The Adventures of Marvin Theodore Harvey:
Wow! It’s the Radleys
By Michael Biagiotti
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PUBLISHED BY
The Adventures of Marvin Theodore Harvey:
Wow! It’s the Radleys
copyright 2009
www.veryboringplace.com
The Adventures of Marvin Theodore Harvey:
Wow! It’s the Radleys
Like most boys, Marvin Theodore Harvey loves adventure. He loves being outside and he loves playing with his friends. But be clear, its adventure he loves, not trouble. And although he always tries to do the right thing, and possibly because he tries to do the right thing, trouble has a way of sometimes finding him…
It’s a sunny afternoon and Marvin is having a tea party with Daffodil, Larue and Marla. He usually tries to avoid tea parties, but earlier in the day, Daffodil promised him homemade cookies if he played along. Afterwards, she said they would make mud pies. He has played along the best he can, but by now the cookies have all been eaten and he is tired of pretending to drink tea.
Marla, who talks in meeps that only Marvin understands, says, “Meep meep meep meep.”
“I’m ready to make mud pies, too,” agrees Marvin.
“But first,” declares Daffodil, “We have one more song to sing. Ready Larue?”
Larue smiles and nods her head. She and Daffodil start singing and Marla meeps along. Marvin rolls his eyes, but joins in as well.
“Won’t you join us for a cup of tea?
Come on over and have a seat,
And won’t you pass the sugar please,
‘Cause I need my tea taste to taste extra sweet,
Extra sweet, extra sweet,
I need my tea to taste extra sweet,
Yeah, yeah,
I need my tea to taste EXTRA SWEET!”
When they finish the song, Marvin yells, “Let’s make mud pies!”
They get right down to business. Daffodil mixes all sorts of leaves, sticks and rocks into her mud pie. She says, “The secret of a good mud pie is the mix of ingredients. That’s what I learned from cooking shows on television.”
Larue says, “I’m making bean pies from my Mama Grazie’s secret recipe. She made the best bean pies ever. One day I’m gonna make them and sell them and everyone will love them.”
Marvin and Marla are just playing in the mud. They’re not making mud pies at all. They’re making a big mess and having a fun time doing it.
They start singing another song.
“Who put the beans in the bean pie?
Did you put the beans in the bean pie?
Who put the beans in the bean pie?
I bet you put the beans in the bean pie.”
And just as they are finishing their song, their friend Albert comes running up with a big grin on his face. He’s jumping up and down, holding a rolled up poster. He yells, “Hey guys! Hey guys!” But that’s all he gets out, because they start singing again.
“Who put the beans in the bean pie?
Albert put the beans in the bean pie,
He’s so excited that he’s jumping around,
I wonder what it is that Albert’s found.”
Albert tries to wait patiently as they finish the song and finally blurts out, “You’ll never guess what’s coming to town! It’s a stunt show! It’s the coolest thing ever!”
He rolls open the poster and shows it to them. The Radleys Stunt Show is in town and will be performing tomorrow. The show has motorcycles, hot rods, a human cannon ball and airplanes. Everyone says, “Wow!”
The only one not impressed is Daffodil. She says, “They look like a bunch of show offs to me.”
And just as Daffodil is about to explain exactly why they’re a bunch of show offs, she’s interrupted by the loud roar of an engine.
A motorcyclist rides up to them. It’s the guy from the poster. It’s Hutch. He’s the leader of The Radleys. Before they can say or do anything, Hutch grabs the poster from Albert and autographs it. They quietly stand there looking at him in amazement until Marvin finally says, “That’s the coolest motorcycle ever.”
After signing the poster, Hutch gives it back to Albert and says, “Make sure you kids come out to the stunt show tomorrow. We’re setting up just over the hill. It’s gonna be the most exciting thing you’ve ever seen!”
And with that, he takes off riding a wheelie. “Awesome!” yells Marvin, “Let’s play daredevil.”
