Giddy Up, Gnobs!

Back in the early 2000s I was working on a full length motion picture project for children. I had gathered together a fantastic team of artists, musicians and producers to make it happen. We had a great screenplay, lots of everything we needed to make it a go, but no money.

So I began raising money. It was easy at first, but then guess what...Wall Street tanked the money market, killing all venture funds and motion picture funds for independents like me. So the film never got made, which broke my heart at the time, but I'm not one to go around licking my wounds forever.

So, now i've delved back into that wonderful storyline to come up with more tales from the movie that might have been: Jewel of a Thousand Stars.

I've written one novelette in the series, "Jewel of a Thousand Stars: Giddy," which is available on Amazon  and Smashwords for 99cents.

Over time I hope to write many, many more stories about one of most fun places to visit, and w hich I think most adults and children would love to visit as well.

Enjoy this taste of one of the loves of my life!

--John--

                              Jewel of a Thousand Stars: Giddy up, Gnobs!

For the ten thousandth time that day Giddy poured over the instructions in the book. "Add one ounce of cat fur, two ounces of dragon scales, three ounces of fire sticks, one whisker from an angry giant and two fingernails from an imp."

"Ouch!" Gnobs cried out as Giddy tried plucking one of his fingernails off his hand and then succeeded.

"Be still, Gnobs, I need one more."

"Giddy!" Pleaded Gnobs, rolling his big frog-shaped eyes on his huge green head. "You're killing me!"

Giddy  looked up from the magical book that James had loaned him and frowned. "You can grow a thousand more. So be still, you little imp!"

Gnobs missing fingernail regrew. He gave Giddy a nasty look.

"I'm not an imp. I'm a shape-shifter."

"This magical potion won't know the difference." Giddy protested blithely, plucking another fingernail off Gnobs' other hand.

"Ouch! You big metal Meany!" Cried out Gnobs, swiftly regrowing the second plucked fingernail.

"I am not a Meany, I'm just making sure that this formula works." He looked up from the concoction he was putting into the small pewter bowl, then at Gnobs. "If this works, you'll be a real boy. Like Pinocchio."

"Who?"

"Never mind." Giddy snapped back at him, his temper shortening by the minute. Why couldn't his little friend ever just stay still and listen.

Which brought him back to Gnobs once more who was now hanging from the ceiling and bouncing his right hand like a rubber ball. "Bouncy, bouncy!" Gnobs laughed as he played with his hand.

"You're such an imp! You little rascal." Giddy threw at Gnobs.

Gnobs grinned. "I'm not..."

"I know. I know. I know, but you are a pain in the...well you would be if I had one." Giddy said looking at his metal bottom.

You see Giddy's skin was unlike other human's skin, just as Gnobs body was unlike most other creatures. Giddy had been cursed some years back by a disgruntled Witch, who was annoyed with him for being so cocky and she thought to teach him a lesson. He frowned, or was it a wizard? He couldn't rightly remember clearly anymore. All he knew for sure was that blessed little Gnobs, or big Gnobs if he wanted to shape shift into a giant's form, was the one who had saved him. He hadn't told him lately, but he would give his left arm to save his friend's life if he had to.

He looked at his left arm and frowned. "Well maybe just a finger." He changed his mind.

Gnobs looked over at him. "Finger what?"

"Oh nothing!" Giddy replied, stirring them the potion briskly with a dry brush. "Just thinking back to the good old days."

"There are no good old days." Gnobs laughed. "You know that. There's only today and then tomorrow, and then the day after that. Each one's different."

"Yes, and with your intellect...a challenge of giant magnitude!" Snapped Giddy, opening a bottle of fresh spring water to mix the potion together and blend it properly.

Gnobs dropped from the ceiling, bounced a couple of times, then took on his bird form to land on Giddy's knight armored shoulder and peer at the concoction being brewed. "Sure it'll work?"

"Of course I am." Snapped Giddy. "I never fail."

Gnobs shot his eyes out so that they stared into Giddy's. "Giddy!"

"Oh okay. I admit I blew up the Marshall's home that one time."

"Giddy!"

"And Twixt almost lost his tail."

"Giddy!" Sighed Gnobs.

"Very well, you little imp." Giddy snarled. "Have it your way. I do make mistakes. But no one  has ever died from them."

Gnobs raised his eyebrows, which fluttered about the room like a pair of graceful butterflies.

"Oh right. Not yet." Giddy sighed wearily, tiring of the word games. "But this time I know the potion will work."

Giddy finished stirring the spring water into the pewter bowl and stirring it, then eyed Gnobs.

"Now. If you'll just take on your normal form, we can finish this."

"But I don't want to be an ordinary boy." Gnobs protested.

"There are no ordinary boys. Least not from the ages of ten to eighteen." Giddy sighed wearily.

"Now get down there and change!"

Gnobs dropped to the floor and sprouted back into his short frog-like form. He put his hands on his hips as if daring Giddy to change him, then grinned.

Giddy smiled, then poured the potion all over Gnobs.

They both stood there staring at each other.

Nothing happened.

Gnobs began to sweat.

Giddy began to sweat.

Nothing happened.

Finally Giddy sat down at the worktable he had been mixing his potion on and stuck his head in his arms and began to weep. "Face it Gnobs! I'm nothing but a big metallic jerk. That's all I ever will be!"

Nothing.

"Nothing I do ever turns out right. Not even the time I defeated that dragon that was burning down the village. I had to go and accidentally kill it and make it fall into the village well, spoiling their water supply forever."

"But you saved their lives, Giddy." Gnobs said gently.

Giddy looked up at Gnobs, who was still...well Gnobs, except that he was sprouting tiny dragons all over the top of his head and they were battling with each other.

"I don't know why I put up with you." Giddy sighed, the touch of a smile on his lips.

"Maybe it's because I'm so cute." Gnobs said, sprouting a dress and bright red lipstick on his already bright red lips.

Giddy broke into laughter.

Gnobs danced. "I'm so cute. I'm so cute. I'm so cute."