It had been a long time since Granny had been away on holiday. She missed the sea air and decided to do something about it. So she packed her bags, took her toothbrush and was just about to leave when, “Meoooooow!” it was Linky, her cat.
“Oh deary me, I’ve forgotten about you Linky.” said Granny, bending down to stroke the ginger animal. Just then she caught sight of Scales, her gold fish. Oh bother now she was really in a pickle. She couldn’t go away, she had to look after her pets!
Granny sat down in her favourite chair, to think about what to do.
Coo-coo-awk-awk-coo-coo-jolly good-awk!
“What on earth is that noise?” thought Granny as she got up to have a look.
It was Professor Astro, he was the nuttiest Loopie in Acersville! He wore thick glasses and was always coming up with new inventions! The Professor saw Granny peering out of her window at him. He grinned and waved at her, motioning for her to open the door.
“Hallo Granny!” he smiled, looking very pleased with himself.
“Good morning Astro, what have you there?” she asked.
“It’s my newest invention!” he smiled proudly, “It’s a Parrot-Cuckoo Alarm Clock!”
Granny looked puzzled, “What does it do?” she asked.
“Well, it’s pretty neat if you need to remind yourself what to do next.” The Professor looked at Linky, “Like perhaps feeding the cat?”
“Oh!” said Granny, smiling brightly. “That sounds like a perfect invention, and I know just how you can test it!”
She quickly explained that she had been deciding to take a vacation and couldn’t go because she had pets to look after, but now with Astro’s invention, all that could change!
“I’d be happy to look after your house and pets while you’re away Granny!” said Astro.
“Good! Let me quickly write you a list of all the things that need to be done around the house each day, and then you can set your invention to remind you!” Granny was twitching with excitement.
“What a wonderful plan.” beamed Astro.
Granny wrote out a long list, placed it on the kitchen counter, picked up her bags and waved to the Professor, “See you in a week!” she called and was soon out of sight.
The Professor smiled and stroked Linky.
“Looks like it’s just you, me and Scales for the next few days.”
“Awk! And me! Coo-coo!” said the alarm clock.
The Professor smiled, what a good invention he had made! He quickly went to work setting his Parrot-Cuckoo Alarm Clock to remind him about his tasks for the next few days.
The next day the Professor was woken early by the squawking of his clock.
“Make the tea! Awk, make the tea! Coo-coo! Coo-coo!”
The Professor rubbed his eyes and got out of bed, he stumbled down to the kitchen, without his glasses!
The Professor reached for the tea bags and hot water, but without his glasses he was as blind as a bat! He knocked over the kettle, which sent boiling water all over the kitchen! The boiling water spilled onto Granny’s list dissolving half of her writing!
“Awk! Not good! Coo-coo!” screamed the alarm clock.
“It’s alright, quite alright.” said the Professor dabbing up the water with a soft cloth.
“You’re programmed to let me know when I have to do things, remember?”
But the professor had forgotten that he needed the list to tell him other things he hadn’t programmed into the Parrot-Cuckoo Alarm Clock!
“Coo-coo, coo-coo! Awk, whistle, awk, time for the laundry, wash the clothes, whistle!”
The Professor looked pleased with himself.
“See, was that so difficult? You have all the information right up there.” He said pointing to the Parrot’s head.
The Professor busily went about collecting dirty clothes and sheets. He stuffed them all inside the washing machine until he couldn’t stuff anymore.
“Now, how many scoops of washing power do we need?” he asked the alarm clock.
“Awk!” squawked the Parrot looking at Granny’s frumpled list.
“Oh dear!” said the Professor, “it looks like we needed the list after all!”
‘Oh well, drastic measures call for drastic action! Let’s make it five scoops! Then it will be all nice, fluffy and clean.”
So the Professor began loading scoops of washing powder into the machine. He then hurried off with his Parrot-Cuckoo Alarm Clock to finish the other tasks set for the day, while the washing machine washed. The washing machine swished and swashed and swished and swashed until….
KERSWALLOOSH! SPLASH SPLISH!
The washing machine door popped off and all the sheets and clothes flopped in a soapy mess onto the floor. But the machine kept washing!
Wish-wash-wish. Wish-swash-swish it went, making more and more and more bubbles from the many scoops of soap powder the Professor had used!
But that wasn’t the only disaster of the day! Without his glasses or Granny’s list, the Professor had managed to turn Granny’s entire house on it’s head! He fed the cat fish food and poured milk in the fish bowl, he vacuumed the roses and watered the carpets. He boiled the ironing for dinner and folded the peas! Poor Granny! She was going to come home to such a mess!
By this time the bubbles had made their way out into the street! And the machine kept on washing. Wish-wash-swish-wash-wish-wash-wish!
“Hallo?” asked Rufus as he and Ruff had passed the bubbly mess.
“What’s this?”
“It looks like a whole lot of soapy bubbles to me.” said Ruff.
“Indeed! But this means someone is having a party without us! C’mon!” he replied, taking Ruff’s hand and dragging him to find the source of the bubbles.
Rufus and Ruff reached Granny’s house, which by this time was completely hidden from sight underneath all the washing foam.
“Awk! Whistle, tap the bath! Tap the bath! Coo-coo!” Came the muffled sounds of a Parrot’s voice from underneath the bubbles.
Rufus looked at Ruff, who shrugged.
“Maybe Granny has a new pet?” he offered.
“Only one way to find out!” said Rufus heading straight into the bubbles.
“La-la-li-tra-la-la!” It was the Professor, he looked quite funny without his glasses!
“Professor! Professor!” shouted Rufus, trying to shout loudly over the sounds of the vacuum and the Professor’s singing.
“What’s that?” the Professor turned.
“Oh, Rufus, what’s this you’ve brought with you?” he asked.
“It’s my brother Ruff Professor, you know who he is?” answered Rufus, not realizing that Ruff had been completely covered with bubbles on their way in.
“But then why does he look like that? Is it Halloween already?”
“Professor, turn off the vacuum! What are you doing to Granny’s house?” instructed Ruff who had had quite enough at this stage.
“Well..” said the Professor, obviously flustered at the unexpected interruption.
The Professor explained that Granny was away on holiday and that he was looking after her house using his latest invention, his Parrot-Cuckoo Alarm Clock.
“Professor, I think your alarm is broken.” Retorted Ruff looking at the house riddled with disaster.
“Quite the contrary, Ruff!” said the Professor proudly.
“Look at all the things I’ve been able to do for Granny. Why, my alarm is in perfect working order!”
Rufus quickly handed the Professor his glasses and with that the Professor’s face fell. His thick bottle-tops revealed what Rufus and Ruff had been trying to tell him.
“Egad! Good Heavens! This place is a mess! Someone should really clean it up!”
He looked at the brothers, a grave expression crossing his face, as he realized he couldn’t do it alone.
“No problems Professor!” Rufus answered Astro’s unasked question.
“We’ll get this place straight in no time!”
And with that the three Loopies began cleaning, tidying and straightening out Granny’s house. In no time at all Granny’s house was back to normal and ready for her return.
“Thank you Ruff and Rufus!” said a relieved Professor.
“It’s no problem Professor, really.” smiled Rufus.
“But before we go.” added Ruff, “There’s just one last thing we must do!”
With that he took the Professor’s Parrot-Cuckoo Alarm Clock and set it to remind Astro of one more task.
The brothers waved good night to the Professor and headed off home. The Professor was so tired he flopped onto the couch and fell into a deep sleep. In the morning he was again woken by the squawking of his alarm clock, but this time it had a different message:
“Awk, wear your glasses! Don’t forget your glasses! Coo-coo!”