Everyone, except Daffodil, pretends they’re riding motorcycles, driving hot rods and jumping out of airplanes. She warns, “If you’re not careful, someone’s going to get hurt.”
Marla decides she wants to be a real daredevil. She points to a flower growing way up in the top of a tall tree. It’s growing at the end of a skinny branch. She says, “Meep meep. Meep meep meep meep.”
Marvin says, “Marla, there’s no way you can climb all the way up there and get that little flower. No way!”
Marla responds, “Meep meep!”
Marvin says, “Okay Marla. Prove it. I dare you to climb way up in that tree and get that flower.”
Larue and Albert agree, “Yeah Marla. We dare you.”
Daffodil says, “Marla, you shouldn’t do it. That’s really high up there.”
Marla doesn’t listen to the warning. She heads for the tree and starts climbing. She climbs up and up. Everyone stands there watching as she climbs 50 feet high. Marla pauses for a minute before she slowly starts moving out on a skinny branch towards the flower. Daffodil yells, “Be careful Marla!”
Marla inches her way out on the branch. The flower is right in front of her. She smiles as she reaches out and grabs it. She holds it up for a second as everyone on the ground starts to cheer. But there’s a loud SNAP as the branch breaks. Marla starts to fall, and everyone gasps. Luck is on her side and another branch catches her by the collar of her shirt. She still has the flower, but now she’s stuck hanging at the end of a branch. When everyone realizes she’s not falling anymore, they breathe a sigh of relief.
Marla starts meeping for help. No one is sure what to do, so Daffodil takes charge. She yells, “Don’t worry Marla. You’ll be okay. We’ll go get help!”
She tells Marvin and Albert, “Go get help. And make it quick. Larue and I will stay here to make sure Marla’s okay.”
Marvin and Albert quickly run off. They’re moving as fast as they can, because they don’t want Marla to get hurt.
Daffodil and Larue try to calm her down. They tell her again, “Marla. You’re gonna be okay. Just try to stay calm. We’re your best friends and we’re gonna take care of you.”
Marla takes a deep breath and calmly says, “Meep meep meep.”
Since Marvin’s the only person that really understands her, Daffodil and Larue aren’t quite sure what she’s saying, but they can tell that she feels better. After ten minutes, Marvin and Albert are still not back. Daffodil and Larue start to get a bit nervous. Larue says to Daffodil, “We should make a giant mud pie right under Marla. That way if she falls, she’ll land right in it and it will cushion her fall so she doesn’t get hurt.”
Daffodil says, “Larue, that’s a great idea. I love making mud pies and this will be the biggest mud pie ever.”
They get right to work. As they’re making the giant mud pie, they sing a song.
“There goes Marla Meeps,
Meep, meep, meep,
The sweetest meep,
That you’ll ever meet.”
; “Silly Marla Meeps,
Meep, meep, meep,
She got stuck,
Way up in the tree.”
“Such a little meep,
Meep, meep, meep,
We’re making the biggest mud pie,
That you’ll ever see.”
Making the mud pie and singing the song makes Marla feel a little better. She likes when her friends sing to her.
The rumble of a motorcycle sounds in the distance. It turns out to be two motorcycles. Hutch and Marvin are on one bike and Sabie and Albert are on the other. Sabie’s another member of the Radleys stunt squad. They jump off their motorcycles and Marvin shows Hutch and Sabie where Marla’s stuck. Hutch tells Sabie, “I think this could help us promote the stunt show.”
Marvin isn’t sure what he means by that, and before he can ask any questions, Sabie yells, “Marla you are quite the daredevil!”
Hutch adds, “But it’s a good thing the Radleys are here to come to your rescue. So you sit tight and we’ll get you down from there in no time!”
Then he turns to Sabie and says, “You go back to base camp and get the rescue team. I’ll take care of everything else.”
Hutch gets out his cell phone and calls his friend on the local television news team. He says, “Get