A Gourd Story

 
Ms. Gourda Gourd's Promise

by Grandma 

with help from her granddaughters

June 27-29, 2009

A long, long time ago, a strange thing happened at a gourd farm. Ms. Gourda Gourd, the magical Queen of the Farm, made a promise that three gourds would be changed into human beings on June 27 in the year of 2009. The gourds would be given two whole days to be human and enjoy life as humans before returning to the gourd farm.

Many gourds were piled high in deep bins and most of the gourds forgot about the ancient promise.  Their only thought was that someone would buy them and transform them into beautiful works of art. Buried deep in the piles of gourds, three gourds had not forgotten the promise. They quietly waited for Ms. Gourda Gourd to work her magic and make them human.

As Ms. Gourda Gourd approached the three gourds, they began to get
excited. Suddenly, a low, drumming noise could be heard and a flash of
lightning struck the three gourds. The three gourds were transformed into three persons. "Wow, this will be a fun weekend because we can do whatever we want!"

Their adventure began by walking around the 13th Annual Gourd Festival
and looking at all the beautiful art. Their favorite was a booth with lots of animal masks. The masks were very unusual, yet, realistic. After wandering and seeing all that can be done with a gourd they decided to go to Temecula, a town not too far away. They got into a white Nissan Versa and headed down a winding mountain road. There was lots to see as they drove down the mountain: large trees, green bushes, colorful flowers and trickling water.

They decided to spend the night at the Country Inn, a Best Western Motel and were surprised to see a poster of the Gourd Festival in the lobby. "There is so much to do when you are not a gourd," they
remarked, after stuffing themselves at The Soup Plantation. When they settled in for the night, the television was full of tributes to Michael Jackson. He died on June 25, 2009 at the age of fifty. As they watched an autobiography about Michael they learned many things about him they
did not know. It was strange how he seemed more popular in death than in his last few years.

The next morning they began their day by eating breakfast at Mimi's. They found a Trader Joe's store and bought peanut butter, popcorn and
nuts. They saw UP in 3D and wore large dark glasses. They posed for pictures. They swam. They drove to Lake Elsinore but because it was 98
degrees F. they stayed in the shade of a large tree.

Their two exciting days were coming to an end so they returned to the gourd farm. Arriving at the farm, they tried to explain that they were returning to be turned back into gourds. The young man rolled his eyes and said, "Sure you are, but you still have to pay the $3.00 parking fee!" Before finding Ms. Gourda Gourd they looked at a trailer under a tree. It looked like a little house. In the corner

they saw a brown guinea pig. It looked like a ball of chocolate and they decided to call it Cupcake.

And then it was time to be returned to gourds. When they found Ms. Gourda Gourd she raised her wand to turn them back into gourds but then she stopped. "You have such happy faces that I am going to leave you as you are. There are many other gourds for people to buy and the three of you will never be missed." Waving her wand, she smiled and said, "Enjoy your lives," as she rolled away into the sunset.

The three humans looked at each other and laughed. They felt very fortunate and would now live happily ever after and never have to worry about becoming gourds again.

The End