today?" my father said, with a smile. "Happy Birthday, Connie," said my mother, giving me a hug, "hope you have many more!" Shaking her head, she continued, "I can't believe you are already twelve years old! My, oh my, how time flies! "My birthday!" I exclaimed, excitedly, my eyes opening wide in surprise, "I forgot all about it! No wonder, I thought it was going to be a good day!" My father threw his head back, and let out a hearty laugh, as he said, "I never thought a girl of mine, would ever forget her own birthday! Ha! ha! ha!"

I've been really busy lately," I said sheepishly, shrugging my shoulders and sitting down, "I guess it just slipped my mind." Mother was laughing too, as she handed me a brightly coloured box with a blue ribbon on it. "This is from your father and I", she said, "hope you like it." Eagerly, I unwrapped the present, careful so as not to break it. I looked inside, and squealed with delight! "A music box! I love it! Thank you, mom and dad! Thank you very much!" I jumped up, and gave them both a big hug. Than, I turned back to the gift I had just received. In fact, I was so busy looking over my new music box, I didn't even hear the phone ring, or see my parents wink at each other. As she went to the phone, mother told me to eat some breakfast.

Reluctantly, I turned away from my music box, toward the counter. It was very pretty. The base of the music box was a man siting on a park bench, with a banjo on his knee. A little girl was sitting on the ground in front of him. Her head was tilted to one side, as if by doing so, the girl could hear the music better. She was holding on to a rag doll. Both figures were dressed in colourful clothing. When I turned the knob, at the bottom of it, the music box played, "Oh, Susanna." I loved that song!

Fifteen minutes later, mother came back from talking on the phone, in the other room. "That was your sister Jasmine. She wants you to come over as soon as you can! She has something to show you! I'll drive you over there, after you're finished eating, if you hurry! Your father wants to come too. "Oh, goody!" I exclaimed excitedly, clapping my hands, and jumping up and down, "Amanda and Jessica are so cute!" The two little girls were Dan and Jasmine's two year old twins! I loved looking after them.

Half an hour later, the car stopped in front of my sister's house. Nothing seemed unusual, or out of place. So, as I stepped up to the front door, I had no idea what was awaiting me. I opened the door, and... "SURPRISE!!" I jumped back with a gasp, a shocked look on my face. When I was over the shock, I looked at the faces around me. The whole family was there, including my two nieces. My friends, Jeanie, Peggy, and Anita were also there.

" We fooled you!" said Peggy, with a giggle.  "You thought we were going to be at home doing chores! I invited you over to the farm to help out, remember?" She ducked as I pretended to throw a cushion from off of the couch at her. "You're just jealous because you don't get to sleep in on Saturday mornings, and I do!" I replied, a smug look on my face. It was than that everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to me. The cake was delicious. It was a yellow one, with chocolate icing. There were candy hearts on it too. After cake and drinks, we played games, such as "Hide and Seek", and "Pin the Tail on the Donkey."

After the games I opened some more presents. I was really spoiled! Dan and Jasmine gave me a book on cats, along with a framed picture of my two nieces. My Grandparents gave me a beautiful home-made pink, white, and blue sweater! Anita gave me a Barbie named Catharine. This Barbie came along with three extra sets of clothing. Peggy gave me an autograph book, and Jeanie gave me a puzzle. All those presents were really nice. Looking around the room at my family and friends once again, I smiled at them and said, "Thank you very much, everybody! You really made my day!"

Mandy's Phantom Pet Dragon.

I have a next door neighbour whose name is Mandy Johnson. Mandy and I are friends. We both go to the same school too. When Mandy first moved into our neighbourhood, she told me this story, of how her phantom pet dragon named Firecracker, came to live at their house. In the beginning, I wanted nothing to do with the Johnson girl, and her family, or her strange pet. The truth was, I was scared. As time went on, and I got to know Mandy better, I was finally persuaded to go over to the Johnson's, to meet the rest of "the gang". The day I went over there for the first time, I discovered, just how wrong I had actually been about them. Now, I'm over at the neighbour's, every chance I get!

While going for a walk one day, the dragon couldn't find his way back to his own house any more. Stumbling upon their house, he asked for a bite to eat, and the Johnson family invited him in. When asked what his name was, the dragon replied with a smile, "My name is Firecracker!" "What a beautiful name!" exclaimed Mandy, clapping her hands, "I love it!" Mrs. Johnson said Firecracker could sleep in Mandy's room, as long as he didn't set fire to it! He agreed not to, and they settled down for the night.

Firecracker liked the Johnson's house so much, he asked for permission to stay. Seeing how friendly the dragon was, my friend's parents readily agreed to let him do so. Mandy was really happy! She finally had a pet to keep her company! Needless to say, Mandy and her friend had a lot of fun, together! When they play "Hide and Seek", all Firecracker has to do, is make himself invisible! Mandy's phantom pet dragon is purple with pink and green polka- dots. He has a fiery red tongue, which keeps her warm, when it gets cold, and he also has a long, feathery, peacock's tail, which fans her when she gets too hot! One night, Firecracker told Mandy, that the next day would be his birthday! "Really?" exclaimed Mandy, her eyes lighting up, a big smile spreading over her face, "let's have a party! It'll be fun!" Nodding his head in agreement, Firecracker replied thoughtfully, "A party! I'd like that! We're going to have a really good time, aren't we?" "Yes", replied Mandy excitedly, "we sure will, but for now, we'd better go to sleep. We have a big day ahead of us!"

The next day, being Saturday, meant that Mandy could go shopping. Not wanting to wake her mother, Mandy hopped into the Johnson's Chevy van, and raced off to town. Once there, she went directly to the Drug store, where she bought a hairnet for his peacock tail, and some bottles of mouthwash for his bad breath. Having done this, Mandy raced back home, and was back in the house, even before her mother realized, she was gone. That night, they all had a lot of fun, until it was time to go to bed. "Good-night, Mandy, and thanks for everything!" said Firecracker, yawning. "Good-night, Firecracker. I'm really glad you enjoyed yourself so much!" answered Mandy, with a smile.

I first wrote this story for the kids at John Calvin School. They had to fill in the blanks. This is my version.

Little Red Riding Hood